Project Guides (Page 9)

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To ensure the safety of students and other people they may be working with, many fairs require pre-approval of projects involving the interviewing, surveying, or physical testing of other people. The following summary is intended as a guide to help you determine whether your intended project involving human subjects would be subject to such pre-approval when participating in a fair that follows the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) rules. Often school science fairs… Read more

Resistor Color Codes

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Resistors are small electronic parts that resist the flow of electrical current. Resistors have many uses, and you can find them in many Science Buddies electronics projects. A resistor's amount of opposition to the flow of current is called its resistance. Resistance is measured in ohms, abbreviated Ω (the capital Greek letter Omega). Resistance may have a metric prefix, for example kilo-ohms (kΩ). One kilo-ohm is equal to 1,000 ohms. The resistance value is… Read more

Roadmap: How to Get Started on an Advanced Science Project

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Introduction An advanced science project is science research where you produce a novel scientific contribution. It can come in the form of either new data that helps address an open question in a particular scientific field, or a new technique that improves upon methods currently being used in a scientific field. Advanced science projects can also be done in the engineering field (see sidebar). Most advanced science projects are undertaken with the goal of competing at a top science competition… Read more

Sample Bibliography: MLA Works Cited Format

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"Battery." Encyclopedia Britannica. 1990. "Best Batteries." Consumer Reports Magazine 32 Dec. 1994: 71-72. Booth, Steven A. "High-Drain Alkaline AA-Batteries." Popular Electronics 62 Jan. 1999: 58. Brain, Marshall. "How Batteries Work." howstuffworks. 1 Aug. 2006 <http://home.howstuffworks.com /battery.htm>. "Cells and Batteries." The DK Science Encyclopedia. 1993. Dell, R. M., and D. A. J.… Read more

Sample Conclusions

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Results According to my experiments, the Energizer maintained its voltage (dependent variable) for approximately a 3% longer period of time (independent variable) than Duracell in a low current drain device. For a medium drain device, the Energizer maintained its voltage for approximately 10% longer than Duracell. For a high drain device, the Energizer maintained its voltage for approximately 29% longer than Duracell. Basically, the Energizer performs with increasing superiority, the higher… Read more

Sample Materials List & Experimental Procedure

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Materials List CD player & a CD (low drain device) Three identical flashlights (medium drain device) Camera flash (high drain device) AA size Duracell and Energizer batteries AA size of a "heavy-duty" (non-alkaline) battery (I used Panasonic) Voltmeter & a AA battery holder Kitchen timer Read more

Sample Variables & Hypothesis

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Question How does the voltage of an AA battery change over time when used in low, medium, and high current drain devices? Hypothesis If I use a AA battery in any current-draining device, then the voltage of the battery will drop over time. If I perform this test in low, medium, and high current drain devices, then the rate of voltage drop will be slowest in the low current drain device and fastest in the high current drain device. There are two parts of this hypothesis, and thus two… Read more

Science Fair Judging

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How to Prepare for Your Science by Amber Hess For some science fairs you will actually have a chance to meet and speak with the judges. If you prepare for these interviews, they're a great opportunity to create a positive impression of your work. The Details Preparing for the Science Fair Judging— Practice Makes Perfect! If you can communicate your science fair project well, you maximize your chances of winning. Write up a short "speech" (about 2–5 minutes long) summarizing… Read more

Scientific Review Committee (SRC)

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What is SRC? Many science fairs have a group of people called a Scientific Review Committee (or SRC) that reviews each project application to ensure that all safety and legal requirements will be met and that the appropriate forms have been completed. The committee also reviews the completed project displays. Typically, a Scientific Review Committee is composed of at least three people: a biomedical scientist, a physical scientist, and a science teacher. Some fairs also have an Institutional… Read more

Scratch User Guide: Installing & Getting Started with Scratch

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Overview Scratch is a free, easy-to-use programming language from MIT that you can use to make all sorts of animated stories, art, music, and even interactive games. The modern version of Scratch runs directly in a web browser, so you do not need to download or install anything to use it. You can access it at Scratch. If you want to use Scratch without an internet connection, you can download the offline editor. Older versions of Scratch are still available for download. The instructions below… Read more

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