The Proposal

During the second quarter ALL students will be proposing a "science fair" type project. This proposal will be a 4-6 page paper. During the third quarter you will follow through on the proposed investigation. This page however only concerns the proposal.

The objective of this assignment is to CREATIVELY DESIGN an investigation for a researchable question that you are personally interested in pursuing. As a result, students will gain a greater understanding of the design process used by many scientists and gain an appreciation for following their natural curiosity. The topic must be physics related.

Students will also engage in many of the school's 21st century learning expectations. These include but are not limited to:

• Become self-directed learners.
• Communicate effectively.
• Apply problem-solving skills and critical and creative thinking.
• Use technology appropriately as a tool for learning, collaboration, presentation, research, and design.
• Exhibit flexibility and adaptability.

Note: Using a "prepackaged" investigation from a website does not satisfy many of the above objectives, especially the "CREATIVELY DESIGN" requirement.

Due Dates:

Topic: Due by Wednesday 11/20/19: Worth 1 Homework (Must be a specific question with identified variables)

Log Book Notes- Due by Friday 12/6/19: Worth 4 Homeworks (click below for log book requirements)

Rough Outline of Experiment and Analysis Process (how you will test your hypothesis) - Due by Monday 12/9/19: Worth 1 Homework

First Draft with Log Book-Due Friday 12/13/19: Worth 4 Homeworks

Final Draft with Log Book-Due Friday 12/20/19: Worth 125 points Must be emailed by 10 AM to be considered "on time"

(One Day Late on Final Draft, 10% penalty or 12.5 points)

NOTE: Extra help will be provided on all components except the day before it is due!!!

Please keep in mind the school's plagiarism policy that you were given in writing the first day of school. I WILL be checking every paper for any plagiarism of any kind. If you are caught plagiarizing it is possible that you may fail for the quarter. In addition, it is reported on your discipline records which could be included with any college application.

Managing Time Effectively

Part of the rubric will be to assess your ability to manage time effectively. This means that I am assessing you on being able to complete a LONG TERM project instead of procrastinating.

All students MUST write their paper using google docs and share the document with me at mwadness@medford.k12.ma.us giving me editing privileges.

Because Google time stamps when edits are done, you will be able to demonstrate your ability to manage time effectively.

Group Project Option

Students will be allowed and STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to work in groups with a maximum size of three, However the need to work in a group must match the complexity of the group project.

Every group member must take charge of an additional set of variables to study. This would include additional background research, procedures, and analysis.

Students must document the collaboration through the use of Google docs, so it can be observed individual's contributions.

There will be an additional component to the rubric to assess the group's ability to work together.

There will be only one grade assigned to the group so choose your partners wisely!!!

Page length for groups of two is 6 to 8 pages and for groups of three would be 8 to 10 pages.

Regional and State Science Fair

If you are interested in competing in the regional and possibly the state science fair, the proposals and other paper work MUST be submitted by Friday 12/4. Please see me by 11/30 at the latest to discuss proposal and paperwork.

Basic Format

Introduction (2-3 pages)

• This is the question I want to investigate
• This is why the question is important
• This is the background physics that is related to my question
• The background physics leads me to this hypothesis

Proposed Experiment to Investigate Question (2-3 pages)

• The purpose of my investigation is...what is the relationship between variable x and variable y?
• My expected outcome of my investigation, based on the background physics is...
• The materials I will need are...and the procedures I will use to investigate my question are...
• The type of data I will be collecting and graphing will be...
• How I will analyze my tables and graphs will be like this...If the data turns out like this...then my hypothesis will be supported and that will indicate...However if the data turns out like this...then my hypothesis will not be supported and that will indicate...
  • The proposed analysis MUST mathematically investigate the relationship between variables by using percent difference and/or regression

Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)

• This question that I wish to investigate is an important question that...hopefully as a result of our study will...

See above for groups

How do I choose a question?

1. Yes...this DOES have to be a physics related question. However, physics is a very broad subject.
2. Choose something that is PERSONALLY INTERESTING TO YOU!!!
3. Do NOT wait too long to do this.
4. Thumb through your text book. When you spot something that makes you go hmph, read about it. Look for a statement that seems interesting to test. "Apparently my book claims that the magnetic field gets smaller the further away I get from the magnet. I wonder how I could investigate that?"
5. Then convert it from a middle school project to a high school project. "Apparently the dependence is suppose to be an inverse square relationship. I wonder how accurate that is mathematically? What else might the magnetic field depend on? What is a magnetic field? Do all objects have them? Why?

Check out http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/Index.cfm for questions that could be turned into investigations.

Check out

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects

and google "citizen science"

See below for available vernier equipment.

Sample question

How does mass affect the acceleration of a cart down an inclined plane?

Independent Variable: Mass

Dependent Variable: Acceleration

Controls: Angle, Friction, Air Resistance...

The introduction would explain the question and its importance. This would continue with a presentation of the physics which describes carts going down an inclined plane, such as Newton's Laws. This section would be based on at least 5 references with one being a primary source. The primary source might describe an experiment related to my research question. I would be very careful to NOT plagiarize and include in-text references. The background research would eventually imply a hypothesis suggesting whether or not mass affects the acceleration of a cart.

The second half would restate the purpose and hypothesis for this investigation. I would list the materials needed for this experiment and make a detailed list describing the procedures that I would be following. These procedures might include the use of a ticker timer and ticker tape and doing several trials while changing the mass of the cart. The data section might look like:

Total Mass (kg) Acceleration (m/s^2)

Trial

Perhaps I might also include an empty graph with acceleration on the y-axis and mass on the x-axis or I might have an additional data table for percent differences.

For the data analysis I would be describing an if...then statement like...if the slope of the acceleration vs. mass graph had a zero slope then that would indicate that the acceleration did not change and therefore mass does not affect acceleration. If the slope was significantly positive then that would indicate...I will then use regression techniques to determine the mathematical relationship between the acceleration and mass.

Or if the percent differences are less then 10% then that would be an insignificant difference and that would indicate mass does not affect the acceleration thus supporting the hypothesis however if the percent difference is greater than 20% then that would be a significant difference indicating mass does affect the acceleration thus disproving the hypothesis and if the percent difference is between 10 and 20% then that would be inconclusive.

Brain Storming Ideas

What do I want to know?

Why do I care?

Why should others care?

What ideas/concepts do I need to learn about in order to understand my project?

What background physics do others need to know to understand my project?

What specifically are my variables?

What variable(s) am I changing?

How am I changing it?

How am I measuring my variable?

By looking at my results how will I KNOW the answer to my research question?

Plagiarism

Changing a word or two but leaving the structure of the paragraph recognizably similar to the original is plagiarism unless you put it in quotes or openly state you are paraphrasing. Otherwise you leave the impression that they are your thoughts, ideas, interpretations, etc. The use of an in-text reference (parenthetical, footnote, or endnote) without quotes only tells the reader where the information/facts come from.

For example if you were to write a paragraph explaining Newton's Third Law, you might have a quote and/or an in-text reference citing where the information comes from but your paragraph would not be a "re-mix" of another writer's paragraph.

For the update:

Log Book Requirements

• Must be a minimum of 5 sources (at least one being a primary)
• Notes must be written in a bound notebook Must be at least a page of notes for each source
• Sources must be relevant to your topic
• Must include a bibliography (MLA format) stating what sources you use.
• All sources MUST have an author or group that takes credit for writing source AND a person or group associated with validating the source. In print sources this is usually the publisher or editor.

On a Separate Sheet of Paper

• Must have at least one typed sentence discussing at least one interesting item from each source. IN YOUR OWN WORDS!!!
• Must have at least one typed sentence discussing how each interesting item is relevant to your research question. In other words, why is this source useful? IN YOUR OWN WORDS!!!

If you are a group project then a maximum of three out of the five sources may be common to other members of the group.

How to evaluate sources

Available Vernier Equipment

Vernier Dynamics System

Optics Expansion Kit

Mirror Set

Color Mixer Kit

Polarizer/Analyzer

Bumper and Launcher Kit

track to track coupler

Ultra Pulley Attachment

Pulley Bracket

Friction Pad

Vernier Dynamics System with Long Track

Centripital Force Apparatus

Rotary Motion Sensor

Rotational Motion Accessory Kit

Radiation Monitor

Deluxe LabQuest Mini Physics Package

Disposable Mouthpiece for Spirometer

Large Blood Pressure Cuff

Small Blood Pressure Cuff

Cart Picket Fence

Fan Cart

Charge Sensor

CO2 Gas Sensor

UVB Sensor

Optical Dissolved Oxygen Sensor

Labquest 2

Conductivity Probes

O2 Gas Sensor

SpectroVis Plus

Tris Compatible Flat PH Sensor

Gas Pressure Sensor

Hand Grip Hear Rate Monitor

Low-g Accelerometer

Spirometer

Temperature Sensor

Surface temperature sensor

Magnetic Field Sensor

microphones

Hand Dynamometer

Colorimeter

Celestron Digital Microscope Imager

Also, we have a telescope that can be borrowed!