Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My son started a science project at school and hes good @ science and worms and all that... but we're stuck a little bit on the hypothesis the topic or problem of his project is: Does red wigglers worms compost more produce than night crawlers?

We already make the compost bins two for each is looking pretty good the bins and the worms! we are very exited about this project but a little bit scared about the hypothesis, he's reading a lot about worm compost, and the characteristics of each red wigglers and night crawlers! but he seems having problems in how to do his hypothesis!

any advice??? this is our firs time with worm compost... we want to see how it works and my son is so exited to find out the results of his experiment and also a way to help the earth with his project.

Thank You.

Hi,

It sounds like your son's project is off to a good start. Since he already has the "question" that he is trying to answer with his project, he is already on his way to figuring out his hypothesis. In this case, the hypothesis can be an educated guess to the question being asked. For example, if he has a reason to believe that the red wiggler worms will be better at composting than the night crawlers, his hypothesis can be about that.

If you are still having trouble, here is a guide to building a strong hypothesis:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/201 ... thesis.php

I think that that is a great idea! Your son's hypothesis should be about what he thinks is going to turn out. One of my teachers have told me that a hypothesis is an educated guess, if that helps at all.

He came up with this!!! hope is good... i think it is, but am not that good at hypothesis!!!
If i feed 1/2 cup of kitchen scraps and yard waste the red wigglers and night crawlers every day. Then i"ll be able to measure how much produce are they composting, because they are eating the same amount of food.

What you think???

Thank you.

I think that is an awesome idea. Plus, your son sounds like a smart kid! I hope he does well on the science fair!

Thank You lalalala... you are very sweet... i hope so too!

I will like to read more of what other people think of this hypothesis if is strong enough to support his problem.

Thank You.

ivyh wrote:Hi,

It sounds like your son's project is off to a good start. Since he already has the "question" that he is trying to answer with his project, he is already on his way to figuring out his hypothesis. In this case, the hypothesis can be an educated guess to the question being asked. For example, if he has a reason to believe that the red wiggler worms will be better at composting than the night crawlers, his hypothesis can be about that.

If you are still having trouble, here is a guide to building a strong hypothesis:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/201 ... thesis.php

Hello! we're been working on the hypothesis and we came up with this one i would like your advice on this one please!
"Red wigglers compost the most produce if i feed them with very small pieces of food then the worms will be able to eat faster and compost more and quicker."

Your hypothesis should be directly related to the question you project is asking and, from what I understand, the project is about whether nightcrawlers or red wiggler worms produce more compost. So, the hypothesis should be related to that.

For example:
If red wiggler worms and nightcrawlers are both placed in compost bins and fed the same amount of food, the [night crawlers or red wiggler worms] will produce more compost because [the reason why you believe one will produce more compost]

While the hypothesis you have set up makes sense, it does not sound like it is completely relevant to the project, since you are testing which worm is better at composting, and not whether the pieces of food affect how quickly the worms produce compost.

ivyh wrote:Your hypothesis should be directly related to the question you project is asking and, from what I understand, the project is about whether nightcrawlers or red wiggler worms produce more compost. So, the hypothesis should be related to that.

For example:
If red wiggler worms and nightcrawlers are both placed in compost bins and fed the same amount of food, the [night crawlers or red wiggler worms] will produce more compost because [the reason why you believe one will produce more compost]

While the hypothesis you have set up makes sense, it does not sound like it is completely relevant to the project, since you are testing which worm is better at composting, and not whether the pieces of food affect how quickly the worms produce compost.

Thank You! for your explanation!!!
now we work on this one!
Please let me know if it makes sense...
If Red Wigglers and Night crawlers are placed in separated compost bins and fed every day with the same amount of food. the red wigglers will compost more produce because they have hearty appetite and can eat half of their own weight in one day digesting the organics right away.

Once again thank you so much for your help.

Hi. What you have sounds good, but it should be a bit more concise.

Example:
When placed in composting bins, red wiggler worms will compost more produce than night crawlers.

The specifics, such as their ability to eat half of their weight in a day, can be added in to another section of the project, as can details about what the worms are fed.

ivyh wrote:Hi. What you have sounds good, but it should be a bit more concise.

Example:
When placed in composting bins, red wiggler worms will compost more produce than night crawlers.

The specifics, such as their ability to eat half of their weight in a day, can be added in to another section of the project, as can details about what the worms are fed.

Ok! good point.

If Red wigglers and night crawlers are placed in composting bins and fed the same amount of food, the red wigglers worms will compost more produce than night crawlers, because they eat more and reproduces faster.

That does work, but the hypothesis can be a little shorter than that. You can just say "If Red wigglers and night crawlers are placed in composting bins, the red wigglers worms will compost more produce than night crawlers". You can explain the food they're eating and the facts you know about red wiggler worms and night crawlers in another section of the project.

Thank You so much for all your help!!! This web site is excellent... and we really appreciate all your help and time.
I hope my son do well in his science project!!! hes very exited about it.
Thanks. Happy Holidays.

You're welcome! Glad to help. Hope the project goes well!

A simple format to use for a hypothesis is If ________________, then __________________. A hypothesis is a prediction, so all you have to do is guess what the outcome of your experiment will be. So, you could say that if the night crawlers are placed in a compost bin, then they will produce more compost than red wigglers if they are also placed into a separate compost bin.