Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My son is going to do his science fair project on Rainbow Fire, but I'm concerned that the material might be way too advanced (he is in 8th grade), but Quantum Physics is difficult. He doesn't have a hypothesis yet and the suggestion in the Science Buddies experiment is way over his head. Any suggestions are most appreciated. Thanks!

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IMO: You don't have to go into any "quantum physics" aspects to do a Science Fair project in this idea area.

Sorry to ask more questions, but a lot of science is figuring out the right questions to ask and then coming up with an experiment that has a chance of proving or disproving a guess (hypothesis).

Why was your son interested in this idea? Is he interested in chemistry? Does he understand that every specific chemical compound molecule is made up of some specific combination of chemical atoms? Is he interested in light? Does he understand the visible light color spectrum and wavelength? Did he do any research (reading) on flame spectroscopy as a means of chemical analysis? Has he looked up the chemical formulas for each of the propsed test chemicals? Has he researched the oxidation reaction of each of these test chemicals?

A scientific hypothesis is supposed to be an educated guess or prediction. To make an educated guess, you need to educate yourself on as many related aspects as you can.

Hi Craig - thanks for responding. My son liked the video that demonstrated the colored fire and he is a boy scout, so he thought it would be neat to explore. He likes doing chemistry, not so much the research. RE: Does he understand that every specific chemical compound molecule is made up of some specific combination of chemical atoms? Yes (this is probably where his hypothesis will form). Yes, he is interested in light. He does not yet know about the visible light color spectrum and wavelength. He has just started to do research on flame spectroscopy as a means of chemical analysis. He will look up the chemical formulas for each of the proposed test chemicals. He has not yet researched the oxidation reaction of each of these test chemicals. Your questions are pertinent and I thank you for sharing your expertise.

Hello Ronikrugs,

I happen to have recently done this experiment just a few months ago.
My experiment was based on research so it became a very informative
project. My hypothesis was: Do specific elements create certain flame colors?
Of course, I had to prove my hypothesis correct so that is where the
research came into play.

I hope this helped!
Danalynn (:

Hi Danalynn,

Thanks so much for posting - Your hypothesis question is perfect

@dlynn8

But how would you prove your hypothesis to be correct while doing the experiment? Because if you do the experiment, of course it will show that when you burn different metals it will result in different flame colors, so wouldn't that just be it? Wouldn't the project be already completed if you just proved your hypothesis?

Please reply!

Hi CheesyPandas15,

I'm not sure whether the people who made this post originally are still active on the forums. I'm in the process of responding to your questions on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=14819. So, check there in a few minutes and you will have some answers.