| A science fair project is a student directed scientific | | | | science fair project. In order to collect data the student |
| study. The student has complete control over their | | | | will need to run their experiments multiple times. The |
| project and complete control over the quality of their | | | | data that is collected needs to be complete and |
| results. What is so intriguing about science fair projects | | | | accurate. This means that students will need to use |
| is that they serve multiple functions. They inspire | | | | the proper measurement tools and techniques. To |
| students to be innovative, they educate students about | | | | keep the data organized that is collected, students are |
| the scientific method and they excite students about | | | | encouraged to set up spreadsheets and tables. |
| science. So what exactly makes up a science fair | | | | Analyze Data |
| project? The answer can be found in the following | | | | The analysis of data is another part of a science fair |
| steps. | | | | project. The analysis process will involve the use of |
| Find a Topic | | | | basic statistics like averages, means, modes and |
| The first thing that a science fair project is, is an | | | | medians. Standard deviations can also be used. When |
| exploration of a specific science topic. This topic can | | | | analyzing data it can be helpful to take advantage of |
| be related to anything that interests the student. Topics | | | | data analysis tools offered by spreadsheet software |
| can be found by paging through textbooks and | | | | programs. |
| magazines, watching science news stories or by | | | | Draw Conclusions |
| creating a list of things that you are interested in. | | | | After the analysis of data is completed conclusions |
| Develop a Hypothesis | | | | needs to be drawn. The conclusions of a science fair |
| After a topic has been selected the student needs to | | | | project will usually start with the affirmation or the |
| develop a hyptohesis. The hypothesis is a prediction | | | | negation of the original hypothesis. The student can |
| that relates to the topic that was selected. It needs to | | | | then go on to list the other relationships and information |
| focus on one independent variable and one dependent | | | | that were discovered. |
| variable. If the topic is extremely complex then several | | | | Written Report |
| hypotheses can be developed. Each hypothesis will | | | | One of the most time consuming elements of a |
| focus on only onle set of variables. The hypothesis is | | | | science fair project is the written report. The report |
| the foundation of the science fair project. | | | | needs to summarize all of the work that the student |
| Design an Experiment | | | | has completed. The report will follow the steps in the |
| An experiment is another fundamental part of a | | | | scientific method and it will present the data that was |
| science fair project. The experiment has one role, to | | | | collected in tables and graphs. |
| test the hypothesis. In order to test the hypothesis | | | | Display Board |
| effectively it will need to isolate the variable being | | | | The final component of a science fair project is the |
| tested. It is important to include a control experiment in | | | | display board. The display board is what the judges will |
| the design of your overall experiment setup. The | | | | use to score the project. It needs to contain all of the |
| control experiment will be used to establish a baseline | | | | information found in the written report in easy to digest |
| of data for comparison. | | | | visual panels. It is a good idea to include both graphic |
| Collect Data | | | | and text panels on a display board. |
| Data collection is one of the more exciting parts of a | | | | |