HallHawkins
SC300-26: Stephanie Big Ideas in Science: From Methods to Mutation
Science Meets Real Life
1. Is there is a common reason for the absences? Explain.
Yes. According to the school calendars for both Truman and Jackson the majority of the sick children are
band members and the two schools had a competition against each other around the time of the
illnesses.
2.Come up with two testable, clear hypotheses about what you think is behind the absences. Be sure to
base your hypotheses on the evidence you have obtained (e.g., Health Department Restaurant
Inspections) and be thorough in your explanation of who, what, why, when, and how to support your
hypotheses.
My first hypotheses about what I think is behind the absences is that if these children ate at the same
restaurant they may have suffered from food poisoning. The interview with the parent of the child
indicated as T10 states that the children were all taken to a restaurant to eat on the day of the event.
Since not all children would have likely eaten the same foods that would explain why some of the
children did not get food poising. According to the restaurant inspection for a place called DELIcious the
staff was not using thermometers in the preparation of the food. Meat that is being served raw can
result in food poising and the children that ate these particular items may well be the ones that were
absent from school the next couple of days.
My second hypotheses about what I think is behind the absences is that if one of these children was
suffering from the flu they may have shared a flu virus with other children. According to the school
calendar these children were practicing together very frequently and a virus can be spread through
contact with each other. The children from both schools have would attended a meeting on the 15th of
the month that involved the planning of the event that took place on the 19th.
3.Come up with six testable questions that you could ask to help further your investigation and support
or disprove your hypotheses.
For my first hypotheses my questions would be:
What restaurant did the children eat at on the day of the event?
What did the children have to eat?
Would the foods they ate have needed to be cooked?
Would the cooking of these foods need to have been done to a certain temperature?
Did all of the children that suffered from the illness eat the same foods?
Can we find records of other people who ate at the restaurant on the same day that exhibited the same
symptoms?
For my second hypotheses my questions would be:
Stephanie HallHawkins
SC300-26: Big Ideas in Science: From Methods to Mutation
How long can a person with a virus be contagious for?
Were any of the children in either of the schools bands sick prior to or on the day of the planning
meeting?
How long after exposure to a virus are people likely to exhibit symptoms of the same virus?
Were any of the children that attended the planning meeting absent from school on the days after the
meeting?
Did any of the children that were absent on the 14th attend the planning meeting on the 15th?
Did any of the children who were absent on the 20th and 21st attend the planning meeting on 15th?
4.Is the following statement a suitable hypothesis: "The Brentwood Indians basketball team lost the
state championship because there is bad stuff in the stars happening with Mars in Aquarius"? Explain
why or why not.
I would say that this is not a suitable hypotheses because it does not follow the if.then structure and
I would not say that it is testable.