1. Title Make it simple and catchy
Title Make it simple and catchy. It should be in large type and easily readable. Ex. "Color variation in M&M's"
Discussion
Relate your results to the original hypothesis. Use
your results to prove or disprove your original
hypothesis and therefore answer the question stated
as the scientific problem. This is generally a short
section but could include a brief discussion of
possible experimental errors or surprise outcomes.
Ex. "The different colors of M&M's were not equally distributed in each package. Therefore the frequency of each color appearing within each bag is not the same. These results could vary slightly depending on how broken and "twin" M&M's were counted but this variation is not enough to account for the significantly different values for each color's frequency."
Abstract
This is an extremely brief overview of the entire study
from beginning to end. It should state the hypothesis,
describe the study and list conclusions.
Ex. "If the different colors of M&M's are equally distributed in each package, then the frequency of each color appearing within each bag will be the same. Ten bags of traditional M&M's were purchased and the candy within each was separately divided by color. Results were then gathered and analyzed for variation of color frequency within the sample bags. The different colors of M&M's were not equally distributed in each package. Therefore the frequency of each color appearing within each bag is not the same."
Results
This section should capture the attention of the reader while
proving or disproving your hypothesis. List your results
including Tables (charts) and Figures (graphs, pictures). Be clear,
label everything, and give only facts, not opinions.
Ex. "The results for all 10 bags are shown in Table #1. Bag #1 had 10 red, 5 orange, 7 green, 8 yellow, 13 brown, and 7 blue (See Figure #1). Bag #2 had 8 red, 7 orange, 5 green, 10 yellow, 7 brown, and 13 blue (See Figure #2)" …
Conclusion
Use a modified version of the hypothesis to
Answer the original “Problem” question with the
actual study findings. If the hypothesis was correct,
restate it, if incorrect, reword it so that it is correct.
Ex. " The different colors of M&M's were not equally distributed in each package. The frequency of each color appearing within each bag was not the same."
Problem
State the question that is to be explored in this study.
This is the main purpose of the investigation.
Ex. " Are the different colors of M&M's equally distributed in each package?”
Applications
This section shows the importance of the study by
showing how it can be applied or related to our
lives. The section could include suggestions of how
variations of the study could be useful or it could
suggest other related studies and explain their
usefulness.
Ex. "The fact that the colors of M&M's are not evenly distributed within each package lends itself to many useful purposes. Probably the most profitable is in the area of promotions for sales of the candy. By removing colors for periods of time or limiting availability of certain colors, demand for those colors increases and since those colors are unevenly distributed within each package, more overall packages of candy will be sold. Yet another use of the uneven distribution is as a decision maker. Previously decisions were made with straws, where the person who draws the shortest straw must complete an undesirable task. A package of M&M's could now be a more palatable way of solving those disputes. Like the shortest straw activity, the person who has the color with the least amount of candies would have to complete an undesirable task. Although they lost and must do the task, they still have some candy which is much more tasty then a straw."
Hypothesis
Before beginning the experiment, give your best
educated guess as to the answer to the above problem.
Be specific. Sometimes the hypothesis is written as an
"If- Then" statement.
Ex. "If the different colors of M&M's are equally distributed in each package, then the frequency of each color appearing within each bag will be the same."
Introduction
A combination of the Introduction and material section
of your investigation designed to introduce the reader
to your study. First, briefly give any background or
descriptions needed to better understand your topic of
study. Then, describe your study (how you tested your
hypothesis). If you had a "control" or "multiple trials"
within your study, be sure to mention these here.
Ex. "M&M's are sugar coated chocolate candy invented by Forrest Mars who discovered that by coating the chocolate with hard sugar they would not melt in his hands. These candies, first sold to the public in 1941 are now distributed by the Mars Incorporation. Although the candies now come in many varieties this study will investigate the frequency of colors within the traditional M&M's which include red, orange, green, yellow, brown, and blue. 10 bags of traditional M&M's were purchased and the candy within each was separately divided by color. Results were then gathered and analyzed for variation of color frequency within the sample bags."
Acknowledgments
This section is to give credit to any organizations or
people who helped you complete this study. These
should be seriously based and a way of thanking
those individuals. This section could also include
references of texts and websites.
Ex."Thanks goes out to Mars Incorporation for
supplying the candies, Red Lion Senior High School for supplying the laboratory, and (insert science teacher's name) for guidance and support throughout the investigation. Information on M&M's candies was obtained from www. baking.m-ms.com/factory/history/hist.html. and WITF radio's "All Things Considered"."