1. Problem Statement
Selecting your Problem Statement
Your problem question must be able to be tested through experimentation. The question should come out of your observations as something that sparked your interest or curiosity. A discrepant event if you will.
Exactly what do you hope to figure out? What is the “WHAT IF” question? For example: “ What is the affect of _______ on ______?” You should be able to write the research question in a simple sentence. In fact, keep the whole project simple. This is important to the scientific process: the simpler the experiment, the easier it is to keep “all other conditions” the same and change only one thing. That's how you can be sure that the thing you are changing is actually causing any difference you measure.
Criteria for Testable Questions:
Uses something from your “What I will change” group
Uses something from your “What I will measure” group
A broad question that is something to investigate
Science Fair Ideas
Ways to find a science fair project idea:
1. Look at lists of science categories and pick one that you are interested in. Then narrow that down to a project. For example, say you pick psychology. You can narrow that topic down to the differences between boys and girls. Then take it to the next step by choosing a topic like: Do boys remember “boy-type” pictures (footballs) better than “girl-type” pictures (flowers)?
2. Many students are inspired by projects completed by other students! The California State Science Fair page is a wonderful place to find such inspiration! Keep in mind if you find a project you like online.....these are NOT to be repeated!!! They are to give you some inspiration which should spark some ideas for your Science Fair Investigation!
The CSSF site has abstracts from winning projects from all over the state of California. - Pick a more recent year and then click on "Projects organized by category". Browse through the categories, open it, and then look through the project titles. Ones that are "hot linked" will have an abstract you can read to learn what this student did and learned. California State Science Fair Project repository.
OR
Try using the Topic Selection Wizard at Science Buddies.org
3. Use your experiences. Remember a time when you noticed something and thought "I wonder what would happen if..." about it. Well, take that idea and turn it into a project. For example, say your brother always wins your downhill bike races. Why is that? Is it because he is heavier, has bigger wheels on his bike, or more aerodynamic?
4. Use the local libraries. Check the school library or the one by your home for books on science fair project ideas. Browse and look at book titles, then look inside the ones that look interesting to you. Also thumb through encyclopedias and magazines. Good magazines for ideas are: National Geographic, Discover, Omni, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Mother Earth News, High Technology, Prevention, and Garbage.
5. Think about current events. Look at the newspaper. People are hungry in Africa because of droughts. A project on growing plants and comparing those that require less water with those that require more might be interesting. Or a project about the ozone hole over Antarctica and what we can do in order to reduce ozone deterioration might be good as well. An example might be a project on non-aerosol ways to spray things. Or a project on oil spills. What is the best way to clean them up? A project on how to clean oil out of water that is both cost effective and easy to do would be another great project idea.
6. Take a project idea that you have seen and make it your own. For instance, maybe you saw a really great project on whether or not dogs are colorblind. It might make you wonder if cats or iguanas are colorblind too. Or, maybe you could test any of the other senses that dogs have like taste, touch or hearing. Other ideas may include: What material is the best insulator? Do soap bubbles last longer on warm or cold days? What is the best method, other than heat, to melt ice? What soils are best to build a house on? How do plants react to different kinds of fertilizer, different light, colors, and different sounds?
Try putting different words in these blanks...
What is the effect of ____________ on _______________?
detergent ------- germination of seeds
temperature--------the volume of air
How/to what extent does the ____________ affect ______________?
humidity----------growth of fungi
color of a material------------its absorption of heat
fertilizer -------------the growth of plants
Which/what __________________ (verb) __________________?
detergent----------- makes --------- --the most bubbles