Before You Begin Remember… A good Science Fair Project starts with a question or problem of INTEREST to you! If it’s not interesting it WON’T be fun! Getting the right answer Is NOT the purpose of the science fair. The objective of the Science Fair is to develop an experiment that will produce data, from which you can draw conclusions to prove (or disprove) the hypothesis, or answer the question. BASEF 2004

3 Types of Science Fair Projects Experiment – Start with a question, make a hypothesis, test controlled variables, record & analyze results Innovation – Design a product or process to solve a particular problem, run trials, record & analyze results Study – Start with a question, state a hypothesis, observe naturally occurring variables, record & analyze results

The Six Steps for Completing a Science Fair Project  Step One: Choose a Topic  Step Two: Research Your Topic and Form a Question  Step Three: Form a Hypothesis  Step Four: Design and Perform an Experiment  Step Five: Record and Analyze Data  Step Six: Draw a Conclusion

Step One: Choose a Topic Begin by thinking about things that interest you. If you don’t find it interesting, you won’t have fun with it. If you’re having difficulty thinking of a topic go to the Science Buddies web page: projects/recommender_register.php projects/recommender_register.php Make sure you can design an experiment around the topic. I’m interested in flight, but flight is a HUGE topic. There are lots of reasons things fly.

Step Two: Research Your Topic Find out everything you can about your topic. Visit the library; go online, ask a professional. As you learn more about your topic you’ll need to begin to formulate a question that you can base your project on. While researching flight I found out that flying has EVERYTHING to do with Air Pressure. I don’t know much about Air Pressure so I think I’ll study more about that instead of flight. It seems like a better fit for a science fair project.

Asking the Right Question About Your Topic Common (but not the only!) question formats Experiment : “How does _____ affect _____?” Innovation : “In what way could _____ improve the performance of _____?” Study: “What type of relationship exists between _____ and _____?” How does air pressure affect an object when the pressure is greater on the outside than it is on the inside?

Refining the Question  Is the question something I can possibly solve?  Can I complete the work in time?  Can I get the resources and materials?  Is the question CHALLENGING enough to interest me? What kind of object should I test? How will I change the air pressure inside an object?

Step Three: Form a Hypothesis  A hypothesis is a statement that is an informed guess about the outcome, based on prior knowledge. It usually is stated as an If…then…statement. If I decrease the air pressure inside a container and put it upside down in water then it will fill up with water because a vacuum will have been created.  If your hypothesis doesn’t turn out to be true that’s OKAY!!!! It provides a roadmap for your research and helps focus your thinking.

Example Hypotheses If I increase the temperature then the seed will germinate faster because.... If I use motor oil instead of water then the friction will be reduced because… If I increase the angle of the plane then the marble will roll further and faster because… If I plant shrubs on the slope they will prevent erosion because….

Step Four: Design and Perform the Experiment  Your plan should be so detailed that another person could use it to repeat your work  Include a detailed materials list  Think of your written procedure as a recipe for your work

Terminology Subject – what/who is being studied Independent Variable – what you change in order to measure the results Dependent Variable – what changes as a result of the changes you impose on the independent variable Controls – conditions that do not change Control group – subjects not exposed to the independent variable Quantitative observations – can be measured Qualitative observations – can be described

Air Pressure Example Subject – air pressure Independent Variable – decreased air pressure inside of can/flask Dependent Variable – the can/flask will fill up with water. Controls – external air pressure Control group – non-heated can/flask Quantitative observations – the amount of water that is sucked up into the can/flask Qualitative observations – the can steams, contains more water than when we started

Step Five: Record and Analyze Data  How much water did the can fill up with?  Repeat with several other cans and record the amount of water.  What is the average amount of water that each can filled up with?  Are there any trends?

Step Six: Draw a Conclusion  What can we say about the results?  Did we create a vacuum inside the can?  How do we know that a vacuum was or was not created?  Did anything else unexpected occur?  How can we explain our findings?

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND Pay attention to controlling variables when doing an experiment Need to have a plan clearly in mind and written down before you start Conduct a trial experiment to get a feel for what you need to do and what variables you can control Have good recording charts Need to repeat the experiment Research takes time and effort!

One Study Leads to the Next!  Now that I know more about air pressure I can begin to learn more about….  Flight  Weather  Bernoulli’s Principle  Boiling Points  Headaches  AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

EXAMPLE EXPERIMENT: DIVING BRADYCARDIA Diving Bradycardia is the slowing (brady) of the heart (cardia) rate during a dive. In diving animals the slowing of the heart rate during a dive is a physiological reflex caused in part by the stimulation of water receptors on the animal’s face. LU-LTSPP 2006

FACTS KNOW ABOUT HUMAN DIVING RESPONSES Humans have a diving bradycardia reflex Both conscious and unconscious persons can survive longer without oxygen under water than in a comparable situation on dry land Your task today is to try to determine what causes the diving reflex in humans LU-LTSPP 2006

QUESTION? What causes the diving reflex in humans? LU-LTSPP 2006

SCIENTIFIC QUESTION What causes the diving reflex in humans? Water receptors on the face Temperature receptors Body position Breath holding LU-LTSPP 2006

SCIENTIFIC QUESTION Do humans have water receptors on their face that causes their heart rate to slow down when stimulated? LU-LTSPP 2006

HYPOTHESIS Humans have water receptors on their face that causes their heart rate to slow down when stimulated LU-LTSPP 2006

Diving Bradycardia Terminology Subject – Independent Variable – Dependent Variable – Controls – Control group – Quantitative observations – Qualitative observations – LU-LTSPP 2006

Diving Bradiacardia Terminology Subject – Humans Independent Variables – holding breath, water on face, temperature Dependent Variable – heart rate Controls – body position, “dive time” = 40 seconds, where on the body the heart rate was measured from Control group – subject in “dive position” but breathing and no water on face Quantitative observations – Measure the number of heart beats and determine the heart rate at the following times: 20 seconds before the dive, during the first 20 s and then second 20 s of the dive plus 20 s after the dive for a total of four measurements over 80 seconds. LU-LTSPP 2006

MATERIALS AND PROCEDURE MATERIALS: bucket, water towel, breathing tube, nose plug, saran wrap, spray bottle, stop watch GENERAL OUTLINE FOR THE PROCEDURE: 1. Measure the number of heart beats for 20 s 2. “Dive” for 40 s – measure number of heart beats for first 20 s and the second 20 s 3. Measure the number heart beats in 20 s after the “dive” 4. Conduct the dive under various conditions controlling for such things as body position, where the pulse rate is taken, the comfort of the diver and as many variables as possible