Your science fair project may be one or more of the following project types…
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Experiment– This simply means something you “try out.” An experiment is a method of investigating a question or solving a problem. Ex. What will fall to the ground faster, an egg or a rock shaped like an egg? How would you determine this?*See experimental process below
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Demonstration– A demonstration is carried out for the purpose of educating “by showing” what happens when specific conditions are met. Ex. Using tea as a PH indicator, watch as the tea changes color as you add lemon juice or baking soda.
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Apparatus– Equipment used or designed to carry out your project. Ex. Creating a device(apparatus) to generate electricity.
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Research– Research is an investigation aimed at discovering or interpreting facts. Ex.books, articles, website about whales.
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Collections–Collections are objects grouped together which have similar characteristics. Ex. butterfly collection
*THE EXPERIMENTAL PROCESS
Problem
What problem will you solve? / What is the purpose of your experiment?
A sentence about something in the world you wonder about.
What your experiment will show us about the world.
It can ask the questions what, why, or how something happens.
Examples:
1. “When “hot spring” water flows into a cold lake, does the hot water stay on top or does it mix with the cold water evenly? What would happen if the hot water came from a spring at the bottom of the lake?”
2. “I visited a cave. There were no plants growing in the cave. Could plants grow in a cave?”
3. “Usually, the plants in my front yard get water to drink. I poured my soda pop on them. Did I hurt my plants or make them grow better?”
4. “I watched several things fall off my desk. I wondered if bigger things fell faster than smaller things.”
Question
What do you want to find out?
Make your question simple, like
1. “What happens if I mix warm and cold water?”
2. “What happens if a plant does not get any sunlight?”
3. “What happens if I water a plant with soda pop?”
4. “Will a pencil fall to the ground faster than a paper clip?”
Hypothesis/ Prediction
What do you think will happen?
Guess what you think the answer to your question might be.
This is your guess before you do your experiment. It is not what you discovered after you did your experiment. It is okay if the results of your experiment are different than what you thought they would be. That is good science,too!
Some sample hypotheses / predictions might be:
1. When I pour hot water into cold water, they will mix evenly.
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If I put a plant in the closet,the plant will die.
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If I feed a plant soda pop, it will grow faster than a plant I feed plain water.
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A pencil will fall to the ground faster than a paper clip.
Materials
How much and what you need to do your experiment?
List the number and types of materials you need to do your experiment.
Procedure
What you need to do to do your experiment?
List each step in the order you will do it.
Which variable is kept the same(controlled)?
Which variable will you change(manipulated)?
How will you measure the changed(manipulated) variable?
What safety measures do you need to take?
You may include a photograph or draw a picture of the way you set up your experiment to help explain the procedure you used.
Observations& Results
What happened?
Recording Your Data
Make a labeled table to record your data before you begin your experiment.
Record / write down your data during your experiment.
Display your data on your presentation board.
You may include photos or drawings of how your experiment proceeded to help explain the results. Explain in words what happened during your experiment.
Analysing Your Data
Make a pie or bar graph of your results. You may ask your teacher or your parents for help.
Compare your results. Show a trend of what happened during your experiment.
Did you get the same results each time? Are your results consistent?
Conclusion
What did you discover?
Write an answer to your question.
Was your hypothesis / prediction correct?
Discussion / Evaluating Your Work
What was easy to do?
What was hard to do?
Did you ever change your numbers? Why?
Did you have an idea that changed?
What would you do differently if you did this experiment again?
Name, Grade and Teacher