Bart believes that mice exposed to microwaves will become extra strong (maybe he's reading too much Radioactive Man). He decides to perform this experiment by placing 10 mice in a microwave for 10 seconds. He composed these 10 mice to another 10 mice that had not been exposed. His test consisted of a heavy block of wood that blocked the mouse food. He found that 8 out of the 10 of microwaved mice were able to push the block away. 7 out of 10 of the non-microwaved mice were able to do same. Identify the Control Group?

Question

Bart believes that mice exposed to microwaves will become extra strong (maybe he's reading too much Radioactive Man). He decides to perform this experiment by placing 10 mice in a microwave for 10 seconds. He composed these 10 mice to another 10 mice that had not been exposed. His test consisted of a heavy block of wood that blocked the mouse food. He found that 8 out of the 10 of microwaved mice were able to push the block away. 7 out of 10 of the non-microwaved mice were able to do same.   Identify the Control Group?
Independent Variable? Dependent Variable? What should Bart's conclusion be? How could Bart's experiment be improved?

bobpursley · Answer

control group: unradiated mice
independent variable: 10 sec exposure
dependent variable: ability to get to food

Statistics plays an important part here. With only ten mice, the standard deviation is huge. The difference between 7 and 8 is insignificant, and no conclusion can be made.