Is my hypothesis testable?

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TiagoPDS16
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Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2017 4:18 pm
Occupation: Student

Is my hypothesis testable?

Post by TiagoPDS16 »

Experiment: How storage temperature affects the pH levels in orange juice

Hypothesis: Greater temperature will cause the citric acid in the orange juice to dissociate. This will increase the availability of hydrogen ions, indicating a stronger acid and resulting in a lower pH number. The opposite effect will occur if the orange juice solution is colder.
theborg
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Project Question: "To explain all nature is too difficult a task for any one man. 'Tis much better to do a little with certainty and leave the rest for others that come after you, than to explain all things by conjecture without making sure of anything." - Sir Isaac Newton
Project Due Date: N/A
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: Is my hypothesis testable?

Post by theborg »

TiagoPDS16,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the forum. In short, yes your hypothesis is testable. You need to make sure you control all your variables. For instance, your independent variable of temp, taking many measurements across a range of temps from very cold to warm. The measurements of your dependant variable of pH level will need to be measured very accurately as the change may be quite subtle. I would also suggest performing the experiment at least three separate times using juice from three separate cartons to prove repeatability and also determine an average amount of pH change per degree of temp change.
Hope this helps.

theborg
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