1. VOLUME PROJECT All necessary handouts are available online on Mr
VOLUME PROJECT All necessary handouts are available online on Mr. Overly’s high school website

2. Introduction

3. Writing your Introduction
Answer the following questions:
What are you writing about in this problem?
WHY would your boss be asking you to write about this subject?
Create a sentence or two as an ATTENTION GRABBER to let your boss know why he should care about this problem.

4. Writing your Introduction
What do we want to find by the end of the problem?
Be specific!
DO NOT just say, “We want to find the best container.” Explain what “best” means. Is it the biggest? The lightest? The cheapest?

5. Writing your Introduction
How are we going to go about solving our problem?
What TWO thing will we find for each container?
What will we do with these numbers after we find them? What will this give us? (UNITS)
How will this value help us decide which container is best?

6. Background

7. Writing the Background Section
What information are you given that you will use to solve this problem?
Use the Container Data sheets.
On each sheet, circle or write down the USEFUL information, including the manufacturer.
Using phrases like “The first/second/last container …”, write the useful information for each container.

8. Writing the Background Section
Using phrases like “The first/second/last container …”, write the useful information for each container.
You should not need any values later on that are not contained in this section.

9. Writing the Background Section
Explain why you needed all of the values you included. What will they allow you to find?
What will you do with them to help solve our problem?

10. Methods

11. Writing the Methods Section
There should be three paragraphs, one for each container. Each paragraph will have a similar format.
Paragraphs should be headed with the name of the manufacturer of the container we are examining in that section.

12. Writing the Methods Section
Each paragraph should include:
A description of the container
A description of what we are trying to calculate
Calculations, including formulas.
Interpretations of the values from formulas, including units.

13. Writing the Methods Section
Calculations should use Microsoft Equation Editor.
Show the formula
Show the formula with value plugged in for variables
Show the answer.
Explain the answer with a sentence.

14. Writing the Methods Section
Each paragraph should end with a sentence that restates the value (with units) that we are going to use to compare the containers
Much of the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs can be copy/pasted if you get the first paragraph done correctly; just change the numbers and names.

15. Results

16. Writing the Results Section
First sentence should be something like: “The data we collected about the containers is listed in the table below.”
This section MUST contain a 4x4 table:
3 columns: one for each container (label using manufacturer)
3 rows: Cost, Volume, and Cost per Cubic Foot
Fill in table with correct units.

17. Writing the Results Section
Explain which values you are comparing
How are you comparing them? Are you looking for the biggest? The smallest? Why?

18. Writing the Results Section
Rank the containers.
Which is worst? Which is middle? Which is best?
Write a sentence explaining what the number tells you about the best container.

19. Conclusion

20. Writing the Conclusion Section
The conclusion is the meat of the proposal. We just restate the most important pieces of the paper.
Only needs about three sentences:
What question did we want to answer? (Intro)
What did we do to answer it? (Bkgd/Methods)
What was the answer? Why?(Results)

21. Writing the Conclusion Section
I should be able to read JUST the conclusion section and see the question, you answer, and why your answer is the right one.
If I have questions, I should be able to go back into your paper and find the answers.
I should NOT have to ask you personally any questions, like “How did you get this number?” It should all be in the paper.