Advantages and disadvantages of automation in science
Name:
Date:
Class:
A
Quick Questions
Shade in the A or B circle for each question.
1. A science team uses sensors to record the temperature of a volcano crater every minute for a year. Which is an advantage of automation here?
2. A scientist wants to measure toxic gas inside a cave. Which point links to this scenario?
3. A school lab buys 20 data loggers and sensors for an experiment. Which is a disadvantage of automation?
4. A sensor in a river study develops a fault and sends wrong readings for a week. What is the problem?
5. An automated system records one very high temperature reading in an experiment. Which statement is correct?
B
Match the Pairs
Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.
| Left column | Right column | |
|---|---|---|
| 1Sensor logs the temperature every 10 minutes for 30 days | ACost of 20 sensors + data logger + microprocessor = $15,000 | |
| 2Probe sent into a volcano crater to measure gas levels | BAn advantage: accurate readings are collected over a long period without a person present | |
| 3A disadvantage: the equipment is expensive to buy, install and maintain | CWrong: sensors can develop faults, and equipment is costly, so there are drawbacks as well as benefits | |
| 4A disadvantage: a fault can ruin the data because nobody is watching | DWrong: an automated system has no human judgement, so it cannot decide whether an unusual reading is real or an error | |
| 5Automation is always better because the system can judge odd results itself | EAn advantage: the system is safe in a dangerous place because no scientist is put at risk | |
| 6Using sensors in a science lab has no drawbacks because the readings are never wrong | FSensor fails on day 2 and logs 0 for 28 days |
C
Definitions
advantages and disadvantages
D
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.
1.
Scenario: sensors record lava temperature
Advantage: ____ as no scientist goes near
2.
Scenario: sensor logs river pH for 6 months
Advantage: readings stay ________ all day
3.
Scenario: a lab buys 50 new sensors
Disadvantage: high ____ to buy and install
4.
Scenario: a sensor stops working overnight
Disadvantage: ______ can ruin the results
5.
Scenario: a sensor reads a strange value
Disadvantage: no human _________ of odd data
E
Spot the Error
Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.
Question 1
A
REPEAT
B
t ← ReadTempSensor()
C
WRITE t TO LogFile
D
WAIT t MINUTES
E
UNTIL ExperimentEnded = TRUE
Question 2
A
reading ← ReadRadiation()
B
SEND reading TO Lab
C
IF reading < 50 THEN
D
OUTPUT "Keep out"
E
ENDIF
Question 3
A
reading ← ReadSensor()
B
IF reading = -999 THEN
C
OUTPUT "Sensor fault"
D
ELSE WRITE -999 TO LogFile
E
ENDIF
Question 4
A
sensorCost ← 20 + 150
B
installCost ← 3000
C
total ← sensorCost + installCost
D
OUTPUT total
Question 5
A
reading ← ReadSensor()
B
IF reading > 100 THEN
C
DeleteReading(reading)
D
ENDIF
Answer Key
Advantages and disadvantages of automation in science
Section A: Quick Questions
Q1
A — Sensors can take accurate readings over a long period without tiring
Q2
B — Automation is safe because the sensors go into the danger and the scientist stays outside
Q3
A — The equipment is expensive to buy, set up and maintain
Q4
B — The faulty readings ruin the data, and nobody may notice until later
Q5
A — It has no human judgement, so it may not spot that the reading is odd or an error
Section B: Match the Pairs
Q1
Sensor logs the temperature every 10 minutes for 30 days → An advantage: accurate readings are collected over a long period without a person present
Q2
Probe sent into a volcano crater to measure gas levels → An advantage: the system is safe in a dangerous place because no scientist is put at risk
Q3
A disadvantage: the equipment is expensive to buy, install and maintain → Cost of 20 sensors + data logger + microprocessor = $15,000
Q4
A disadvantage: a fault can ruin the data because nobody is watching → Sensor fails on day 2 and logs 0 for 28 days
Q5
Automation is always better because the system can judge odd results itself → Wrong: an automated system has no human judgement, so it cannot decide whether an unusual reading is real or an error
Q6
Using sensors in a science lab has no drawbacks because the readings are never wrong → Wrong: sensors can develop faults, and equipment is costly, so there are drawbacks as well as benefits
Section C: Definitions
Q1
advantages and disadvantages — Weigh the benefits of automatic data collection (accurate readings, safe in danger) against the drawbacks (cost, faults, no judgement), linking each point to the science scenario.Section D: Fill in the Blanks
Q1
Scenario: sensors record lava temperature
Advantage: safe as no scientist goes nearQ2
Scenario: sensor logs river pH for 6 months
Advantage: readings stay accurate all dayQ3
Scenario: a lab buys 50 new sensors
Disadvantage: high cost to buy and installQ4
Scenario: a sensor stops working overnight
Disadvantage: faults can ruin the resultsQ5
Scenario: a sensor reads a strange value
Disadvantage: no human judgement of odd dataSection E: Spot the Error
Q1
D — The wait time must be a fixed interval such as 10 minutes, not the temperature reading. A fixed interval gives regular, accurate readings over a long period. It should be WAIT 10 MINUTES.
Q2
C — The warning must appear when radiation is HIGH, so staff stay away from the danger. The condition should be reading > 50, not reading < 50.
Q3
D — A faulty sensor can ruin the data. Only genuine readings should be logged, so it must write reading and not the fault value -999. It should be ELSE WRITE reading TO LogFile.
Q4
A — The equipment cost of 20 sensors at 150 each is found by multiplying, not adding. It should be 20 * 150. Many sensors make the system expensive to buy.
Q5
C — An automated system has no human judgement, so it cannot tell if an odd result is a real discovery or an error. It should flag the reading for a scientist to check, not delete it.