What charts and stuff should I make for...

[googleguru]

This project?

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ?from=Home

I need charts and other stuff to put on my backboard... all I have is the average high temperatures for each month for the eight cities that I picked. I don't know what I should do with the data to make it suitable for a science fair project or whatever.

[donnahardy2]

Hi Googleguru,

For a science fair project, you need to ask a question that will be answered by doing an experiment, or, in your case, by analyzing some historical data that has already been recorded. Before starting to look at the data, try to figure out what question you want to answer, and what you think the answer will be (your hypothesis). For example, suppose you think that the temperature will correlated with latitude (distance from the equator), then you would also need to find the latitude for each city. Then you can plot average high temperature on the x-axis and latitude on the y-axis for each month (12 graphs). Or, if you have historical data, perhaps you could plot temperature on the x-axis vs. the date in years to see if you can confirm global warming. You can probably think of other possibilities that will make your project truly original. If you ask your question and state your hypothesis before you get started, then you will know what you should graph.

Please let us know if you have any questions.


Donna Hardy

[googleguru]

That all seems too complicated... do you have any more simple ideas cause I only have a day or so to finish!

[MelissaB]

Googleguru,

It should not take more than an hour or two to get the information and make the graphs Donna was suggesting. However, can you tell us what your question and hypothesis were? It may be that there's bleep more appropriate for you to graph, depending on what you were asking.

[donnahardy2]

Hi Googleguru,

I was just trying to help think of a project that would make sense. From your initial question, it did not sound like you had a question or a hypothesis, and that's why you didn't know what to plot. This is a very common problem with students that are new to doing science fair projects, and one of the reasons that science buddies is here to help. If you do have a question, then let us know, and we'll suggest a way to plot the data. If you don't, then look up the latitude, distance from the nearest ocean, elevation, or any other variable about each city that is easy to find, and plot the average high temperature vs. (latitude, distance from ocean, elevation, or other parameter) for June and December. If you have more time, then include March and September. These graphs will give you some interesting results that you will be able to discuss and make conclusions about. You will be able to finish a perfectly acceptable project by tomorrow morning.

If you plot average high temperature vs. month, you will find that, if your cities are in the northern hemisphere, that it’s hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. Since everyone knows this already, it would not make a particularly original project, so do try to do bleep a little different.

I hope this helps!

Donna Hardy

[googleguru]

Okay so I have the latitude and longitude for each city... now how exactly would I plot that?

ex.

Edmonton, AB - 53 degrees 34' N; 113 degrees 31' W
Phoenix, AZ - 33 degrees 26' N; 112 degrees 1' W
Tokyo, JP - 35 degrees 41' N; 139 degrees 46' E
Copenhagen, DK - 55 degrees 41' N; 12 degrees 33' E
Auckland, NZ - 36 degrees 51' S; 174 degrees 46' E
Sydney, AU - 33 degrees 52' S; 151 degrees 12' E
Buenos Aires, Argentia - 34 degrees 35' S; 58 degrees 29' W
Santiago, Chile - 33 degrees 27' S; 70 degrees 42' W

I have all the average high temperatures for each month for 2005, 2006 and 2007 for each of those cities. I just don't understand how I would plot all that information or what part of the latitude/longitude I would use to do it...


---
Or if I did year vs. temperature, the temperature probably wouldn't change much and then I'd need twelve graphs for each city and 12 x 8 = 96 graphs... but I think I can get the data for a few years back - how far should I go? For edmonton in celsius for January:

2007: 1
2006: 2
2005: 2
2004: 1 (ex. from here: http://www.wunderground.com/history/air ... story.html)
2003: 1
2002: 2
2001: 1
2000: 0

If I did a chart for Edmonton-january, would I just put the year on the x-axis and the temperature for said year on the y-axis?

[googleguru]

I decided to go with the other one and do a table first like the one I copied and pasted below (except I don't have it filled in yet) and then graph from there for a few cities. Would that be a better idea for a project?

I still need to pose some sort of question...

2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002
January 1 2 2 1 1 2
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[donnahardy2]

Hi Googleguru,

OK, so your question is, "Does the average high temperature correlate with latitude?" Or, "Are average high temperatures always higher closer to the equator?" (Make up a different question if you don't like one of these). Now, what is your hypothesis? Stop and take 5 minutes to do this part of your project before you go further.

Now, suppose that your hypothesis is either "Yes, I think that average high temperatures will correlate with latitude," or"Yes, I think that the average high temperature will be higher closer to the equator." Or, you can state a different hypothesis.

Please note that for a complete project, you should include some background information at this point with references that will provide a scientific basis for your hypothesis. Complete science projects will include some scientific background, and hopefully the project will expand and enlighten the subject. However, I know you are short of time, but please try to find at least one reference that will support your hypothesis.

Now, you are ready to plot your results. The "N" and "S" numbers from the data you found are the latitude, so represent distance from the equator. So you can plot (on the same graph) the latitude vs. temperature for each year for summer and winter. Including the individual years will mean that you are doing your experiment in triplicate (3 years), and you could easily use just two years' worth of data if you want to save some time. Two years of data will give you duplicate results, and science fair judges always prefer having more than one replicate. You will have two graphs, one for summer and one for winter. Now, because you have cities in the northern and southern hemispheres, you will be plotting June northern hemisphere/December southern hemisphere and vice versa, so you will be comparing summer and winter results for both hemispheres.

Be sure to label your graphs clearly so anyone looking at the results will be able to tell what they are looking at. The x-axis will be average high temperature, the y-axis will be latitude. One graph will include summer in the title and the other will include winter. You can color code the data for each year; for example 2005=green, 2006=red, 2007 = blue, but be sure to make a key on the graph so the judges can tell what's being graphed.

After you do this, you can decide if you want to do more graphs for the spring/fall (March/September) times.

Now, you will be looking at your results, and you will be able to review your hypothesis and make a conclusion that your hypothesis is correct or not correct. If you hypothesis is correct, then you can conclude that your hypothesis was correct and that your project was a scientific success. If your hypothesis is only partially correct, or is wrong, then you need to state that and then explain why it was wrong, and explain why, and suggest what you would do to improve the project in the future. Including some detail in your discussion about unusual results of a particular city would be helpful.

Good luck!

Donna Hardy

[googleguru]

As I said in my updated post, I think now I would rather do the other project with how much the temperatures changed (if at all) over the years.

I made a chart but I don't know what graphs I should do exactly or how I would arrange the information or if I should add another city.

[donnahardy2]

Hi Googleguru,

I was answering your previous question when you posted again. The answer I just posted will lead you through the steps of a logical science fair project, so you can either do that project (average high temperature vs. latitude), or you could as the following question:

"Is global warming a reality? or, "Do average high temperatures confirm that the Earth is getting warmer." Or bleep similar in your own words.

For this question, your hypothesis would either be "yes," or "no," but probably you would say that you thought looking at average high temperatures would support the hypothesis, (otherwise you wouldn't be doing the project.)

To answer this question, you could plot summer/winter temperatures for 2002 and 2007 to see if there is a short-term trend, but it would be better if you could plot 1986/1987, 1996/1997, and 2006/2006 results for June and December. You would plot average high temperature on the y-axis and year on the x-axis. Each data point would be an average of all cities for summer and winter, with a data point for each year. This would give you 2 graphs, which would be good for making conclusions. I would not recommend plotting every month of data; that would be too much work, and would not add that much to your project.

Now, one more precaution. You don't have time to change your project, so just pick one topic and start on it without delay. Always when you get to the end of a project, you think of all of the things you could have done, but it's best not to get distracted about thinking of a better project. You can always save that for next year. Just go through one of these projects as logically and thoroughly as you can to complete this year's project.

I'd like to change my recommendation for plotting the latitude project. I think it would be better to plot average high temperature on the y-axis rather than the x-axis, as I originally suggested.

Donna Hardy

[googleguru]

Hi Googleguru,

I was answering your previous question when you posted again. The answer I just posted will lead you through the steps of a logical science fair project, so you can either do that project (average high temperature vs. latitude), or you could as the following question:

"Is global warming a reality? or, "Do average high temperatures confirm that the Earth is getting warmer." Or bleep similar in your own words.

For this question, your hypothesis would either be "yes," or "no," but probably you would say that you thought looking at average high temperatures would support the hypothesis, (otherwise you wouldn't be doing the project.)

To answer this question, you could plot summer/winter temperatures for 2002 and 2007 to see if there is a short-term trend, but it would be better if you could plot 1986/1987, 1996/1997, and 2006/2006 results for June and December. You would plot average high temperature on the y-axis and year on the x-axis. Each data point would be an average of all cities for summer and winter, with a data point for each year. This would give you 2 graphs, which would be good for making conclusions. I would not recommend plotting every month of data; that would be too much work, and would not add that much to your project.

Now, one more precaution. You don't have time to change your project, so just pick one topic and start on it without delay. Always when you get to the end of a project, you think of all of the things you could have done, but it's best not to get distracted about thinking of a better project. You can always save that for next year. Just go through one of these projects as logically and thoroughly as you can to complete this year's project.

I'd like to change my recommendation for plotting the latitude project. I think it would be better to plot average high temperature on the y-axis rather than the x-axis, as I originally suggested.

Donna Hardy

The only thing is the information I can find only goes back to 1996 so I pretty much have to stick with the short-term data. I think I'm just going to go with Edmonton instead of several different cities as suggested, but would I just average each year:

ex. For 2007

January 1
February 0
March 4
April 11
May 17
June 20
July 22
August 17
September 16
October 13
November 3
December -2

so that would be an average of 10.16 for 2007, would i just do that for each year and then plot the data I end up with? (an average of 10.16 degrees in 2007 for edmonton?)

[donnahardy2]

Hi again,

I think the problem you are having is because you have too much data, and it will be very confusing if you include all of it. If you want to look at the trend of average temperatures, then pick just two points in the year (mid-summer and mid-winter) and compare the averages for all of the cities, but if you can't do this, then at least include two cities. You can plot average high temperature on the y-axis and the year on the x-axis. Each point will represent an average of all of the cities. You will distill all of your data into two graphs, one for summer and one for winter, so the results will be very clear to anyone reviewing the project.

Please review my two previous posts carefully, and follow all of the steps to complete your project. It really will make a difference in the outcome of your project.

Donna Hardy

[googleguru]

Hi again,

I think the problem you are having is because you have too much data, and it will be very confusing if you include all of it. If you want to look at the trend of average temperatures, then pick just two points in the year (mid-summer and mid-winter) and compare the averages for all of the cities, but if you can't do this, then at least include two cities. You can plot average high temperature on the y-axis and the year on the x-axis. Each point will represent an average of all of the cities. You will distill all of your data into two graphs, one for summer and one for winter, so the results will be very clear to anyone reviewing the project.

Please review my two previous posts carefully, and follow all of the steps to complete your project. It really will make a difference in the outcome of your project.

Donna Hardy

Okay, so find June and December for 2002-2007 for each city... then average the temperature from each city to come up with one number for June and December for each year. Then do a chart for June and a chart for December. Is that correct?

I have a disability and can't really interpret information well and things get confusing but thanks for your help - I really appreciate it.

[donnahardy2]

Hi Googleguru,

Thanks for letting me know that you are having trouble interpreting what I was trying to explain. I've tried to provide guidance on many projects shortly before the deadline and I usually just try to simplify things just to get through the project and just tell the student what to do without fully explaining everything. I do apologize because I didn't mean to confuse you. Here's a step-by-step list of what you can do to make a graph.

First, go back and do your best to write down your question and your hypothesis. For this project, your question might be, "Has there been a change in worldwide maximum temperatures during the past 5 years." Your hypothesis, might be, "Yes, I think there has been a change in temperature during the past 5 years." Add an article about global warming to your project to support your hypothesis. Now you are ready to do your project:

1. Calculate the average maximum temperature for all of the June (northern hemisphere) and December (southern hemisphere) cities for 2002 and 2007. This will be your summer results. Make the same calculation for all of the December (northern hemisphere) and June (southern hemisphere) for 2002 and 2007. This will be your winter results. If this doesn't take too much time, then also do the same calculations for 2003, 2004 and 2005. If this is too confusing, then select the results for just one city.

2. Now, make a graph. The title of the first graph is "Maximum Average Summer Worldwide Temperatures from 2002 to 2007." Substitute the name of the city if you are not using an average of all of the cities. The y-axis (vertical line) will be labeled maximum average temperature and the x-axis (horizontal line) will be labeled "year." Plot your results.

3. Repeat step #2 for the winter results.

4. Now you will have a summary of all of the temperatures in a simple graph form and you can look at the results and make your conclusion.

I forgot one important reminder earlier. You should look at your assignment sheet for the science fair project and go through it and make sure you have included every single item on the assignment. My suggestions are very general, and your teacher may want you to complete specific requirements.

Please let me know if you do not understand any of my suggestions.


Donna Hardy

[googleguru]

Hi Googleguru,

Thanks for letting me know that you are having trouble interpreting what I was trying to explain. I've tried to provide guidance on many projects shortly before the deadline and I usually just try to simplify things just to get through the project and just tell the student what to do without fully explaining everything. I do apologize because I didn't mean to confuse you. Here's a step-by-step list of what you can do to make a graph.

First, go back and do your best to write down your question and your hypothesis. For this project, your question might be, "Has there been a change in worldwide maximum temperatures during the past 5 years." Your hypothesis, might be, "Yes, I think there has been a change in temperature during the past 5 years." Add an article about global warming to your project to support your hypothesis. Now you are ready to do your project:

1. Calculate the average maximum temperature for all of the June (northern hemisphere) and December (southern hemisphere) cities for 2002 and 2007. This will be your summer results. Make the same calculation for all of the December (northern hemisphere) and June (southern hemisphere) for 2002 and 2007. This will be your winter results. If this doesn't take too much time, then also do the same calculations for 2003, 2004 and 2005. If this is too confusing, then select the results for just one city.

2. Now, make a graph. The title of the first graph is "Maximum Average Summer Worldwide Temperatures from 2002 to 2007." Substitute the name of the city if you are not using an average of all of the cities. The y-axis (vertical line) will be labeled maximum average temperature and the x-axis (horizontal line) will be labeled "year." Plot your results.

3. Repeat step #2 for the winter results.

4. Now you will have a summary of all of the temperatures in a simple graph form and you can look at the results and make your conclusion.

I forgot one important reminder earlier. You should look at your assignment sheet for the science fair project and go through it and make sure you have included every single item on the assignment. My suggestions are very general, and your teacher may want you to complete specific requirements.

Please let me know if you do not understand any of my suggestions.


Donna Hardy

I didn't separate the hemispheres/seasons into summer and winter. I just took the data for all the cities and averaged out each month (June and December), then made two graphs and stuck them on my backboard - "Average June Temperatures" and "Average December Temperatures" Do you think that be alright?

My teacher hasn't provided any specific information or guidelines for the projects... he hasn't really even spoken about them since he first mentioned them a few weeks ago. I guess we're on our own. The projects are due in by Wednesday morning so I'm trying to get everything done ahead of time.

Also, do you think it would add value to the project for me to do a 1-3 page paper on global warming itself or would it just be a waste of time?

[donnahardy2]

Hi Googleguru,

Yes, actually, your bleep of data analysis is good. Your graphs should be very similar because you were averaging summer and winter temperatures, but if there was a change over time, you would see it in your results. I'm glad that you went ahead and did the graphs.

Yes, you should write up bleep on global warming. If you are doing a backboard, you would put this in the background section after the question and hypothesis. This explains why you were doing the project, and gives the science behind your project. If you can, you should include 2-3 scientific references on the subject.

After the background section, you should describe your bleep of analysis. Explain where you obtained your data and how you calculated the averages to obtain the data points for your graphs.

Now, what were your results? Do your graphs show any trend to global warming? After your graphs, you need to have a conclusion and discussion section and provide an interpretation for your results.

You are almost done! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Donna Hardy