Question

scientific method scenarios
read the following scenario. then answer the following questions based on the experiment.
a shopping mall wanted to determine whether the more expensive “-tough stuff-” floor wax was better than the cheaper “-steel seal-” floor wax at protecting its floor tiles against scratches.

• one liter of each brand of floor wax was applied to each of 3 test sections of the mall’s hall floor.
• the test sections were all the same size and were covered with the same kind of tiles.
• the (2) other test sections received no wax.
• each week for 3 weeks, the number of scratches in each of the test sections was counted.

results
chart with columns: after 1 week, after 2 weeks, after 3 weeks; rows: tough stuff, steel seal, no wax; and average number of scratches:
tough stuff: 5 (1 week), 11 (2 weeks), 17 (3 weeks)
steel seal: 5 (1 week), 18 (2 weeks), 26 (3 weeks)
no wax: 12 (1 week), 22 (2 weeks), 35 (3 weeks)

1. what is the independent variable in this experiment?

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1. state the problem.

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1. write a hypothesis the mall might have made before starting the experiment.

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other questions (4 - 8) with blank lines for answers, not fully visible in ocr but related to the experiment

Explanation:

Question 1: Independent Variable

In an experiment, the independent variable is the factor that is manipulated. Here, the mall tested different floor waxes (Tough Stuff, Steel Seal, No Wax) and also tracked time (after 1, 2, 3 weeks). But the main manipulated factor for testing floor protection is the type of floor wax (or the presence/type of wax), and time is also a manipulated variable for observing changes. However, in the context of "independent variable" for this experiment (testing floor wax effectiveness), the independent variable is the type of floor wax (or the wax treatment: Tough Stuff, Steel Seal, No Wax) and time (weeks) as another independent variable. But looking at the setup, the mall applied different waxes (and no wax) to test sections, so the independent variable is the type of floor wax (or the wax product: Tough Stuff, Steel Seal, No Wax) and the time (weeks) since application. But more precisely, the independent variables here are the type of floor wax (Tough Stuff, Steel Seal, No Wax) and the time (1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks) because these are the factors being changed to observe the number of scratches (dependent variable).

The problem is to determine which brand of floor wax (Tough Stuff, Steel Seal) or no wax provides the best protection for the mall's floor against scratches, and how the number of scratches changes over time (1, 2, 3 weeks) with each wax treatment.

A hypothesis is a testable prediction. The mall might hypothesize that Tough Stuff or Steel Seal wax will result in fewer scratches than no wax, and that as time increases, the number of scratches will increase for all treatments, but the waxed floors will have fewer scratches than the unwaxed floor at each time point. For example: "Tough Stuff floor wax will result in fewer scratches than Steel Seal and No Wax on the mall's floor, and the number of scratches on all floor sections will increase over time, with the unwaxed floor having the most scratches at each week."

Answer:

The independent variables are the type of floor wax (Tough Stuff, Steel Seal, No Wax) and the time (after 1 week, after 2 weeks, after 3 weeks) since the wax was applied (or the wax treatment and the duration of time).

Question 2: State the Problem