Where did you get this information from??? Make sure to put your source in your bibilography!!!!
Remember, write in the third person and not the first person!!!
- Do you have any questions about the experiment?? If so, answer them here.
- How do your results compare to what you predicted in your hypothesis
- When you make these comparisons, make sure to explicitly make reference to your data (be it table, data, or observations) - i.e. in your results section
- It is ok if your results do not match your hypothesis - this is science, this happens --> the point is that you then try to explain why your results are different; how can you do this???
- How can your results be useful (maybe relate your results to what you said in your introduction).
- Were there any weaknesses in your experimental design? are there any possible sources of error?
- based on this knowledge, how could you make the experiment better? What further experiments could be considered based on the results you obtained here?
Title
Here you can be creative and descriptive, but it is important that you also say what the experiment is about.
For example:
"Drop time: An experimental investigation of how body mass and parachute material impact on the time it takes for a parachute to fall to the ground"
Introduction (1)
Introduction (2)
Some background information (you need provide more detail than I am providing here):
- well now you need to write your introduction and, importantly, put it in some sort of order.
- so do you need to include all the different parts of information that were shown in the first section - NO you do not.
- what you need to think about is the information that is relevant to what you are doing in your investigation
- work out how it relates to the variables you are using in your investigation so you can make the link between this background information and what you are doing
- What you do need to do is make sure that you highlight this link between your background and your work
- What you also need to do is to indicate, somewhat broadly, what is involved in your investigation.
- let's look at the history - da Vinci sketched out his idea, but it was later tested by someone else - show pictures if you can (but make sure to refer to them in your introduction...ask me how)
- so how does a parachute work - describe how it works in general, i.e. what about the parachute allows it to slow objects down
- what types of parachutes are used?? - what is different about them --> in what different situations are they used - has this changed over time?? e.g. the introduction of parafoils
- where, and by whom, are parachutes used - why are they used by these groups/for particular reasons: e.g. why does the military use parachutes? why do civilians use them? why does were parachutes used on the shuttle?
Aim
So why are you doing this experiment?
What are you looking to find out in your investigation.
Remember it is not what you expect to happen.
i.e., your aim is to ascertain what impact your variable has on the drop time of your parachute - not to predict what is going to happen.
Hypothesis
So what do you think will happen in your experiment??
If one of your variables is, e.g.:
- the size of the parachute - what do you expect to happen when you change the parachute size? do you expect the drop time to increase or decrease?
- if the mass of the object (i.e. the body on the end of the parachute) increases - what impact do you expect this to have on the parachute drop time
Here is the point where you make your prediction as to what you think will happen in your experiment
Safety
Think about what safety aspects that you need to consider for this experiment, e.g.:
- if you were dropping your parachute from a position where lots of people were below you, what should you consider?
- so how do you make sure your experiment safe?
Materials
Make a list of what you use in your experiment
- here you need to make sure you include, if relevant, dimensions of pieces of equipment - e.g. how long are your lengths of string you used?
How else can you present your materials list:
- you can use a photo of your parachute and label it
- you can make a scientific drawing of your parachute and label it
Method
What do you need to include here:
- describe your experiment
- do it in step format
- do it in such a way that someone else could take your instructions and do the same experiment as you
- it should be 'fair'
- only one factor is being tested (i.e. the one in your hypothesis) --> you want your test to either support or contradict your hypothesis
Results
what can you include here??
Your DATA:
- this can be observational - i.e. qualitative (descriptive)
- this can be in the form of measurements - i.e. quantitative (numbers - include appropriate units)
How can you SHOW you data:
- your want to show your data in a way that makes it easy for the reader to interpret the data.
- For example if we are talking about an observation you can describe what you observe, but you could also include a photo (or a drawing) to help show what you mean
- what about if your data is qualitative??
Discussion
This is where you talk about your experiment