Question

1. peacock tail feather and protein intake

male peacocks have colorful tails with a distinctive \eye\ pattern. feathers are made mostly of protein. a breeder wants to know if increasing the protein in her birds’ food will increase the number of feathers in their tails. she has several cages of peacocks and varies the amount of protein in their food. after one year, she counts the tail feathers.

1. make a claim based on evidence about how the amount of protein in food affects the number of tail feathers in peacocks.

table: percent protein in food (15, 20, 25, 30) and mean of tail feathers (12, 196, 233, 241)
my claim, my evidence, my reasoning table with handwritten notes

1. tides and the phase of the moon

tides are the rising and falling of sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the moon (and sun) on the oceans. the earth rotates on its axis once per day, so the side of earth facing the moon changes throughout the day. the moon’s gravitational force causes a bulge of water on the side of earth facing the moon and another bulge on the opposite side. these bulges result in two high tides that are about 12 hours apart each day. look at the chart to the right. the numbers show how high, in feet, the water of the high tides got on each day. the higher the number, the higher the water of the high tide.
the moon goes through different phases as it orbits the earth. these phases are the result of the relative positions of the sun, moon, and earth. the sun always illuminates half of the moon. as the moon moves around the earth, the amount of the illuminated part we can see from earth changes. the moon’s phases change over a 29.5-day cycle.
moon phase diagram: earth in center, moon phases around
chart: date, 1st high tide (feet), 2nd high tide (feet), moon phase:
7/30: 4.4, 4.2, waxing gibbous
7/4: 5.3, 5.1, full moon
7/7: 4.6, 4.3, waning gibbous
7/11: 3.4, 3.1, last quarter
7/15: 4.0, 3.7, waning crescent
7/18: 5.2, 5.0, new moon
7/21: 4.7, 4.2, waxing crescent
7/24: 3.6, 3.3, first quarter
7/28: 4.4, 4.1, waxing gibbous
7/31: 5.3, 5.0, full moon
8/3: 4.6, 4.3, waning gibbous
8/6: 3.4, 3.1, last quarter
8/10: 4.0, 3.7, waning crescent
8/14: 5.2, 5.0, new moon
8/17: 4.7, 4.2, waxing crescent
8/20: 3.6, 3.3, first quarter
8/23: 4.4, 4.1, waxing gibbous
8/27: 5.3, 5.0, full moon

1. make a claim based on evidence to answer the question, \is there a relationship between the highest high tides and moon phase?\

my claim, my evidence, my reasoning table, empty

Explanation:

Question 7 (Peacock Tail Feathers and Protein Intake)

My Claim:

Increasing the amount of protein in a peacock's food increases the number of tail feathers.

My Evidence:

From the data (15% protein → 12 feathers; 20% → 196; 25% → 211; 30% → 241), as protein percentage rises, tail feathers increase.

My Reasoning:

Feathers are mostly protein. More protein provides the necessary building blocks for peacock bodies to grow more tail feathers.

Question 8 (Tides and the Phase of the Moon)

My Claim:

There is a relationship between the highest high tides and moon phase; Full Moon and New Moon have the highest high tides.

My Evidence:

Looking at the chart: On Full Moon (7/4, 7/31, 8/27) and New Moon (7/18, 8/14) dates, the 1st High Tide heights are 5.3, 5.3, 5.3 (Full Moon) and 5.2, 5.2 (New Moon), which are higher than other phases (e.g., Last Quarter: 3.4, 3.4; First Quarter: 3.6, 3.6).

My Reasoning:

The moon’s gravitational pull (and Sun’s, especially during Full/New Moon when Sun, Earth, Moon align) causes larger bulges in the ocean, leading to higher high tides during Full and New Moon phases.

Answer:

Question 7 (Peacock Tail Feathers and Protein Intake)

My Claim:

Increasing the amount of protein in a peacock's food increases the number of tail feathers.

My Evidence:

From the data (15% protein → 12 feathers; 20% → 196; 25% → 211; 30% → 241), as protein percentage rises, tail feathers increase.

My Reasoning:

Feathers are mostly protein. More protein provides the necessary building blocks for peacock bodies to grow more tail feathers.

Question 8 (Tides and the Phase of the Moon)

My Claim:

There is a relationship between the highest high tides and moon phase; Full Moon and New Moon have the highest high tides.

My Evidence:

Looking at the chart: On Full Moon (7/4, 7/31, 8/27) and New Moon (7/18, 8/14) dates, the 1st High Tide heights are 5.3, 5.3, 5.3 (Full Moon) and 5.2, 5.2 (New Moon), which are higher than other phases (e.g., Last Quarter: 3.4, 3.4; First Quarter: 3.6, 3.6).

My Reasoning:

The moon’s gravitational pull (and Sun’s, especially during Full/New Moon when Sun, Earth, Moon align) causes larger bulges in the ocean, leading to higher high tides during Full and New Moon phases.