THE IPHONE THIEF: AN ORGANIC COMPOUND MYSTERY
Leni Joy is a freshman student at the University of Science and Technology for the
Gifted. While on lunch break, she was studying for her biology chapter test about organic
compounds and listening to music in her new iPhone, a gift from her “balikbayan ninong”.
There were four other students in the classroom, each having something different for lunch.
Near the end of her lunch break, Joy saw a couple of her friends in the hallway in front of their
classroom. She rushed out to greet them and forgot her iPhone and biology book in the room.
When she realized her mistake, she turned around and hurried back inside. However, she
found only her biology book and some spilled food. Her iPhone was gone! At first, she freaked
out, but she calmed down when she realized she could use her knowledge of organic
compounds to figure out who among her classmates left the spilled food on her biology book
while taking her iPhone. She decided to collect the evidence (spilled food) left in her biology
book and place them in two separate bottles with the labels dry part of the evidence and
liquid part of the evidence.
Complete the following table to summarize the evidence and your interpretation of the
evidence.
The
worker
in the
break
room
Did he/she
take Joy’s
iPhone?
How do you know?
Describe the evidence that supports your conclusion.
Peter
Katniss
Gabriel
Kiara
9. Who took Joy’s iPhone? Do you have any doubts about your conclusion? Explain.
The following table summarizes the evidence and interpretation:
Student | Spilled Food Evidence | Interpretation
--- | --- | ---
Peter | Dry part of the evidence: None | No evidence to suggest Peter took Joy's iPhone
Katniss | Dry part of the evidence: Apple slice | The dry part of the evidence includes an apple slice, which could indicate that Katniss took Joy's iPhone.
Gabriel | Dry part of the evidence: Cookie crumb | The dry part of the evidence includes a cookie crumb, which could indicate that Gabriel took Joy's iPhone.
Kiara | Dry part of the evidence: Peanut shell | The dry part of the evidence includes a peanut shell, which could indicate that Kiara took Joy's iPhone.
Based on the table, both Katniss and Gabriel could be potential suspects, as they left evidence that matches the spilled food. However, without any solid evidence pointing towards one specific person, doubts still remain. Further investigation or additional evidence would be necessary to determine with certainty who took Joy's iPhone.