Real science involves researching to find out what is already known, finding out what techniques to go and where to look, getting the equipment that is needed, and so on. You will need to do the same, because every science project is real science.
Your logbook
The first step is to get an exercise book that you will use as your logbook (or log), in which you record all of the steps. It is the place where you will record everything that you do and read. You will record field measurements there, and you should present this as evidence of your work. That means all pages should be numbered, no pages are to be torn out, and no "liquid paper" or "white-out" is to be used - if you need to change something, cross it out neatly, and write in the changed value - but the crossed-out value should still be visible.
Your log is written as you go. There is no need to make rough notes on bits of paper, so you can copy them into the log when you get home. Real logbooks show where they have been written in during rain storms, they have mud stains (or bloodstains), and that is OK. Look after your log, but do not stress out if it suffers some indignity. And if, for some reason, you have to use loose paper, date it, and paste it into the book.
You should keep notes of any interviews or phone calls you make, phone numbers and email addresses, because you never know when you will need to email a contact again - and computer systems can always turn nasty on you. If they are important, you may wish to paste in printed copies of e-mails, but as a rule, this is not necessary. It is worth your while noting when you get an answer, though.
The log will not be a part of your final project presentation, but it should be a part of your submission, an appendix which proves that you actually did the work, and got the results you say you did. The things you write in there should all be dated, so that the record is completely clear, and neatness is not so important as clarity. So get your book, label it, put an address or a phone number on it (it is going to be VERY valuable if it is lost), and start with a list of possible topics, and then move on to a timetable.
Back to the contents
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Choosing a topic
One way is to come up with your own original idea, another is to go to the list provided here, or some other list, and look through some of the sections. In all probability, you will find something there that triggers you to think of a topic of your own, based on an idea you see there. Begin with something you would be likely to stop and watch if you walked past it, something that you are interested in, or something you know a fair amount about.
Another way is to take something you have always wondered about, even something simple like the shape of a bubble, or why ducks (or steel boats) float, or why a balloon goes BANG! when a pin is stuck in it. The best projects are all curiosity-driven. As you read the news in a newspaper, or watch it on TV, think about some of the human problems you see, and wonder how they might be fixed. Spot a claim in a TV commercial, and wonder if it would really stand up under test.
Try putting different terms in these blanks:
What is the effect of __ a__ on __ b__?
Some of the a terms you could use might be temperature, noise, quenching, design, density, humidity, wind direction, overnight minimum temperature, music, pressure, detergent, water turbidity, acid, oxygen, hot hydrogen . . . Some of the b terms might seed germination, rusting, growth, rotting, grain size, ripening, wave frequency, bird species, flight duration, surface hardness, learning, driver fatigue
2007-01-04 07:01:49
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answer #1
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answered by vinothan 2
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