Goldfish Lab Music.docx

The Effect of Different Music Genres on the Respiratory Rate of a Goldfish

Purpose:After doing the Original Goldfish Lab, The Effect of Temperature on the Respiratory Rate of a Goldfish, I wondered if listening to different genres of music affected the respiratory rate of a goldfish. If I play dubstep music, then the goldfish will have the highest respiratory rate per minute because of the vibrations from the bass will cause vibrations in the water which will disturb the goldfish.

Materials:-Timer-Beaker-Water-Goldfish-Music Player-Songs:Problems by J. Cole, Right Above It (ft Drake) by Lil Wayne, and Empire State of Mind (ft Alicia Keys) by Jay Z, Trans X by the White Panda, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex, and Boom Headshot by Bo Biz, Brain Stew by Green Day, Things that Rhyme with Orange by I Set My Friends on Fire, I Wanna by the All American Rejects, Red House by Jimi Hendrix, Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix, Daydream Vacation by Head like a Kite, Afternoon of a Black Faun by Peter Mintum, Medley: Sittin on a Backyard Fence by Peter Mintum and Soliloquy by Peter Mintum

Method:The independent variable in this experiment was the genre of music being played. We manipulated this variable by playing 3 songs of the same genre in a row, then playing 3 more from a different genre of music. The dependant variable was the respiratory rate of the goldfish. First, place the goldfish in the beaker. Then, wait 3 minutes so the goldfish can become situated in his beaker. After that, set the timer for one minute, and count how many times his gills open without music playing. Count his respirations without music for one minute three times. Then play a one-minute sample of Rap at 60% volume. Play two more one-minute samples of rap after that, each at 60% volume, spaced between a minute per each song. Do the same with the following genres: Dubstep, Rock, Psychedelic, and Soft Jazz.This was a controlled experiment because all of the variables were controlled except for the ones being tested which were the genres and the respiratory rate. Some of the controlled variables were, but not limited to, the goldfish, the location, the volume of the music, and the amount of time used to measure the respirations. To avoid injury, be careful when handling glass objects, such as beakers, so the glass does not break and cut you or someone else. Also, if you are using your cell-phone as the timer, be careful around water so your phone does not become damaged due to water. Finally, be careful with the live fish, make sure it is never in danger throughout the expiriment.Results:Below is a table of my results of this experiment.

Respiratory Rates /min (Dependant V.)Music Genre (Independant V.)Sample #1Sample #2Sample #3

No Music414239

Soft Jazz364337

Rap373941

Rock353835

Dubstep474546

Psychedelic403842

Below is a chart of my results of this experiment

Discussion and Conclusions:The purpose of this experiment was to determine the relationship between music and the goldfishs respiratory rate. My hypothesis was If I play dubstep music, then the goldfish will have the highest respiratory rate per minute because of the vibrations from the bass will cause vibrations in the water which will disturb the goldfish. As you could tell by the data, my hypothesis was incorrect. The respiratory rate remained relatively similar throughout the experiment. It did not matter whether there was dubstep or soft jazz playing, or even if there was no music at all. The goldfishs opercular movements remained constant throughout the experiment. In order to improve this experiment, some suggestions would be to either test the respiratory rate with more genres, perform the experiment on more goldfish, or test more than three song clippings. Some questions I have that need further research are: Do vibrations effect goldfish respiration rate? and Do goldfish have ears?