Introduction and Procedure Requirements

PART 2: Introduction

Background Research
  • Detailed description and catchy title
  • Significance of the project or what makes it compelling to many people.
  • Two pages of written summary of relevant background research.
  • Works referenced must be cited.
Question, Hypothesis & Variables
  • Question very prominently stated: “How does ____ affect____”, or “if ______then ______.”
  • Clearly identify your independent, dependent and controlled variables.
  • Dependent variables must be measurable quantitatively.
  • Proposed experiment must be likely to yield good results.
  • Hypothesis is clearly presented along with scientific rationale as to why this hypothesis is likely correct.
Safety Considerations
  • Project may not include experiments on vertebrate animals or molluscs.
  • Project may not pose a risk to health of subjects.
  • Proper permission forms required for human experiments.

PART 3: Procedure

  • Include a list of required materials
  • Procedure is written clearly and succinctly; it is specific enough to be repeatable by another person.
  • Use numbered steps.
  • Do not include personal pronouns (me, he, she, I, your name).
  • Include a diagram showing the assembly of parts, if appropriate.
  • Indicates how to measure the dependent variable and how to control the controlled variables.
  • Should have an appropriate number of test cases and trials
  • Include the survey you intend to use if applicable.
  • Indicate ethical or safety concerns and steps taken to deal with the concerns (if applicable)
  • Include a properly formatted table to record your data.

How to Write an Introduction

Plagiarism: copying someone else’s work without referencing them. Anyone caught plagiarizing will be given a mark of zero.

Background Information
  • Includes a descriptive (and catchy?) title.
  • Two pages single spaced written summary of relevant background research.
  • Focus on quality description and the significance of the project or what makes it compelling to many people.
  • Works referenced must be cited.
  • Hypothesis is clearly presented along with scientific rationale as to why this hypothesis is likely correct.
Safety Considerations
  • Project may not include experiments on vertebrate animals or molluscs.
  • Project may not pose a risk to health of subjects.
  • Proper permission forms required for human experiments.

In the following exemplar, highlight or underline each of the above requirements for a good introduction. Use numbers as a legend.

Exemplar:

How Will the Shape of a Parachute Affect its Speed of Descent?

My Science Fair question is, how will a parachute’s shape affect the time it takes for it to descend? The whole reason for a parachute is to slow down an object. They are used for objects falling vertically, such as people, or to slow down an object and keep them in control. Four hundred years after the first parachute jump in 1617, there are still many different shapes of parachutes. There should be concrete results as to which shape is best for parachutes. This science fair project will hopefully answer that question.

The main factor behind how parachutes work is drag. Drag is a type of mechanical force, caused by the movement of a solid object in a fluid (liquid or gas). It is generated by the difference in velocity between the solid object and fluid. That force is exerted in the opposite direction of the solid object’s direction. Drag causes the object to lose pace and for many things, such as airplanes or cars, that is unwanted. For parachutes, the key is to maximize drag. The way to do this is to maximize the surface area interacting with the fluid, air in this case. The more usable surface area, the more drag and the longer it will take for the parachute to descend.

This is all important because everyday people, cargo and even drag racing cars, are using parachutes to stop. It would be great if they knew what shape of parachute maximized the efficiency of the parachute. This could save materials used in parachute making and ensure the safest possible descent of people and cargo. It does have a small environmental impact because if we can save materials, have less waste and use less energy to make a smaller yet more efficient parachute then we can make an impact. If everything in the world was reanalyzed to save just a bit of energy, it would all add up to a very big environmental impact. Just a 1% or 2% change in the efficiency of a parachute would cause other people to redesign their inventions and ultimately, a saving of 1% or 2% of the energy used on Earth is enormous.

The question behind my science fair is how will a parachute’s shape affect the time it takes for it to descend? The independent variable is the shape of a parachute. For the shapes of the parachute I will be using a triangle, circle, square, 2 to 1 rectangle and 4 to 1 rectangle. The dependent variable is the time it takes for the parachute to descend. There are many variables that will need to be controlled in order to keep the results as accurate as possible. I will need to choose a surface area and calculate the side lengths and dimensions of various shapes so that the surface areas are as equal as possible. The parachute will need to be stable so I will cut out an apex hole with a surface area 5% of the parachute’s flat surface area. All the parachutes will have the same size apex hole. The drop height of the parachutes must be kept equal so that some of the parachutes do not have an unfair advantage. I will also need to control the weight of the load on the parachute. In order to have the same air conditions, air density, temperature and wind, I will have to test all of the parachutes at the same time. I will finally have to use the same length of strings so the distance between the parachute and the load is equal among the parachutes.

My hypothesis is that the circular parachute will take the longest to descend because it can hold the air the best. If you think about rectangles and squares, when the strings are attached to the weight, the sides will probably fold over and spill out a lot of the air. A circle makes me think of a hot air balloon and how the sides would create a balloon that will be able to hold a lot of air and have the most drag.

There are no use of animals in this experiment, and no subjects. One safety precaution is that I will drop the parachutes from the top of a small structure, like my garage or shed, so I will get parent permission and supervision for this activity.

References:

Meyer, Jan. “Parachute History: Historical Review.” Parachute History.Web. 11Oct. 2010. <

“What Is Drag” NASA. Web. 11 Oct. 2010.

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