Testable Question/ Purpose
| how_to_write_a_testable_question__1_.ppt |
Ask a Question: The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe:
How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?
For a science fair project the question MUST be something you can measure, preferably with a number.
How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?
For a science fair project the question MUST be something you can measure, preferably with a number.
Research
- After picking a topic, spend a lot of time gathering background research.
- Your background research is one of the most important parts of your project. It is the basis for what you will be presenting to the judges. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of understanding the correct background information.
- What is the purpose of background research?
- It will help you formulate a hypothesis. The more you understand your topic, the better you can predict what might happen.
- It will help you create a well-designed procedure that will save you more time than one that is less thought out.
- It will let you foresee some of the inevitable problems that will come up.
- Analyzing your results will be easier and your conclusions will be more detailed.
- Look for important concepts, definitions, and equations that will explain how and why your experimental results turn out the way they do. Also research why your topic is important in today's society.
- Example: if you were studying the fermentation of yogurt, you would need to study what bacteria are, what structures make them up, and what chemical processes they use to create yogurt. You would also need to learn why yogurt fermentation is important/ useful. Always answer the question: "Who cares?"
- Example: if you were studying rockets, you would want to look up things like drag, how various models fly differently and why, physics equations to explain a rocket's behavior, etc. How rockets are used in the world is also important.
- Example: if you were studying whether oranges lose or gain vitamin C after being picked, you would want to study the plant structure of oranges (including the structure of their cells); what vitamin C is used for in the plant; how humans use vitamin C; the chemical properties of vitamin C (its molecular structure, solubility, etc.); and titration, iodine, or starch techniques to measure the amount of vitamin C in the orange.
- Do not get discouraged if your research seems too difficult to understand. Start with the basics, and work upward. Sometimes you have to read an article a few times (or ten!) before you even begin to understand it. Push yourself to the limit of your understanding, and do not be afraid to tackle concepts you have never seen before (it is normal for much of your background research to look alien to you the first time you see it). One of the reasons people do a science project is to learn new information and challenge themselves.
- Go in-depth with your research. Try learning advanced concepts and be as detailed as possible. The more you know, the more the judges will be impressed.
- Example: For the previous yogurt fermentation example, you would not just look up the definitions of the chemical processes that cause fermentation and write a few lines about how sugar is used to create lactic acid. Go further into the information! Study glycolysis, and go through each step in the cycle. Look up things like ATP, phosphorylation, oxidation, reduction, DPG, PEP, etc. These probably sound like complicated terms. But it's ok—you haven't learned them yet! Do not let something that sounds confusing halt your research. If you keep reading the information and ask questions, you will understand it eventually.
Hypothesis
- "If _____[I.V] _____, then _____[D.V]_____ because_____."
Data and Graphing
This graph from Nasa shows changes in global temperatures over the years. The different lines show the data collected by separate research centres.
