Sayville School District Science Fair 2011 Tips for developing a prize winning experiment

What is an effective Science Experiment? An effective science experiment should stimulate your child’s curiosity. answer the curiosity question follow the scientific method Be a controlled experiment with only one variable being changed

What an Experiment should NOT be a demonstration or model Demonstrations NOT EXPERIMENTS!!! Valid Experiments Growing rock candy Does the type of sugar affect the growth of rock candy? (brown sugar vs. white sugar) Growing mold on bread Which bread grows more mold… white, wheat, potato, low carb? Measuring how high a ball bounces Does the temperature of a ball affect how high it will bounce? Washing clothes in detergent Does the price of detergent affect how well it gets out stains?

Step 1: Choose a topic Your topic should be something you are interested in learning about. For example: If your child is interested in what makes objects float, a good topic would be testing buoyancy (the power to float or rise in a fluid).

Step 2: Develop a question Develop a curiosity or purpose question that you would like to learn more about and you can test on your own. What will you be testing? Sample: Will a cracked egg float higher in ocean water or in pond water?

Variable Factors that can be changed during an experiment; can be isolated and tested In the sample experiment the variable is the type of water It is the only factor being changed so we can observe the effects of the salt water

Step 3: Develop a Hypothesis Make an educated guess to answer your curiosity/purpose question. Sample: My hypothesis is that the cracked egg will float higher in salt water. (The hypothesis does not have to be correct, it is only what you think will happen before the experiment.)

Materials – What will you need? 16 oz. clear cups 2 eggs 16 oz pond water 16 oz salt water Centimeter ruler Thermometer

Procedures - Remember what you are testing and limit your variables. Fill each glass to the same height with the water. Let the water sit for at least 24 hours until it is at room temperature. Record the temperature of the water in each cup to make sure it is the same temperature. Crack open each egg and carefully drop the egg into the cup of water.

Procedures cont. 5. Measure the height in centimeters in which the egg yolk lays in the water and record the time. 6. Measure again at timed intervals of 30 minutes to observe any changes in height.

Step 5 Collecting data Data can be presented in many ways. Pictures Charts Graphs Photographs Centimeters Time in Minutes

Step 6- Make a conclusion Was your hypothesis correct? Your conclusion should answer your curiosity/purpose question. A cracked egg will float higher in salt water as opposed to fresh water.

What is on your display The title of your experiment Your curiosity question/purpose for experiment Your hypothesis Procedures and materials write-up Any drawings, pictures, graphs, or charts that will appropriately show your results Your conclusion write-up

Your Display Comparing Buoyancy Results/ Observations Hypothesis Conclusion Hypothesis Materials Procedures Comparing Buoyancy Will objects float higher in ocean water or pond water?

Websites Some websites can give helpful hints to topics and ideas for kids. When surfing the internet please make sure to supervise your child to help them and avoid sites that will make you pay for ideas. Remember the purpose of looking at the website is to pop an idea into your head, not to copy another experiment. http://www.surfnetkids.com/science_fair_ideas.htm http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/index.php http://www.billnye.com/ http://www.scienceclub.org/

Timeline Week 1 – Week 2 – Week 3 – Choose a topic you want to investigate and develop your curiosity or purpose question. Week 2 – Develop your hypothesis and create an experiment that can test your hypothesis. Start collecting materials you will need to conduct your experiment Create a title for your experiment Week 3 – Use the materials gathered to conduct your experiment (some experiments may take hours, days, or even weeks so plan appropriately). Record your results/observations Write your conclusion

Timeline Cont. Week 4 – Week 5 – Week 6 – Begin to plan out your display board Organize your data that you collected from your experiment and decide the best method to display it. Week 5 – Put your display board together. Week 6 – Be a master of your experiment and prepare to answer any question that observers may ask you.