Sample Questions

Examples of research questions

· How do different materials affect air resistance?

· What is the relationship between a water droplet’s diameter and drop height to its splash height?

· How can the efficiency of a model car powered by an elastic air-filled balloon as an energy source be maximised?

· Is there a pattern to the movement of raindrops on a window pane?

· How can the motion of a piece of ice dropped into a container filled with oil be quantified?

· What does the resistive force of a spread out wet rag dragged over a surface depend on?

· Under what conditions does dry spaghetti not break when falling on to a hard floor?

· How does the behaviour of a stream of fluid change when it strikes the surface of a sponge-like material?

· Is there a quantitative relationship between the buoyancy of an object in water and the number of bubbles in the water?

· How can suitcases best be packed to avoid wobbling?

· Which types of bubble wrap provides the most protection?

· Are more expensive tennis balls better?

· What is the relationship between volume of air inside a soccer ball/ basketball and its bounce and distance it travels?

· Is there an ideal angle and direction that solar panels should be faced?

· How can I make my boomerang come back?

· How does aerofoil shape affect performance?

· What factors affect the detection of sound by the human ear?

· How do the pitch and timbre of a sound depend on the position and diameter of the hole, when produced by blowing into the open end of a flute constructed from a tube that is open at one end and has a hole drilled into its side?

· How does the sound produced by hitting a metal rod that is held between two fingers depend on the position of holding and hitting the rod?

· What parameters affect the quality of sound produced when blowing across a blade of grass or a strip of paper?

· Does humidity affect the bounce or spin of a ball?

· How can I create a hologram by scratching my initials into a piece of plastic, and how does it work?