Name:__________________________________________ Period:_______________ Date:_______________________
Objective 3.3: I can describe and interpret experiments. Level 1: I can identify the treatments in an experiment
Testing new equipment for the SLHS baseball team
In an experiment, a treatment is a specific condition assigned to each individual, in order to test the outcome. What are
the treatments in each of the following scenarios?
1. The coach has to decide whether to buy wood or metal bats. He will randomly assign 15 players to use a wood bat,
and another 15 players to metal bat. Mr. Castillo will keep track of the distance the ball traveled on every hit.
The two treatments are hitting the ball with the wood bat and hitting the ball with the metal bat
2. The team is also in need of new outfield gloves. To make an informed decision, they will test three different brands:
Wilson, Rawlings, and Akadema. Each of the fielder players will catch the ball 10 times with each of the three different
brands. They will measure the number of times they dropped the ball.
Treatments: catching with a Wilson glove, catching with a Rawlings glove and catching with a Akadema glove
3. In addition, they will decide whether to buy Nike or Adidas baseball shoes. Each player will try each different brand
and measure how long it takes to run 30 yards at top speed.
Treatments: Running wearing Nike baseball shoes and running wearing Adidas baseball shoes
4. Mr. Castillo always wanted to have a pitching machine. He will test four different brands. Each one will be set to
maximum speed, make 10 pitches, and he will record the distance that the baseball traveled.
Treatments: Pitching a ball with each of the 4 different brands of pitching machine
5. The baseball players are also in need of new uniforms, and Mr. Castillo will pick between four different fabrics: Cotton,
Nylon, Polyester, and Spandex. To test those, he will ask 10 players to wear each type of fabric, and rate how comfortable
they are on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 means the most comfortable.
Treatments: Wearing a cotton uniform, wearing a nylon uniform, wearing a polyester uniform and wearing a spandex one
6. Mr. Castillo would like to see if a student would play better in a different position. This student will try three different
positions: catcher, first base, and center field. He will try to catch the ball, in each position, 10 times. Mr. Castillo will
record the number of times the student dropped the ball.
Treatments: catching balls as a catcher, catching balls as a first base, and catching balls as center field
7. Besides new equipment, Mr. Castillo would like the player to have a better diet. He read an article about scientists
trying to determine if a protein powder helps athletes gain muscle mass. 10 volunteers were given capsules with a
protein powder and 10 other volunteers were given capsules with a similar protein-free powder. After taking the
capsules for 6 months, researchers measure the increase in muscle mass for each volunteer.
Treatments: consuming the protein powder and consuming a similar protein-free powder
Lesson 3.3.1 – Treatments
Check your understanding
1. Do basketball players have lower AbILITY to make free-throws when shooting granny-style (underhanded)? Suppose
that you go to a basketball court and take 30 free-throws in random order- 15 shots granny-style and 15 shots using the
traditional style-and record the number of shots made in each context. What are the treatments in this experiment?
2. Suppose that Joe is an avid bowler and suspects that he will roll more strikes if he uses a heavier ball. He decides to
perform an experiment with two different ball weights: 14 pounds and 16 pounds. He rolls each of the balls 10 times in
random order and records the number of strikes he gets with each ball. What are the treatments in this experiment?
3. Are soccer players able to achieve higher accuracy in penalty kicks when they use the inside-of-the-foot technique
compared to the outside-of-the-foot technique? To investigate, players take 20 penalty kicks using each technique, and
their success rates are recorded. What are the treatments in this experiment?
4. Can swimmers improve their lap times by wearing different types of swim caps? Swimmers wear a silicone cap in one
trial and a latex cap in another, and their lap times are recorded. What are the treatments in this experiment?
5. An experiment investigates the impact of wearing different types of compression garments on recovery time for
weightlifters. Lifters wear sleeves, socks, or full-body suits after lifting sessions, and their muscle recovery rates are
measured. What are the treatments in this experiment?
6. Researchers explore the effects of altitude on runners' endurance by having them complete a 5K race at sea level,
1000 meters, and 2000 meters above sea level. What are the treatments in this experiment?
7. An experiment aims to understand the influence of sleep duration on reaction times in cricket players. Players sleep
for 6 hours, 8 hours, or 10 hours before participating in a series of reaction time tests. What are the treatments in this
experiment?
8. Researchers investigate the impact of different practice schedules on basketball players' long-range shooting accuracy.
Players practice free throws every day for a week, practice every other day, or practice only once during the week. What
are the treatments in this experiment?
