Confused with Science Fair ideas-Help, ASAP!

[SciFi1]

Dear Expert(s),
I have chosen a few Science Fair ideas to work with, but I'm not sure about which one I should work with. I want to do a project relating to the life sciences, but I also want the experiment a few days, or shorter, to complete. However, I also want to work on a project that is at a higher level, and is completed thoroughly. Please acknowledge that I don't have access to a laboratory/laboratory equipment. Here are some of the ideas I might work with regarding my conditions mentioned above:
a)Comparing the effects of antibiotics on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.*
*I don't have access to a laboratory, though.
b)How Boyle's law and phonation (speech) are interconnected.*
*I'm not sure about how to do a thorough experimentation on that.
c)How Fast Does an Alka-Seltzer® Tablet Make Gas? + Can You Change the Rate of a Chemical Reaction by Changing the Particle Size of the Reactants?=
Can an antacid tablet like Tums or Alka-seltzer be used to protect soils from acid rain?*
*I was thinking of performing all three of these experiments for my Science Fair project. However, I'm not sure if that will work very well. Also, I'm not sure
about whether these ideas are even interconnected, and I'm not sure about how to conduct the experiment on checking if an antacid tablet can be used to
protect soils from acid rain.
d)Which is good for performing well: focusing very hard, or being relaxed?*
*I'm not sure about how to complete a thorough experiment on this idea.
e)Turmeric milk- It smells and tastes bad, but does it work? Does it contain bacteria?*
*I'm not sure if I will simply find my answer just by researching it, the idea sounds simple, and I'm not sure on how to conduct the experiment, thoroughly.
f)How does 7up with salt treat stomach aches? Doesn’t it contain CO2? How does salt get rid of the bubbles?*
*This seems a little basic, I might be able to find the answer to this question by researching, and I'm not sure about how to complete the experiment.
g)Solubility of gases in liquids*
*This is not a narrowed objective, but I was simply considering it.
As you can see, I'm having difficulties with choosing my Science Fair idea. I'm also on a fast-approaching deadline. I'm looking for an experiment that is I can understand by doing adequate research (i.e.not something where I have to learn about the brain and specific neurotransmitters), an experiment that is thorough and can be repeated several times, and where the experiment is easy enough to complete with household items (I like to work with food and mixtures). Please give me some input regarding choosing the idea from the list above, and aknowledge my conditions. Also, when you've chosen an idea that may be suitable for me, can you please give me the thorough procedure for the experiment? I would really appreciate your input. PLEASE POST REPLIES, ASAP!
Any type of help would be really appreciated.
Thank you.
P.S. Sorry for writing such a long message.
P.P.S. If you were wondering, I've decided not to do a project on thoughts and DNA (like it says on my profile) because it's too complicated.

[deleted-71447]

Hi SciFi,
Welcome to the Ask an Expert forum. Thanks for your very thorough and detailed explanation of your problem. It seems as though you have started to answer some of these questions yourself. Many of the topics you've suggested are very general, and if you want to continue with them you will need to spend some time to think about more specific questions within the broader topic. I also agree with you that some of the topics (e.g. effects of 7-up on stomach aches) would be very difficult to test. The alka seltzer project seems the most straight-forward. If you were going to attempt that topic, I would not recommend trying to answer all three questions - Just choose one and start from there.

All that said, it's not advisable to ask a group of experts which broad topic you should choose, because you should choose the topic that interests you the most. If you follow your own curiosity, you'll learn more, enjoy the experience more, and probably do better than if you follow another person's advice about what topic to explore.

If you are still not sure, I would recommend looking at the Science Buddies suggestions for science fair projects.
http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... deas.shtml
This might give you some good ideas of topics that are interesting to you. Once you have settled on a particular topic, the experts here are generally quite good at assisting with experimental design, data analysis, etc.

Looking forward to hearing more,
Chris

[SciFi1]

Thanks for your reply. Actually, I think I want to pursue the project about if an antacid tablet like Tums or Alka-Seltzer can be used to protect soils from acid rain. This idea has more relevance to the environment, and that's where most of the marks for my Science Fair project is going in. I think I should start researching on antacid tablets. By the way, if I were to conduct an experiment on this idea, would I need access to laboratory equipment? Also, I'm not sure on how to conduct the experiment. I would gladly consider any other suggestions and input, as well. Also, what would be the variables of this experiment?
Please reply,ASAP.
Thank you.

[deleted-71447]

Hi SciFi,
In addition to acid rain, problems associated with acidity in soils are also caused by drainage from mine tailings and applications of ammonium fertilizer and other chemicals. If you are going to investigate how to control the affects of acidity on soil, you might want to consider these other possible sources of acidity.
Here is a source of some general info about soil acidification:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_acidification
Here is some info on the contents of antacid tablets:
http://icn2.umeche.maine.edu/genchemlab ... tacid2.htm
One possible approach would be to build "soil columns" in clear plastic tubes and to add acidic water at the soil surface. The exact variables to be tested are up to you. You could vary the type of soil, the amount of antacid, the type of antacid (or antacid components), the growth rate of plants, and many other things. There is quite a large body of research on these sorts of topics. Usually, scientists test the effects of specific elements or compounds that would be contained in antacid tablets, and you might want to consider doing this yourself.

This sort of study does not necessarily require expensive equipment, but a pH meter and conductivity meter would be very helpful. A laboratory is not required, but of course it never hurts to work in a research lab with high quality equipment and other resources.

Chris

[SciFi1]

Thank you so much, Chris! As of now, I'm going to start researching on this question because I'm not very familiar with the subject. However, I was wondering a few things. Would a red cabbage pH indicator solution be good enough for measuring the pH? Also, is a conductivity meter the same as a pH meter? Also, how would I test the specific elements or compounds that would be contained in the antacid tablets? Should I grind the tablet, put it inside a test tube, and add a few drops of sulphuric acid? Please reply, ASAP.
Thanks for your help!

[deleted-71447]

Hi SciFi,
You're welcome. I'm glad to help.

Would a red cabbage pH indicator solution be good enough for measuring the pH?

You should use as precise and reliable a method of measurement as possible. If red cabbage pH indicator is the best that you have, that's fine. If you can use a more sensitive pH paper, great. If you can use a pH meter, even better.

Also, is a conductivity meter the same as a pH meter?

No. I should have said "electrical conductivity meter", which is an instrument that measures the electrical conductivity of a solution. The electrical conductivity of a solution is often used to give an approximation of the concentration of dissolved solids in the solution. A pH meter measures pH which is, for our purposes, the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution.

Also, how would I test the specific elements or compounds that would be contained in the antacid tablets?

The easiest approach would be to read the packaging and see what active ingredients are included. However, packaging is not always reliable, because there may be ingredients that would effect your results that are not listed on the packaging. So, you might want to use a different approach, such as using agricultural chemicals that are manufactured specifically for soil applications. For example, many farmers apply dolomite or limestone. It is antacid for the soil, instead of for the stomach. More info is available here:
http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/acidity2_review.html

[SciFi1]

"The easiest approach would be to read the packaging and see what active ingredients are included. However, packaging is not always reliable, because there may be ingredients that would effect your results that are not listed on the packaging. So, you might want to use a different approach, such as using agricultural chemicals that are manufactured specifically for soil applications. For example, many farmers apply dolomite or limestone. It is antacid for the soil, instead of for the stomach."

Hello,
I'm not sure if I understood what you meant by this. Did you mean that instead of using an antacid tablet, I should use dolomitic limestone or chalk? Will that take a long time for the soil pH to neutralize? Also, I should've asked earlier, but do you think that this project would be appropriate for a grade 9/10 student?
Please reply,ASAP.
Thank you.

[deleted-71447]

Did you mean that instead of using an antacid tablet, I should use dolomitic limestone or chalk?

It is really up to you, but, yes, that is what I would do. I think some people will have a hard time seeing the practical or scientific importance of antacid tablets in soil, because other chemicals are already widely used for the same purpose.

Will that take a long time for the soil pH to neutralize?

That depends on the chemicals that you use. Dolomite typically reacts more slowly with acid than calcite. Also, large granules will be less reactive than a fine powder.

Also, I should've asked earlier, but do you think that this project would be appropriate for a grade 9/10 student?

Definitely. This is an experiment that you can make as easy or as challenging as you want. If it seems too easy, let me know and we can look for some different angles to explore.

Chris

[SciFi1]

Hello.
While searching for science fair topics, I realized that this idea was common. I don't think I really want to create a project based on this idea, anymore. Maybe, I can work on something related to this idea, like you said. I was thinking of creating a project that can address resolutions to real-world problems; I wanted to make some small "discovery." Now, I'm really having trouble finding an idea. Also, I've checked some ideas on the Science Buddies website, but they don't really work for me. I've checked some on-line Science articles, as well, but they address a complex issue. I'm trying to think of something that I am curious about, but the questions are too basic, or too hard to actually measure. I like to work with projects that include pH, chemicals, acids and bases, a bit of math, and working with real things (i.e.fermentation of yeast). I have come up with a few more ideas that are listed below. Can you suggest which ones may be interesting, and possible to do without a laboratory?
a) How would a star smaller than the Sun freeze the Earth, and how would a star bigger than the Sun scorch the Earth?
b)How does early exposure to music stimulate brain development?
c)When you apply oil to your skin, does that add more body fat to your body?
d)I found in an e-mail that drinking cold water after a meal can solidify the oily foods that you consumed.Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer.*
*Is it possible to conduct an experiment on this? This idea seemed interesting.
e)Last year, I did an experiment on what the ideal temperature for baker's yeast growth was. It was a good experiment. Do you have any suggestions of current issues that may deal with baker's yeast?
That's all I have for now. Please give me any suggestions. I would really appreciate it.
Please reply, ASAP.
Thank you.

[MelissaB]

Hi,

If you think the idea of drinking cold water after eating oily food is interesting, I think you should go for that. Obviously you will not be able to actually measure absorption rates across intestines, but you can still mix cold/warm/hot water with oily foods, put the resulting mixtures in acid (NOTE: BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WORKING WITH CONCENTRATED ACID, AND ONLY DO SO WITH A TEACHER'S SUPERVISION AND PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT/PROCEDURES), and observe the results. Perhaps you could measure the amount of time it takes for the mixtures to dissolve? Did the e-mail you read actually contain a link to a scientific paper (I doubt it, most e-mails like this are scams or simply someone's idea of a joke)? If so, you should get it and see what procedure they used.

[SciFi1]

No, the e-mail was sent by my cousin. The e-mail doesn't have any scientific link attached to it. Do you think that this project will do well at a school science fair?

[MelissaB]

I think so--it is original and you seem to be interested in it.

[SciFi1]

What are the current scientific issues that are affecting the world? Also,with my previous idea about whether antacid tablets be used to protect soils from acid rain, is there another idea that is similar to this concept?

[deleted-71447]

Hi SciFi,
We discussed several ideas, so I'm not sure which one you think is common, or why that is a problem at this early stage. If you do some background research on previous science fair projects and the field in general, you can build on what has already been done and narrow the topic to one that few people (or none) have explored. Of course, if you are just not interested in that topic, that's a good reason to look elsewhere.

There are many, many experiments related to acid neutralization in chemistry, biology and earth sciences. If you pursue the project on drinking cold water and fatty foods, you should read up on the process of digestion, especially digestion of fat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestion
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/
"The first step in digestion of a fat such as butter is to dissolve it into the watery content of the intestinal cavity. The bile acids produced by the liver act as natural detergents to dissolve fat in water and allow the enzymes to break the large fat molecules into smaller molecules, some of which are fatty acids and cholesterol."
If you pursue that project, you ought to consider working with bile in addition to, or instead of, acid.
Chris

[SciFi1]

Hello.
I found a science fair project on multitasking on the Science Buddies website. The idea appealed to me. To conduct the experiment with precise results, how many participants would I need? I noticed that the website mentioned that I would need to test 500 random people to obtain accurate results. However, this is very difficult to do, especially by testing strangers. Would my results remain accurate if I tested 5 people from different age groups? Would I have to choose 5 random people?
Please reply, ASAP.
Thank you.

[deleted-71447]

Hi SciFi,
Are you talking about this project?
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p022.shtml
I don't see any reference to a sample size of 500. Maybe that was from this page?
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... ants.shtml
Five people is probably not enough, even if they are totally random. Whether your results would be meaningful would depend on how large a difference you saw between your two groups. Smaller differences require larger numbers of samples to be significant.

You are doing a great job of exploring alternative project ideas. Have you settled on this topic as your final choice for a science fair project? If not, I recommend that you not spend too much more time deliberating. Please keep in mind that any worthwhile topic you choose will have challenges and difficulties. I do always recommend that students choose a project that is appropriate and interesting for them, but at some point, you've just got to get the job done.

[SciFi1]

Hello.
Thank you for your reply. Yes, this is the project that I've decided to work with since I've already notified my teacher. I think the idea of this project is quite interesting to discover. In accordance to this project, how many project do you think might be enough to test for this project to result with accurate results? Can you recommend me an exact quantity of people? I was thinking of testing people with addition questions. I was planning to test the age groups listed below. Can you please let me know if these age groups are varied,will give me interesting,sufficient, and accurate data to convey, and how many people I should test in each age group? Any other comment/suggestions would also be greatly appreciated.
1) Adults between 25-40 years of age
2)Children between 8-14 years of age
3)Teenagers between 15-17 years of age

Thanks for your help!

[deleted-71447]

I would go with the recommended minimum sample size on the project description, which is 10+ people. If you are going to do multiple groups, you'll probably want 10+ people per group. Of course, the more people you can test, the more likely you'll be able to show a significant difference.

[SciFi1]

Okay, that's great! Thanks for your help!

[deleted-71447]

You're welcome. I'm looking forward to hearing how the experiment goes.

[SciFi1]

Hi.
I was wondering if my test subjects are allowed to use calculators to complete their tests?
Please reply, ASAP!
Thank you.

[deleted-71536]

Hi SciFi,

Since the point of the experiment is to see how distractions affect people's concentration, you want your subjects to concentrate on their test. The idea is to give them a simple math test in which they will have to think to solve the problems. Using a calculator on a simple math test will take a lot of the concentration out of it! You can administer your test however you want, but I would suggest not allowing the use of calculators. Having your subjects do addition without a calculator will demand enough concentration that you should see measurable differences in performance with other distractions.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Cheers,
Heather

[SciFi1]

I was marking the tests done by children when I noticed that a lot of the questions were left unanswered. Also, the group of children wrote in the same timings! What do I do now? The deadline of my science fair project is approaching very fast (I was given an extension, but now that's arriving very soon)! However, the children gave me good insight to how they felt between the first test and the second test. Will the incompletion of the math questions affect my results? Can you please give me feedback and support as to how to solve this source of error? I was thinking of performing this test with children in their classroom during school, after seeking permission from their teacher, of course. Is there another way of solving this problem, though?

Please reply, ASAP!

Thank you very much, I genuinely appreciate the help!

[deleted-71447]

So the main problems are that (1) you are not sure how to handle unanswered questions and (2) "the group of children wrote in the same timings". Right?

For #1, I suggest grading these tests just like a teacher would grade them. You might want to ask a math teacher how they would assign points to these tests. Usually, if an answer is left blank, teachers give 0 credit. Other considerations in scoring the tests are that some teachers give partial credit for partially correct answers (while others do not), and more difficult questions are usually worth more points. Rather than just assigning a single score to each test (for example, 90 out of 100) it might be more interesting and challenging to look at the different types of responses, for example: correct answers, incorrect answers, and questions left blank.

For #2, I'm not sure what you mean. What were the "timings"?

Don't worry. It sounds like you have done a very nice experiment and you will have a lot to show for it.

[SciFi1]

The children wrote that they started from 2:00-2: 15 PM.

Thanks for your help!

Please reply, ASAP!

[deleted-71447]

OK. Why is that a problem? I haven't seen your procedure, so I don't know what you expected to get as responses, or what you plan to do with those times.
Thanks,
Chris

[SciFi1]

The procedure states that I'm supposed to allow the students to take all the time that they need in order to complete the tests. I followed this procedure while I was testing the young adults and adults. However, in order to satisfy the childrens' parents, I had to play a recorded classical song for the first test, and test the children with the equivalent time span for the test in which the students completed without listening to any music. Since I am comparing the effect of age on multitasking, the procedure stated that I have to calculate the total time it took for each of the age groups in completing both of their tests. Because I did not follow the procedure properly while testing the children, wouldn't this procedure affect my overall findings? However, I also noticed that the children were not able to answer several questions that involved the use of decimals, and when the children attempted them, a majority of the children got those questions wrong. Regarding this observation, do you still think that the method in which I used while testing the children would affect my overall results?

Please reply, ASAP.

Thank you, I greatly appreciate the help.

[deleted-2131]

SciFi 1,

It is very unlikely that your results would be anywhere near accurate if you only tested 5 people. Because people are all so very different, when you are doing an experiment or survey involving people it is necessary to get data from many, many people. It is also important that the people you get data from are randomly selected from within your sample population so that you don't introduce any systematic bias.

Let me know if this makes sense and if you have any further question.

[SciFi1]

Ref.: My previous post.
Actually, I tested more than ten people from each category. I even tested people who I am not very familiar with, as well. As stated in my previous post, my problem is that I tested the children by following a procedure different from the procedure I used in testing the young adults and adults. Will this harm my overall results, in any way?

Please reply, ASAP!!

Thank you.

[Louise]

Ref.: My previous post.
Actually, I tested more than ten people from each category. I even tested people who I am not very familiar with, as well. As stated in my previous post, my problem is that I tested the children by following a procedure different from the procedure I used in testing the young adults and adults. Will this harm my overall results, in any way?

Please reply, ASAP!!

Thank you.

You cannot compare the experiments if you used procedures. In this case, the change you made was massive-you fixed the time to take the test instead of letting it be as much time as needed. You should discard this trial (youngest children) and only use the other two.

Louise