Hi. I have a Bio scientific method project due at the end of the semester, and the prompt states:
This project is designed to help you gain an understanding of the scientific method by using it to make a choice or decision in your life. You will need to do this by collecting data and using the analysis of that data to compare two options of your choosing. There must be a sample size of 20 per person.
A few things I am confused about are using the SM to 'make a choice or decision' in my life, 'compare two options of my choosing', and a 'sample size of 20'. There are a million science-y type projects I could do, but I have no idea where to start when applying it to my own life and making decisions, and comparing two options.
Yes, I plan to talk with my teacher and classmates more about this, but I was hoping I could get some ideas here too.
Appreciate your time and help.
Help with Scientific Method project for class
Moderators: AmyCowen, kgudger, MadelineB, Moderators
-
17eugenekim
- Expert
- Posts: 149
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 4:14 pm
- Occupation: Researcher
- Project Question: To assist others in the AAE forums
- Project Due Date: N/A
- Project Status: Not applicable
Re: Help with Scientific Method project for class
Hi there,
What this sounds like to me is a science fair project with more specific rules to it. The "decision" is your scientific question (e.g. "What type of energy drink gives you the most energy?"). The "choices" are, in fact, your independent variable (e.g. energy drink A vs energy drink B). This is a standard science project assignment, except with the additional rule that your independent variable must be a category-based variable with only two options.
The "decision" in question doesn't have to be something grand or complicated, but it also shouldn't be subjective (like "what should I have for lunch today"). We do have our project ideas database (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... e-projects), so check that out as well.
If you're having a hard time coming up with a "decision," start with a simple question and work from there. Let's say I have a super simple science-y question like, "how does a fan work?". (It's hot in my room right now and this fan isn't doing much.) Now I'm thinking about different types of fans I've seen - spinny blade fans, old-style paper fans, and those fancy circle-hole bladeless fans. I pick two - let's say the spinny blades and the bladeless - and now I want to measure something. Maybe it's the actual windspeed that comes out of them, or maybe it's the temperature of a room with one of these fans on. (Now I'm thinking about how: do I want a thermometer? How do I measure windspeed? Is it always going to be the same room that starts at the same temperature? Etc.)
Now I'm roughly designing an experiment in my head, and I just realized that to have a sample size of 20 I need to get my hands on 20 different fans, which could be expensive. Oof. So this may not be the best example here. But if I was somehow able to study 20 different types of fans (by asking friends for theirs or looking stupid at a Walmart or something), now my question has been refined to: "which fan style is better at cooling me down: the blades or the bladeless?". Then you can twist it into a decision rather than a question: "which fan should I buy?"
Again, the "decision" is just a re-phrasing of the "question" - it's how you choose to present your data/conclusion. And the "choices" are actually just your independent variable - the thing you change. Then you measure something based on those options; in the energy drink example, it might be how fast someone answers a set of simple math questions after drinking a can. This is your dependent variable. Then you have data, and we can talk analysis when we get there.
Hope that was helpful - got a little rambly in the middle, but I hope you got the gist of what I'm trying to say.
–Eugene
What this sounds like to me is a science fair project with more specific rules to it. The "decision" is your scientific question (e.g. "What type of energy drink gives you the most energy?"). The "choices" are, in fact, your independent variable (e.g. energy drink A vs energy drink B). This is a standard science project assignment, except with the additional rule that your independent variable must be a category-based variable with only two options.
The "decision" in question doesn't have to be something grand or complicated, but it also shouldn't be subjective (like "what should I have for lunch today"). We do have our project ideas database (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... e-projects), so check that out as well.
If you're having a hard time coming up with a "decision," start with a simple question and work from there. Let's say I have a super simple science-y question like, "how does a fan work?". (It's hot in my room right now and this fan isn't doing much.) Now I'm thinking about different types of fans I've seen - spinny blade fans, old-style paper fans, and those fancy circle-hole bladeless fans. I pick two - let's say the spinny blades and the bladeless - and now I want to measure something. Maybe it's the actual windspeed that comes out of them, or maybe it's the temperature of a room with one of these fans on. (Now I'm thinking about how: do I want a thermometer? How do I measure windspeed? Is it always going to be the same room that starts at the same temperature? Etc.)
Now I'm roughly designing an experiment in my head, and I just realized that to have a sample size of 20 I need to get my hands on 20 different fans, which could be expensive. Oof. So this may not be the best example here. But if I was somehow able to study 20 different types of fans (by asking friends for theirs or looking stupid at a Walmart or something), now my question has been refined to: "which fan style is better at cooling me down: the blades or the bladeless?". Then you can twist it into a decision rather than a question: "which fan should I buy?"
Again, the "decision" is just a re-phrasing of the "question" - it's how you choose to present your data/conclusion. And the "choices" are actually just your independent variable - the thing you change. Then you measure something based on those options; in the energy drink example, it might be how fast someone answers a set of simple math questions after drinking a can. This is your dependent variable. Then you have data, and we can talk analysis when we get there.
Hope that was helpful - got a little rambly in the middle, but I hope you got the gist of what I'm trying to say.
–Eugene