Need Help With Starting Experiment

[hennygrr]

I am considering doing this project:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p034.shtml
I need help on how to start. I understand the overview but I have no ideas on how to actually complete the project.
Any help please?

I was also considering doing this project:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ml#summary
But I would also need some assistance on starting and carrying out a procedure

Thank You so much!

[ivyh]

Hi, welcome to science buddies!

Since both of the projects you picked are abbreviated, there's a lot of room for modification and creativity when planning your course of action. It would be very helpful if you could think of a hypothesis that sounds interesting to you in regards to either of these topics.

For example, if you choose to work on the topic of sand beaches, you can formulate a hypothesis about how man-made sand beaches affect the balance of life in the intertidal zone for creatures that are accustomed to living by a rocky beach. There are several ways to test this, one of them being making a model water table, as suggested in the project brief.

If you choose to work on sustainable fishing, you could easily survey local grocery stores and note which types of fish they offer and cross-check your list with the information supplied on this website:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/S ... sheet.aspx
The page suggests you do molecular studies on the fish to confirm their identity, but if that is unavailable to you, you can always identify them yourself. While it's easy to look at a fish and assume it is like any other, it is really not difficult to discern between them if you are familiar with the types. When in doubt, use a dichotomous key!

If you need any more help, let me know.

[hennygrr]

Thank you so much for your advice!
I think that I am going to go with the Sandy Beaches and Reef Disturbance Project.
My hypothesis will be something like;
If I test the affect of sand on organisms that are used to living in a rocky environment, then I will find that the organisms will .....
I am still not sure on the procedure - it sounds to simple to just use a water table and put sand in it and observe what happens to the organisms.
If you have any ideas can you please let me know?
Thank You so Much!

[ivyh]

When constructing the water table, I would first fill it with gravel or small rocks (depending on the size of your display) and then cover it up with sand and see how the sand moves through the table you have set up. From there, you can speculate which organisms would be most affected by the addition of sand in their environment. It may be helpful to look up some organisms that commonly live in the intertidal zones of rocky beaches. You can see how they are specifically adapted to handle the rocky coast and how the sand may change their normal ways of life.