Science Investigation idea? Halp!

[Daniel]

Ok guys, basically I have this major science assignment that I need to do, and i cannot think of any idea. I do not want to use the ideas in the list below, since that will deduct 4 marks from my final mark. This cannot be no less than 3 pages and no more than 6 pages, all typed. The following is not acceptable:
Use of Animals
Experiments with dangerous substances
Surveys with no experimental work

Supposed to have at least two outside resources (bibliography, etc). I can borrow most chemicals from the labs at school.

Basically, i need a good idea. :p Here is the top half of my assignment notification sheet :p



YEAR 10 STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECT – 2010
ASSESSMENT TASK 1
Date Due: Friday 5th March (Week 6) Weighting: 40% of Semester 1
Time: Week 2 – 6 (4 weeks) 15% of Semester 2
The Student Research Project (SRP) is an investigation that needs to be carried out as part of your Science School Certificate course. It has been designed so you can demonstrate to your teacher your skills in planning and carrying out investigations, solving problems and communicating ideas.
OUTCOMES
ADDRESSED

5.13
Identifies a problem and independently produces an appropriate investigation plan
5.14
Undertakes first hand investigations independently with safety and competence
5.15
Gathers first hand data accurately
5.18
Uses appropriate forms of communication to present information to an audience
5.19
Uses critical thinking skills in evaluating information and drawing conclusions
5.20
Selects and uses appropriate strategies to solve problems
5.21
Uses creativity and imagination in the analysis of problems and the development of possible solutions
5.22
Independently plans, implements and evaluates the effectiveness of a variety of tasks as an individual

THIS TASK IS A COMPULSARY REQUIREMENT OF THE BOARD OF STUDIES FOR THE AWARDING OF THE SCHOOL CERTIFICATE.
YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF 25 INVESTIGATIONS or YOU MAY CHOOSE YOUR OWN INVESTIGATION (teacher consultation necessary). Originality will score an extra 4 marks.
1. Compare the absorbance of different paper towels
2. Measure the breaking strength of Velcro
3. Investigate the most effective way of dyeing eggs for Easter
4. Find the acidity of different soft drinks using reactions with calcium/carbonate egg shells
5. Compare the sudsiness of detergents or liquid soaps
6. Which type of soil or mulch holds the most water?
7. Investigate if the ratio of vinegar to water in a mixture changes the rate at which the mixture heats
8. Investigate if the shape of an ice block effects its rate of melting
9. Determine if salinity of water alters the germination rate of seeds
10. Compare substances which may prolong the life of cut flowers
11. Find if the temperature of a ball effects its ‘bounce’
12. To investigate the Australian brand of microwave popcorn which has the highest rate of successful popping
13. Investigate ways to prevent steel wool from rusting after wetting it once
14. What is the best natural ant deterrent?
15. The effectiveness of pre-wash stain removers
16. Batteries from household acids
17. Which food wrap keeps food fresher in a frost – free frige?
18. Is recycling washing water on plants worth it?
19. Comparing various fibres as insulating materials
20. How does the shape and size affect the free fall and impact of an object?

Thanks guys :)

Edit: Forgot to mention, this Monday (the 12th) is the beginning of Week 3 =\

[Yakman]

How about investigating the relationship between the force between two magnets and their distance.
or between one magnet and a paperclip.

perhaps tie the paperclip to a newton meter?

that could be quite fiddly and annoying, as you'd have to measure in increments of distance 1 millimeter.

you should find the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. (I think)



If not, how about the relationship between the length of a pendulum and its period of swing?
If you do it properly and research correctly, you should be able to measure the strength of earth's gravity.

[code841]

There is a device for measuring magnetic field strengths (called a Gauss Meter) which you could use to find the relationship of magnetic field strength vs. distance.
I'm sure your school would have one available.

[mixster]

Calculating the relationship between temperature and the amount of gas that can be dissolved in a liquid.

To gather results, diet coke + mentos. The more foam produced, the more gas stored inside the liquid!

[marpis]

Electolysis of water: H20 -> O2 + H2
The ultimate powersource of the future! You can prove the presence of H2 gas by lighting the gas on fire and see it explode!

[mixster]

Or the 'pop' test for hydrogen and the relighting a blown out splint for oxygen.

Though I also want to say pure water does not conduct electricity as it's covalently bonded and not an ionic compound, thus no way for the charge to go from pole to pole.

[marpis]

Or the 'pop' test for hydrogen and the relighting a blown out splint for oxygen.

Though I also want to say pure water does not conduct electricity as it's covalently bonded and not an ionic compound, thus no way for the charge to go from pole to pole.

Tapwater contains plenty of Ca+ and Mg+ ions

[mixster]

Then you'll end up forming things like calcium and magnesium rather than hydrogen and water silly!

[marpis]

Then you'll end up forming things like calcium and magnesium rather than hydrogen and water silly!

If you put lots of electricity to tap water it sure will produce hydrogen. A regular (230V, 16A in Finland) wall socket should suffice. I'm not sure what the effiency percent is but I'm sure you will see both oxygen and hydrogen bubbles in the water.

[mixster]

I'm also pretty sure it's a bad idea to try it and I'm still not really convinced, especially when there are much better methods of producing oxygen and hydrogen with electrolysis if given access to the materials (which he said he is).

[Daniel]

So, I asked my teacher (since you have to confirm it).

First I asked about the Banana Ripening idea (as suggested by Brain). Her response: too simple.
So, I went with the pendulum idea (as suggested by Yakman): Again, her response: too simple.
Finally, I decided to go with mixsters' idea (although I have no idea how to measure the amount of gas escaping :\). Her response: too simple.

Thanks for your input guys, but basically I'm lost at the moment :(

If possible, could anyone suggest something to do with Astronomy that'll take under two weeks (yes, that's all I have now :()

:(

[Brain]

try to calculate the angular velocity of the earth using the stars as a fixed reference point.
E: probably too simple

[mixster]

Construct your own nuclear reactor?

Oh, I know! You could compare the elements present in tap water versus bottle water using a variety of methods, ie evapourating to produce a solid residue then use tests to verify what elements there are. Maybe also work out the relative amounts in each per x ml.

[Daniel]

Construct your own nuclear reactor?

Oh, I know! You could compare the elements present in tap water versus bottle water using a variety of methods, ie evapourating to produce a solid residue then use tests to verify what elements there are. Maybe also work out the relative amounts in each per x ml.

I already thought of one and it was accepted: which materials are most effective at blocking radio waves?

Simple, get an RC car that uses radio waves to communicate via the remote to the car and put some glass, wood, bricks and plaster (wall :D) in the way and test the response time and the time it takes for the car to reach a target :D


I thought you left SRL

I'm sorry for asking for help from a community that is mostly full of intelligent peoples (sorry, I guess you are not one of those "intelligent people" ;)) and trustworthy. Ones that will actually contribute to the subject at hand (yes, "Ones" refer to those "intelligent peoples" which you are not apart of).

[Brain]

that'll be kinda tough, you'll have to encase the whole transmitter with the blocking element.
Since the radio waves will bounce off surrounding objects to the RC car....and timing it to reach a target? tons of confounding variables there....

What I would do is take the receiver out of the car and hook it to the ESC (electronic speed controller) with the motor.
leave the motor/ESC/Rx (Rx = receiver) out in the open, and walk away testing when you cannot control the motor anymore (loss of signal), this is the control.

Then encase the Rx is various materials and measure the distance to loss of signal, compare distances of different materials. And of course, make sure to do at least 3 measurements and take an average.

edit: imo, this is a much better experimental design than timing the car to reach a target. make sure to hold the Tx (transmitter) at the same height while you are walking away.

[marpis]

If you have awesome technique stuff in your class, you might try to separate DNA from bacteria? Put bacteria in a glass dish with little water. First you need something (don't know the word in english, entsyymi?) that will make holes to the cell shell, probably something that cuts lipids. Put the water that has the dead bacteria (shell destroyed) into a sentrifuge and the cell particles will end up at the bottom of the glass you have there (Don't know this ones name either). Next you'll need to do some electroforesis, go google it. Voilá, there you have DNA. Yea yea, I know there will be plenty of other shit too but who cares..

[Orbital]

One I did... Took fricken forever though... At least 20-15 hours...



1. AIM

To determine the most luminous, efficient and cleanest of a variety of common household oils for their use in oil lamps, by examining the duration they burn for, the amount of soot they release and the brightness of their flame.

2. EQUIPMENT

MATERIALS OILS

• Paper towels
• Skewer Sticks
• iTouch Stopwatch
• Small ceramic bowls (7 total)
• Kitchen Lighter
• Measuring Cup
• Square Cardboard Sheet
• Long Rectangular Cardboard Sheet for Wind Break
• Very long rectangular cardboard sheet
• Illuminance Lux Meter (Yokogawa 510-020 Model)
• A3 sheets of paper
• Small SideTable
• Masking Tape
• Syringe
• Digital Scale (Soehnle Model)
• Olive oil
• Sesame Seed oil
• Peanut oil
• Extra Virgin oil
• Sunflower oil
• Vegetable oil
• Eucalyptus Oil

3. METHOD

3a. Steps

1. Prepare wicks to be used in experiment. Cut skewer sticks in 5 cm lengths and wrap paper towel around the stick. Glue wicks in centre of ceramic bowls with blue tack and ensure it is firm and stable. Make sufficient number of wicks for each oil to be tested and to be replicated three times.

2. Set up small table and apparatus for experiment as shown in Figure 1 below.

3. Ensure illuminance lux meter is set 100mm from edge of small table for each instance of the experiment.

4. Draw up tables to record results for each oil to be used in the experiment.

5. Label each ceramic bowl with a number and use the same oil in each numbered bowl.

6. Measure the weight of each ceramic bowl with the wick inside and record it in a table.

7. Pour approximately 20-25ml of oil into a measuring cup then using a syringe suck up 15ml of oil. Make sure that no air is sucked to make squirting into ceramic bowl easy.

8. Carefully squirt 15ml of oil in syringe into numbered ceramic bowl and make sure the wick is saturated with oil.

9. Weigh the ceramic bowl with the oil inside and record its weight.

10. Take ceramic bowl filled with oil and place under small table as shown in Figure 1.

11. Check background light , make reading with illuminance meter and keep this as constant.
12. (Experiment conducted at night time, with not external lights close by or moonlight)

13. Light wick with kitchen lighter.

14. Start stopwatch as soon as flame starts.

15. Take LUX meter measurements every minute for 10 minutes and record in separate table for each oil type.

16. Blow out wick after 10 minutes.

17. Wait for ceramic bowl to cool down.

18. Flip small table and make visual assessment of soot on A3 white paper. Record result in table.

19. Weigh ceramic bowl with remaining oil inside and record measurement in table.

20. Change A3 paper under small table

21. Reset stop watch, small table and apparatus as shown in figure 1.

22. Repeat above for each type of oil and for each replication.

I did a better one the previous year but I can't find the report...

[chitin]

hmm i suggest electrophoresis. use a constant current with different liquids (viscocity).