Question

You believe that you have discovered and patented the best liquid fertilizer for growing tomatoes. You have contacted Scott’s Lawn and Garden Company to ask how much they will pay for your patented liquid fertilizer, SouperTomaterMaker. Dr. Moody, CEO of the Company, is skeptical and asks you to provide DATA (evidence) from one season of production in the form of a controlled experiment.

You set up two gardens.

The experimental garden is on the south side of your house which faces a large corn and soybean field being actively farmed by a hog farmer (you live on the edge of town) and you apply a bucket of your liquid fertilizer daily.

The control garden is on the north side of your house next to your neighbor’s large two-story Victorian house with tall pine trees on either side of the house and you do NOT apply your liquid fertilizer.

1. Exactly what is your alternative hypothesis? What about your null hypothesis?

2. What predictions are you making and why?

3. What are you going to measure in order to test the hypothesis and its predictions?

Remember that in science we need empirical measurements that can be analyzed statistically so a “taste test” probably isn’t sufficient.

4. What assumptions are being made? Should they also be tested? How?

5. Have you adequately set up this experiment? Explain your answer in detail.

6. Would you make changes to the design of the experiment? Why and what changes?

7. Should this be a double-blind controlled experiment? Explain your answer.