My Science Fair Project What does that mean anyway? 2009

Basic Outline

The best topic will be about something that you enjoy. Think about things that you are interested in and make a list of what you know and what you want to know about the topic. Another way to come up with a topic is to think of something you have seen (like a paper airplane flying across a room) and ask yourself a “I wonder what would happen if…” question (I wonder what would happen if I made the airplane out of cardboard, would it fly farther?). Once you have an idea about what you want your experiment to be, then you need to phrase it as a question – a question that you need to do an experiment to answer. Let’s Review What is my question?

Every Project Must Have A Purpose → Once you have chosen a topic, try to explain the purpose of the experimentation in one to three sentences. → Scientists use an experiment to search for cause and effect relationships in nature. → You can start this way: "The purpose of this project is __________." Your purpose may include any hypotheses (scientific guesses) that you have as to the outcome of your experimentation. → Here is an example of one student's purpose: The purpose of this project is to determine if earthworms affect soil nutrients. → In one sentence, the student has described what he is attempting to find out experimentally and what his test subjects are going to be. → A likely hypothesis would follow as "I predict that plants will grow taller in soil containing earthworms than in soil without earthworms." It can also be stated as "If a plant is placed in soil with earthworms, then it will grow better than a plant in soil without earthworms."

Now I need a hypothesis A hypothesis is a prediction or educated guess about what will happen in your experiment. Use your past experiences and what you already know about your topic to help you make a hypothesis. A hypothesis can be stated as an “if - then” statement. “If I do this, then I think this will happen.” Example: If I make a paper airplane from construction paper, then I think it will fly farther than an airplane made from regular computer paper. Before you write your hypothesis, you need to decide what you are going to change and what you are going to measure in your experiment. IF YOUR DATA DISPROVES YOUR HYPOTHESIS DO NOT CHANGE YOUR HYPOTHESIS! Disproving your hypothesis can lead to amazing new discoveries and can make your project even more exciting.

What are my variables? Things that can vary and change. Independent Variable (manipulated variable) Dependent Variable (responding variable) Controlled Variables : When conducting an experiment, all other variables must be kept the same throughout the investigation; they should be controlled. The variables that are not changed are called controlled variables. Remember: DRY MIX ependent Variable esponds axis heightheight soil Bean Plant Data D R Y M I X axis ndependentanipulated

Let’s identify the variables. A researcher wanted to study the effects of sleep deprivation on physical coordination. The researcher selected 25 year-old male college students and deprived some of the subjects to either 24, 36, or 45 hours of sleep. In the present study the independent variable was: a) the length of time the subjects were deprived of sleep. b) the age of the subjects. c) the gender of the subjects. d) the physical coordination skills of the subjects. In the present study the dependent variable was: a) the length of time the subjects were deprived of sleep. a) the length of time the subjects were deprived of sleep. b) the age of the subjects. c) the gender of the subjects. d) the physical coordination skills of the subjects

Answer Independent variable: the length of time the subjects were sleep deprived. a Dependent variable: the physical coordination skills of the subjects. d

A developmental psychologist is testing the hypothesis that children in first grade know more words in the English language than children in Kindergarten. To test this, she sits in on two classes (one first grade, the other Kindergarten) and counts the average number of words children in each class speak. She then compares the counts. Independent variable: ________________________________ Dependent variable: ________________________________

Answer: Independent Variable: Age (first grade or Kindergarten) Dependent Variable: Number of words known

Mrs. Crain wanted to see how different types of music affected students' pulse rates. She played different types of music: heavy metal, rap, R&B, alternative, pop, country, and classical music. Identify the dependent variable. Remember A. types of music B. high pulse rate C. pulse rate D. Mrs. Crain E. classical music resulted in the highest pulse rate MIX DRYDRY

ANSWER Mrs. Crain wanted to see how different types of music affected students' pulse rates. She played different types of music: heavy metal, rap, R&B, alternative, pop, country, and classical music. Identify the dependent variable. A. types of music B. high pulse rate C. pulse rate (correct answer) D. Mrs. Crain E. classical music resulted in the highest pulse rate

Tiffany was investing how fast it took Hayden to react to different sounds. Identify the independent variable. A. how fast Hayden reacted B. how much time it took Hayden to react C. playing the trumpet over and over D. different sounds E. Hayden

ANSWER Tiffany was investing how fast it took Hayden to react to different sounds. Identify the independent variable. A. how fast Hayden reacted B. how much time it took Hayden to react C. playing the trumpet over and over D. different sounds (correct answer) E. Hayden

My Materials List Make a detailed list of what you need to do your experiment. Remember measuring tools and safety equipment. Try to list out exact measurements of materials if you know them (use metric measurements). If you are using a specific brand name – name it. Make sure you have enough material to do at least 3 repetitions. If you think of something you will need as you are doing your experiment, make sure you add it to your materials list.

Experimental Procedure Write a step by step procedure, list out exactly what you are going to do. You want your procedure to be so detailed that another student could follow your procedure and do the experiment exactly the same way you did. If you think of details as you are doing your experiment or make changes in your procedure, be sure to write those changes down in your procedure as well. Make sure you are repeating your experiment at least 3 times.

Data Collection All experiments require data. During your experiment keep a log of the data you collect and any observations you make. Before you start your experiment, make a data table where you can collect your data. If something unexpected happens as you are collecting your data – write it down! Take photographs as you are doing your experiment. Remember to keep your face out of the photographs.

Results You have collected your data now what do you do? Average your data. Use a graph to help explain your data. Choose a type of graph that will best show any patterns, changes (or lack of changes) in your data –Circle Graph –Bar Graph –Line Graph (showing change over time- good for fifth grade students to use) Use photographs to illustrate changes. In.

any questions???