SUCCEED

This morning, Levi began the workshop with using Microsoft Excel. He showed how expectations could be different through using Microsoft Excel. He showed multiple equations that should have equaled zero, but they didn't display zero on Microsoft Excel. He explained how Microsoft Excel couldn’t have an answer as zero. His main idea was to not accept the expectations. The students discovered they could often be wrong and have unexpected results. He showed that in depth by using Microsoft Excel. He also talked about observations and reflections. Next, the students found the total mass of Earth in kilograms. All websites have different answers for Earth's total mass. They explored how and why there are different answers. They also explored how using Google's first answer and different sources aren't always correct. They discovered using different and multiple sources are better for finding information.

Then, the students looked at the minimum melting point and other properties of radium. The answer Google gave was different from its original source. This showed the students that Google's first answer is not always correct, but it is the most popular source. The students discovered that Google isn't always correct, and that first answers aren't always right. 

Afternoon(1pm-4pm):

Levi started out the afternoon section by reviewing the topics learned in the morning, such as Expectation, Observation, and Reflection.

He then began to describe an experiment that the workshop students would soon perform. This experiment will determine whether or not the inside of the egg is a liquid or a non-liquid. Three tests will be performed to investigate this matter; the spin/stop test, the fwomp/rock test, and the spin/falls test. The spin/stop test was performed by spinning an egg on its side, and trying to stop it with one finger. If the egg continued to spin, the spin choice was chosen, while if the egg stopped, the stop choice was chosen. The fwomp/rock test was performed by tipping an egg over, and if the egg began to rock, the rock option was chosen, while if the egg skidded across the table, the fwomp option was selected. The last test, the spin/falls test was performed by spinning an egg upright. If the egg continued to spin, the spin option was selected, while if the egg fell over, the falls option was selected.

The objective of this lesson was to teach the students that science and experiments should be executed without preconceived notions, experiences, and biases. After recording their results, the students came to realize that eggs with results of spin, fwomp, and falls had a liquid center, while the eggs with results of stop, rock, and spins had a non-liquid center.

Levi then cracked open the eggs to uncover the state of matter of the center. To the students’ surprise, the insides of the eggs were not all raw or hardboiled, as previous experiences would have led them to believe, but instead the eggs were filled with various liquids or solids, such as water, milk, rubbing alchohol, gelatin, and yolk. Additionally, the eggs were labeled by number (1-5) and letter (H or R). After the experiment, the students were told that the labels had no significance to the contents of the eggs, as some students believed R stood for raw egg, and H for hardboiled egg. This also tied into the main idea of expectation vs. reality in science. The experiment and lesson taught the students to perform experiments without the influence of biases and previous experiences. This also ties in with the morning lesson of Expectation, Observation, and Reflection, because the observations from the experiment contradicted the workshop students’ expectations. The next activity was about objectivity vs. subjectivity. This activity tied into the previous experiment, as the students investigated labels on a box of straws to determine if the label was objective (absolute fact) or subjective (not a fact). Through an experiment of measuring the length and diameters of the straws, students discovered that much of the previously believed objective labels (length, diameter, quantity), were in fact subjective, as many measurements failed to match the label.

The last activity taught the difference between necessary and sufficient. Levi used the scenario of buying pasta sauce at a supermarket to depict these definitions. Levi pointed out that there are many necessary requirements to buying a jar of pasta sauce, such as intact seal, full jar, and closed lid. For a customer to buy a jar of pasta sauce, all of the aforementioned conditions must be true. However, there are many sufficient issues that may dissuade a customer from buying a jar, such as broken seal, torn label, or open lid. Only one of these conditions needs to be true to dissuade a consumer from purchasing the jar. Overall, today’s lessons taught the workshop students important scientific concepts, regarding experimentation, observation, expectations, and reflection.