Physics Electromagnetism Project
Purpose
To investigate some question or curiosity you have related to our current unit of study. This unit includes such topics as electrical current/resistance, electric circuits, capacitance, electric power/energy, magnets and magnetic fields, and the relationship between electricity/electric fields and magnetic fields.
Expectations
You must decide on a question related to one or more of the above topics which you would like to answer. You will answer your question with both research and some sort of hands on experiment. You will have access to any materials the school has to provide and will not be expected to purchase anything.
Before you begin your investigation, you must submit an intent document to Mr. Smith and myself which addresses two things:
1. What is your question?
2. How will you answer your question?
This should be a semi-formal document, written in full sentences and paragraphs, not simply short answers to the above questions. Once Mr. Smith or I has approved of your research question and procedure you can begin working on your project. Your results document should contain the sections outlined below.
Research Paper Structure
Intro
This section should be a more formal/full version of your intent document from above. Tell me what you are investigating, why you were interested in the first place, and why it is important.
Research
This section should outline the information you discovered via your web-based or book-based research. Tell me what you found, how it pertains to the question you asked, and how it influenced what experiment you decided to conduct.
Experiment
This section should contain three things. Tell me 1. What experiment you conducted and why. 2. What your experimental procedure was including what your materials were and how you used them. 3. What your results were.
Analysis
The final section of your paper should be a discussion of your results. What was the answer to the question you asked at the beginning? How did your research and experimental results contribute to answering your question? What future investigation would your results lead you to?
Resources
At least two sources need to be cited. Feel free to use Wikipedia, but you may not use it as a reference.
Scientific Discourse
The final portion of your research project will simulate scientific discourse. You will need to prepare some sort of presentation to give to your classmates. We will spend at least a day discussing what you asked, what you did, and what you found.