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Basic science: understanding experiments
Basic science: understanding experiments

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1.5.1 Sharing your results

Figure _unit1.6.2 Figure 11

Now that you have completed your second experiment, you will have a new set of results to discuss. Hopefully the results of your experiment were broadly similar to those seen in the video. The cucumber slice in the salt water should have lost weight, while the one in the distilled water should have gained weight.

Activity _unit1.6.1 Activity 1.2 Experiment 2

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

Post your results and observations in the course forum thread for this activity [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] :

  • Did the experiment perform as you expected?
  • What do you think caused your cucumber slices to change in the way that they did?
  • If your cucumber slices haven’t behaved in the same way as Janet’s did, can you think of a reason why your results might be different?

Photographs can be really useful for comparing your results, so do add an image to your forum post if you can.

Remember, if your results were unusual this does not make them bad – some of the most significant scientific discoveries have stemmed from mistakes or surprises.