Name: ______Date: ______Period: ______

Spaghetti Lab

Research Question: Is there a relationship between the length of a piece of spaghetti and its mass?

Materials: Spaghetti,electronic balance, ruler

Methods:

  1. Read over the procedure. With you group, identify the variables we will be testing.
  2. Create your own data table for your groups’ measurements.
  3. Take one strand of spaghetti, and measure its length (in centimeters) and record in your data table.
  4. Use the balance to measure the mass (in grams) of that same strand of spaghetti and record in your data table.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for fourdifferent strands of spaghetti. Record in your data table.
  6. Record your groups’ data on the class data table on the board.
  7. Using a ruler, create a graph of the class data on your graph paper, graphing length vs. mass. That means length is on the x-axis and mass is on the y-axis. Make sure your graph TALKS to you – Title, Axis with Labels, Key, Scale (even increments).
  8. Using a ruler, draw a line of best fit.

Data:

Analysis:

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is the independent variable in this experiment? Explain why it is the independent variable.
  1. What is the dependent variable in this experiment? Explain why it is the dependent variable.
  1. Is there a relationship between the mass and the length of the spaghetti? Describe the relationship citing specific evidence (how do you know based on your line graph)?
  1. Assume Lady & the Tramp shared a 30 cm spaghetti noodle. What mass of pasta did they eat? Explain how you determined your answer from your graph.
  1. A tortoise wants to eat 1.5 grams of spaghetti to carbo-load before his big race. How long would his noodle need to be?Explain how you determined your answer from your graph.