Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi! I'm Sydney [text removed by moderator], and I'm wondering about a science project I'm planning on doing. This year I'm going to 8th grade, and since I'm taking Science Grade 8 - Honors/AP, we are required to do a science fair project. Since its summer, my mom wants me to go ahead and prepare a science fair project. The two topics I have so far is about Which Paper Towel Best Absorbs Water, and the Growth of a Plant Using 3 Different Types of Soil. I don't know which is best for an 8th grade level, but pls post your opinion! The document below is what I have so far for Topic #2 'Growth of a Plant Using 3 different Types of Soil'. Thank u tons!

Hi Sydney,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the forum. First, for Internet safety reasons, I've removed your last name from your post to remove the possibility of anyone finding out any personal information on you.

Now on to your questions. Which you choose is not as important. The key is that at your grade level and AP as well will be the sophistication of the experiment and the strict adherence to the scientific process. The idea is to advance our knowledge of the physical process you are exploring. For example, what property of the paper towels seems to enable it to absorb more or what percentage of nitrogen in soil is best vs just which of these products works best? If I was your teacher, I'd want to know why they work the best.

If you see what I mean, these answer deeper questions about the physical processes at work and require a much greater level of control of your variables which will fit your grade and class level much better.

Ok... I think I understand what you're saying. Do you mean that I should record WHY a certain type of paper towel had the most absorbance, or WHY a certain soil type is best for a plant? If so, I think this would be best to do after my experiment, so I could do more research, and record my answers so that my teacher can understand the reason for this to occur.
Btw, this is my other science fair document. (It's not finished yet) Thank You!

Hello sqtn_swag,

I see that an expert has given you some excellent advice but then maybe didn't see your follow-up question. I would say, yes, you will need to get the results of your experiments, and then write a discussion about what you found, and add some suggestions as to why you think you got those results!

Please be sure to let us know if you have additional questions about these two experiments!
Madeline B

All right, I think I will do just that. Thank You!