Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am an advanced grade 7 student who would like to do a project involving using solar energy to heat up a geyser system. Within my project I shall use different materials (such as foil, black paper, cling wrap a control ect.) while have created a simple watersytem for a household to see which will help heat up the water best using solar energy. I can coil a hosepipe on a piece of wood and put the 2 ends in a bucket of water. Using a pump the water will be pumped through and will pour back into the bucket. This will be repeated for each material. Why I have choosen this project is because green is in and because it can genuinely help households. I need help on how to conduct it and write it out. Do you have any suggestions? What materials should I test? Is it suitable? Where else can I get sources of information. We have begun work and could i please recieve feedback as soon as possible.

Hi,
That sounds like a great idea for a project! It seems like you already have a good plan.
For the basics of doing a science fair project, you might want to take a quick look at the science project guide as it goes through all of the basics of a great science project. Here is the link https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ndex.shtml.
While your project is definitely a little more involved, this similar project might give you some ideas https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ml#summary. I think foil and black paper are both great ideas! You could also try black trash bags like in the other project of maybe even white paper so you can see how much of a difference the color makes. While cling wrap might work as a control, it seems like your setup would work without any covering which would be even better.
There are a few sources for information on the other project and lots of info on how to conduct background research in the project guide. If you are really up for a challenge, you could also try looking at journal articles using google scholar or a database through your school or local library.
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!
Katie