Before You BeginRemember…

• A good Science Fair Project starts with a question or problem of INTEREST to you! If it’s not interesting it WON’T be fun!

• Getting the right answer Is NOT • the purpose of the science fair.

• The objective of the Science Fair is to develop an experiment that will produce data, from which you can draw conclusions to prove (or disprove) the hypothesis, or answer the question.

BASEF 2004

3 Types of Science Fair Projects

• Experiment – Start with a question, make a hypothesis, test controlled variables, record & analyze results

• Innovation – Design a product or • process to solve a particular problem, • run trials, record & analyze results

• Study – Start with a question, state a hypothesis, observe naturally occurring variables, record & analyze results

The Six Steps for Completing a Science Fair Project

Step One: Choose a Topic Step Two: Research Your Topic and Form a

Question Step Three: Form a Hypothesis Step Four: Design and Perform an Experiment Step Five: Record and Analyze Data Step Six: Draw a Conclusion

Step One: Choose a Topic

• Begin by thinking about things that interest you. • If you don’t find it interesting, you won’t have fun with

it.

• If you’re having difficulty thinking of a topic go to the Science Buddies web page: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/recommender_register.php

• Make sure you can design an experiment around the topic.

• I’m interested in flight, but flight is a HUGE topic. There are lots of reasons things fly.

Step Two: Research Your Topic

• Find out everything you can about your topic.

• Visit the library; go online, ask a professional.

• As you learn more about your topic you’ll need to begin to formulate a question that you can base your project on.

While researching flight I found out that flying has EVERYTHING to do with Air Pressure. I don’t know much about Air Pressure so I think I’ll study more about that instead of flight. It seems like a better fit for a science fair project.

Asking the Right Question About Your Topic

• Common (but not the only!) question formats

• Experiment: “How does _____ affect _____?”

• Innovation: “In what way could _____ improve the performance of _____?”

• Study: “What type of relationship exists between _____ and _____?”

• How does air pressure affect an object when the pressure is greater on the outside than it is on the inside?

Refining the Question Is the question something I can possibly solve?

Can I complete the work in time? Can I get the resources and materials? Is the question CHALLENGING

enough to interest me?

What kind of object should I test? How will I change the air pressure inside an object?

Step Three: Form a Hypothesis A hypothesis is a statement that is an informed

guess about the outcome, based on prior knowledge. It usually is stated as an If…then…statement.

If I decrease the air pressure inside a container and put it upside down in water then it will fill up with water because a vacuum will have been created.

If your hypothesis doesn’t turn out to be true that’s OKAY!!!! It provides a roadmap for your research and helps focus your thinking.

Example Hypotheses

If I increase the temperature then the seed will germinate faster because.... 

If I use motor oil instead of water then the friction will be reduced because…

If I increase the angle of the plane then the marble will roll further and faster because…

If I plant shrubs on the slope they will prevent erosion because….

Step Four: Design and Perform the Experiment

Your plan should be so detailed that another person could use it to repeat your work

Include a detailed materials list

Think of your written procedure as a recipe for your work

Terminology• Subject – what/who is being studied• Independent Variable – what you change in

order to measure the results• Dependent Variable – what changes as a result

of the changes you impose on the independent variable

• Controls – conditions that do not change• Control group – subjects not exposed to the

independent variable• Quantitative observations – can be measured• Qualitative observations – can be described

Air Pressure Example• Subject – air pressure • Independent Variable – decreased air pressure

inside of can/flask• Dependent Variable – the can/flask will fill up

with water. • Controls – external air pressure• Control group – non-heated can/flask• Quantitative observations – the amount of

water that is sucked up into the can/flask• Qualitative observations – the can steams,

contains more water than when we started

Step Five: Record and Analyze Data

How much water did the can fill up with?

Repeat with several other cans and record the amount of water.

What is the average amount of water that each can filled up with?

Are there any trends?

Step Six: Draw a Conclusion

What can we say about the results? Did we create a vacuum inside the can? How do we know that a vacuum was or

was not created? Did anything else unexpected occur? How can we explain our findings?

POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND• Pay attention to controlling variables when doing an

experiment

• Need to have a plan clearly in mind and written down before you start

• Conduct a trial experiment to get a feel for what you need to do and what variables you can control

• Have good recording charts

• Need to repeat the experiment

• Research takes time and effort!

One Study Leads to the Next!

Now that I know more about air pressure I can begin to learn more about….

Flight Weather Bernoulli’s Principle Boiling Points Headaches AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

EXAMPLE EXPERIMENT:DIVING BRADYCARDIA

Diving Bradycardia is the slowing (brady) of the heart (cardia) rate during a dive.

In diving animals the slowing of the heart rate during a dive is a physiological reflex caused in part by the stimulation of water receptors on the animal’s face.

LU-LTSPP 2006

FACTS KNOW ABOUT HUMAN DIVING RESPONSES

• Humans have a diving bradycardia reflex• Both conscious and unconscious persons

can survive longer without oxygen under water than in a comparable situation on dry land

Your task today is to try to determine what causes the diving reflex in humans

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QUESTION?• What causes the diving reflex in

humans?

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SCIENTIFIC QUESTION

• What causes the diving reflex in humans?

• Water receptors on the face• Temperature receptors• Body position• Breath holding

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SCIENTIFIC QUESTION

Do humans have water receptors on their face that causes their heart

rate to slow down when stimulated?

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HYPOTHESIS Humans have water receptors on their face that causes their heart

rate to slow down when stimulated

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Diving Bradycardia Terminology

• Subject –• Independent Variable –• Dependent Variable – • Controls – • Control group –• Quantitative observations – • Qualitative observations –

LU-LTSPP 2006

Diving Bradiacardia Terminology

• Subject – Humans• Independent Variables – holding breath, water on face,

temperature • Dependent Variable – heart rate• Controls – body position, “dive time” = 40 seconds, where on

the body the heart rate was measured from• Control group – subject in “dive position” but breathing and

no water on face• Quantitative observations – Measure the number of heart

beats and determine the heart rate at the following times: 20 seconds before the dive, during the first 20 s and then second 20 s of the dive plus 20 s after the dive for a total of four measurements over 80 seconds.

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MATERIALS AND PROCEDURE

MATERIALS: bucket, water towel, breathing tube, nose plug, saran wrap, spray bottle, stop watch

GENERAL OUTLINE FOR THE PROCEDURE: 1. Measure the number of heart beats for 20 s

2. “Dive” for 40 s – measure number of heart beats for first 20 s and the second 20 s

3. Measure the number heart beats in 20 s after the “dive”

• Conduct the dive under various conditions controlling for such things as body position, where the pulse rate is taken, the comfort of the diver and as many variables as possible