Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi there,

I'm working on a project that is essentially "studying" the effects of Tylenol and Echinacea on the function of bile. And I have completed my tests where I got some really good results that matched my hypothesis. But, thing is, my results are mostly qualitative measures... I'm sure scientists like to see numbers, and so I do have the changing pH levels, and the reaction times, but I'm not sure if this is enough for my project... If my project is entered as a "study" (not as an experiment) then what are the requirements for that?

Thanks,
A-red

Hi,

This sounds like something you will need to ask your teacher. Different science fairs have different rules, and we don't know what all of those rules are.

That said, it is often possible to turn qualitative data into quantitative data. For example, if you rated something from 'best' to 'worst', you could give it a rank instead--1 = best, 5 = worst, or whatever.

Hope this helps!

What sort of observations do you have? did you take photographs? Looking forward to hearing more,
Chris

Hi there,

Thanks for the quick replies!! I took pictures of the bile without oil, and then with oil. You can easily see the differences in the colour of bile after adding Tylenol or Echinacea, and also what the different biles looked like when 3 drops of oil were added to each. I also measured the pH levels of the bile before and after each reaction, and I timed the reactions. Are these observations enough or should I have more, even if this is simply a study?

Thanks,
A-red

I think those observations are great--but if you want something more, one thing you could do is take the pictures to a hardware store that has paint samples and compare the photos to the paint colors; you may be able to make a scale using the variation in paint colors.

Another possibility would be to quantify your colors on the RGB scale. This can be easily done for digital photos with a variety of tools. One simple possibility is colorzilla
http://www.colorzilla.com/
Depending on the type of color change observed, there are other possibilities. If you can post your photos here, we might be able to come up with more specific ideas.

Also, I don't see any reason to categorize your project as a "study" that somehow has less challenging criteria than an "experiment". You did complete an experiment, complete with hypothesis, laboratory procedures, results, and conclusions. Numbers are not always the best way to go. If you have photos that tell a certain story, the photos in themselves may be an important result that does not require quantification. Trying to convert a photo into numbers might not inform your audience any better than the photo itself. On the other hand, if certain quantitative interpretation of photos would improve your results section, you can probably get those quantities. Why give people the impression that your project is somehow less rigorous than other projects? Your ideas and enthusiasm are more important than how many numbers appear in your results section. That's my 2 cents.

Good luck,
Chris

Hi there,

I just wanted to thank all of you, for your suggestions on how to improve my qualitative results!! With your help, I've been able to make it my city's District Science Fair!! So now I'm going to work on my project to make it stronger, and so that I can easily classify it as an experiment.

Thanks again,
A-red

P.S. I'm going to be posting my questions in the Gr. 9-12 Life Sciences Section from now on... Thanks!