Transcript Science Fair -Scientific Method PowerPoint

Before You Begin
Remember…
• 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.
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-fairprojects/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
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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.
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
LU-LTSPP 2006
QUESTION?
• What causes the diving reflex in humans?
LU-LTSPP 2006
SCIENTIFIC QUESTION
• What causes the diving reflex in humans?
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Water receptors on the face
Temperature receptors
Body position
Breath holding
LU-LTSPP 2006
SCIENTIFIC QUESTION
Do humans have water receptors on their
face that causes their heart rate to
slow down when stimulated?
LU-LTSPP 2006
HYPOTHESIS
Humans have water receptors on their
face that causes their heart rate to
slow down when stimulated
LU-LTSPP 2006
Diving Bradycardia
Terminology
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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.
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”
4.
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