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.
Peter
-Did he/she
take Joy’s
iPhone?
How do you know?
Describe the evidence that supports your conclusion.
Katniss
-Did he/she
take Joy’s iphone?
How do you know?
Describe the evidence that supports your conclusion.
Gabriel
-Did he/she
take Joy’s
iPhone?
-How do you know?
Describe the evidence that supports your conclusion.
Kiara
-Did he/she
take Joy’s
iPhone?
-How do you know?
Describe the evidence that supports your conclusion.
9. Who took Joy’s iPhone? Do you have any doubts about your conclusion? Explain
To determine who took Joy's iPhone, we need to analyze the evidence left on her biology book.
Peter:
- Did he take Joy's iPhone?
Evidence: There is a dry residue of orange juice on the biology book.
Interpretation: It is unlikely that Peter took Joy's iPhone as there is no evidence of a liquid spill on his lunch.
Katniss:
- Did he take Joy's iPhone?
Evidence: There is a dry residue of ketchup on the biology book.
Interpretation: It is unlikely that Katniss took Joy's iPhone as there is no evidence of a liquid spill on her lunch.
Gabriel:
- Did he take Joy's iPhone?
Evidence: There is a dry residue of mustard and a liquid spill on the biology book.
Interpretation: It is possible that Gabriel took Joy's iPhone as there is evidence of both mustard residue and a liquid spill on his lunch.
Kiara:
- Did she take Joy's iPhone?
Evidence: There is a liquid spill on the biology book.
Interpretation: It is possible that Kiara took Joy's iPhone as there is evidence of a liquid spill on her lunch.
Based on the evidence, both Gabriel and Kiara could have taken Joy's iPhone. There is no definitive proof pointing to one person, so there are doubts about the conclusion. It is necessary to gather more evidence or information to determine the true culprit.