The Scientific Method and Your Science Project

1. The Scientific Method and Your Science Project Each part of the scientific method will be covered in class as well as the parts of the science project. In the end all things will be worked on at school except the experiment phase.

2. Scientific Method • The Scientific Method is a series of stepsscientists use to answer questions and solve problems. • You will use the scientific method to conduct your science project—which counts 300 points/3 test grades for 3rd qtr. • Scientific Method song

3. Question Selection for Science Projects • Pick a question that interests you & one that you can find 3 facts to support. • If you cannot find the research/facts to support your topic/hypothesis, then you cannot use that question for your project. • Pick a question that is measurable with numbers. IT CANNOT BE USED IF YOU CANNOT MEASURE IT. • Examples: plant growth = measurable building a model (such as a volcano) = not measurable

4. Questions that will be investigated at school • Which toilet paper is stronger—no brand or Angel Soft? • Will rubber bands that are cold stretch farther than ones that are at room temperature? • Will the dissolving time of aspiring be faster in Sprite or tap water? • Which search engine is the faster one—Google or Yahoo? • All research and materials will be provided to complete these projects at school. You can then use this information to repeat the experiments at home by changing the variable in the experiment.

5. Question selection • Everyone must submit their question to be investigated by Friday, August 22. • If you select one of the projects we are doing at school, then submit the question in writing. • If you have a different question, then submit it and how you will measure your data in writing for approval. • Unless you are a master gardener, avoid plants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. 8 Steps • Ask a Question—find something you are curious about • Purpose—why are you interested in answering your question; who would care about what you find out? 3. Research your question—find facts that inform you about your question & help you make a hypothesis 4. Form a Hypothesis—an educated guess based on the facts you looked up

7. 8 steps continued 5. Test the Hypothesis by Experimenting—use your materials, write procedure while testing, do the experiment, & record data—numbers of measurement) 6. Analyze Results—look at your data 7. Draw Conclusions—decide if you were correct based on your data 8. Communicate Results

8. Pneumonic to remember the steps: Queens probably rarely have egg and doughnut cereal. Queens—question Probably—purpose Rarely—research Have—hypothesis Egg—experiment And—analyze data Doughnut—draw conclusions Cereal—communicate results

9. Ask a Question?/Come up with a problem • Good questions come from good observations. • What do you want to know? • Example: • How does acid rain affect plant growth? • Will oak burn faster than balsa wood? • Will a frozen tennis ball bounce higher than a • room temperature tennis ball?

10. Purpose • What’s the point in doing your project? • Pick a project that will be meaningful and helpful to many people. • Bad example: Which ketchup brand comes out of the bottle faster? • Good example: Which brand of toilet paper is stronger—Charmin or Angel Soft?

11. RESEARCH • You are looking for information that supports your hypothesis. • Research consists of information found in the following places: • Books • Magazines • Newspapers • Encyclopedias • Websites • Interviews of experts

12. Form A Hypothesis • A hypothesis is a clear statement about what you think will happen based on your observations & research about your question. • A hypothesis is an educated guess. • Examples: • A frozen tennis ball will bounce higher than a room temperature tennis ball. • Acid rain will cause plants to grow more slowly than tap water.

13. Test your Hypothesis • Gather materials • Perform your experiment many times • Why? You have to make sure what you found out is true and not just luck. • Shaq and free throws • Record data in data tables

14. Materials • You should make a list of all materials used in your experiment. • The list should be exactly what you used, how many, what kind, how much, etc. and must be numbered. • Example: 1. 12 Burpee lima bean seeds 2. 12 Duracell batteries, size AA 3. 5 pounds of Miracle-Gro potting soil 4. 12, 6 inch pieces of balsa wood

15. Performing Your ExperimentPROCEDURE • All measurements should be precise—use the same measurer and measuring device throughout the experiment to avoid error. • Conditions should be the same for all tests—weather, heat, light, etc. • You will have a control group and a variable group, with 12 test subjects in each group.

16. Procedures: What are Controls & Variables? • Controls do not change—they are used for comparison with the variables • Variables change—they are the things upon which you try different conditions • Example: plants in grown in different soils • Control=normal dirt Variables: sand, clay

17. Procedures continued • You need to write your procedure as you do it, not 3 months later. • Example: • 1. Gather materials. • 2. Label control and variables, 1-12. • 3. Place a hole in the bottom of each cup using a pencil. • 4. Fill each cup with 500 ml of Miracle Gro potting soil.

18. Procedures include taking Photographs • You will photograph your experiment using a digital camera or disposable camera. • You must have 20 photos of the project in progress. • You must have at least 5 that do not have you in them—at least not your face. • These will go on your showboard. • The other 15 should show you conducting your experiment and will be glued into your logbook.

19. Recording Data • Your data should be collected as soon as you get results, this will vary depending on your project. • You will use the metric system to take measurements. • Examples: • Meters/Centimeters • Seconds • Liters/milliliters • Grams/Kilograms • DO NOT USE INCHES, FEET, CUPS, POUNDS as these are English units not metric units.

20. Recording Data in Metric Units • The System International or Metric System is used by scientists all over the world. • Standard units of measurement: (You must know these.) • Length = meter • Volume (amount of liquid) = liter • Mass (weight) = gram • Time = second • Your measurements for your project must be in metric units.

21. This is how you will record your data: Sample Data Table

22. Analyze Results • Organize your data using graphs and tables created on the computer—your teacher will show you how in the computer lab. • You must have 1 data table, 1 bar graph and 1 line graph. • Each of these will be placed on your showboard. • Results must also include a paragraph that states your results—there is a form in the form section for these.

23. Draw Conclusions • You will discuss whether or not your results supported your hypothesis. • Conclusions must include a paragraph that states your conclusions—there is a form in the form section for these. • If your results do not support your hypothesis, you need to try to explain what could have happened in the experiments to influence your results.

24. Communicate Results • You will present your findings to the class and discuss every aspect of your project from start to finish. • Your presentation will be in December or January.

25. ABSTRACT An abstract is an overview or summary of your project that includes a brief restatement of all the previous parts. • Problem • Purpose • Research • Hypothesis • Experimental Procedure • Results • Conclusions • It is to be written in paragraph form, no more than 250 words. See form section for a form for this.

26. Showboard • THE VERY LAST THING YOU WILL DO IS ASSEMBLE YOUR INFORMATION ON YOUR SHOWBOARD. • These will be available for $10 from the school starting in November. • YOU DO NOT have to buy one from school; just use on that is standard size—nothing small. Other boards are available all over town for $3 to $4. • All information on it must be neatly typed in Arial or Times New Roman font. • It must be readable from at least 3 feet away. • It should follow the same layout as the picture of the sample showboard.

27. Showboard continued • Graphs should have titles, and the y and x axes should be labeled. X-axis is typically the Trial Number and the Y axis is the measurement type and units. • Example: Bounce Height in Centimeters or Average Plant Height in Centimeters. • Titles: All important words in titles should be capitalized. Titles should also be very descriptive. Do not just pick a title at random. • Do not type in ALL CAPS—this is screaming on paper. • Data tables should tell the reader what the numbers mean. Put a heading at the top of the column to define the numbers. • Make sure you spell check and stranger check your project. Your project and how you did it should be completed in enough detail that a stranger could pick up your project and complete it start to finish just as you did with only what is on your showboard.

28. TITLE—it describes the project PROBLEM PROCEDURES RESULTS PURPOSE Graphs (BAR) (LINE) CONCLUSIONS HYPOTHESIS DATA TABLE ABSTRACT Pictures with captions underneath MATERIALS Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption