Enrichment · STEM Explorations

Every trial recorded.
The table builds itself.

A science fair project lives or dies on its data. Set up each condition of your experiment once (the variable you change, the one you measure, the unit, and whether it is the control), then add every trial with its date and a note. The builder works out the mean and range, spots a trial far from the rest, and lays out the data table for your board.

Add a conditionWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the STEM explorations set, $49 for 11 items.

Conditions

The worked example is made up: bean plants given 0, 10 or 20 mL of fertilizer, measured on day 14. Saved on this device only.

Loading the condition form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · STEM Explorations$5

What you finish with
A record per condition: experiment, independent and dependent variables, the level tested, whether it is the control, the unit, the start date, every trial with its date and note, and six controlled variables. Works out the number of trials, mean, lowest, highest and range and the data table per experiment; flags fewer than three trials, a possible outlier with no note, a missing unit, a controlled variable that changed and no control condition.
Who it is for
Middle and high school students doing science fair or independent research projects, and the teachers and parents supporting them.
Format
Browser template with a saved record per condition. Prints one condition’s data sheet, every condition in a table or a blank data sheet for the lab bench; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv) for graphing; exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the STEM explorations set ($49) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The STEM Explorations space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Write the experiment name the same way for every condition.
  2. Add the control first, then each level you test.
  3. Enter every trial on the day you measure it, with a note if anything odd happened.
  4. Tick the controlled variables honestly.
  5. Copy the data table from the side panel, and graph from the spreadsheet.

Add a condition

Good data, plainly shown

The data table on the boardFertilizerTrialsMean heightRange0 mL (control)512.38 cm11.8 to 13.110 mL513.34 cm9.1 to 15.020 mL215.75 cm15.4 to 16.1The data table on the board0 mL (control)Trials: 5Mean height: 12.38 cmRange: 11.8 to 13.110 mLTrials: 5Mean height: 13.34 cmRange: 9.1 to 15.020 mLTrials: 2Mean height: 15.75 cmRange: 15.4 to 16.1
The independent variable goes in the first column, then how many trials, the mean and the spread. The 9.1 in the middle row pulls that mean down; a note explaining it belongs on the board too.

Why three or more trials

A single measurement can be off for reasons that have nothing to do with your variable: a seed that was weak, a reading taken at a slant. Repeating each condition and reporting the mean and spread shows whether a difference is bigger than that ordinary variation.

Outliers

The builder marks any trial more than 25 percent away from the median of its condition. That does not mean delete it. Scientists keep every value, look for a reason, and may report results with and without it, saying why.

Controls and variables

The control is the condition without the change (here, no fertilizer). Controlled variables are everything else you keep the same. If one changed, say so on your board; judges respect honesty about limits.

Sources

  1. Society for Science, Regeneron ISEF: research plan, data and project presentation guidance (societyforscience.org/isef).
  2. NGSS Lead States (2013). Next Generation Science Standards, Science and Engineering Practices 3 (planning and carrying out investigations) and 4 (analyzing and interpreting data).
  3. National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods: measures of location and spread, and outliers (itl.nist.gov).
  4. Science Buddies, Data analysis and graphs for science projects (sciencebuddies.org).

The worked example is made up. The 25 percent outlier mark is a simple screening rule for students, not a statistical test. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.