Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Need a project idea

Blue Matter - 21-9-2014 at 18:31

Hello, normally I would not do this but I am in desperate need of help and only have 48 hours to come up with a idea. I have had a lot of different ideas but none of them have been approved because we either don't have the materials or the amount of time to carry out the experiment fully.
I need help to come up with a fairly simple experiment that can be carried out in under 8 hours with limited materials.

Any ideas are helpful
Thank you.



Summary of the group 4 project
The group 4 project is a collaborative activity where students from different group 4 subjects work together
on a scientific or technological topic, allowing for concepts and perceptions from across the disciplines
to be shared in line with aim 10—that is, to “encourage an understanding of the relationships between
scientific disciplines and the overarching nature of the scientific method”. The project can be practically or
theoretically based. Collaboration between schools in different regions is encouraged.
The group 4 project allows students to appreciate the environmental, social and ethical implications
of science and technology. It may also allow them to understand the limitations of scientific study, for
example, the shortage of appropriate data and/or the lack of resources. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary
cooperation and the processes involved in scientific investigation, rather than the products of such
investigation.
The choice of scientific or technological topic is open but the project should clearly address aims 7, 8 and 10
of the group 4 subject guides.
Ideally, the project should involve students collaborating with those from other group 4 subjects at all
stages. To this end, it is not necessary for the topic chosen to have clearly identifiable separate subject
components. However, for logistical reasons some schools may prefer a separate subject “action” phase (see
the following “Project stages” section).

Brain&Force - 21-9-2014 at 19:21

Try getting ahold of highlighter fluid, a UV lamp, sodium hydroxide (or possibly the carbonate), and hydrochloric acid. The fluorescent dye in highlighter fluid is a pH indicator and you can try to determine the pH at which it changes color.

aga - 22-9-2014 at 01:08

No idea what age group that is.

Easier to acquire would be red cabbage water (chopped red cabbage, soak in hot water a few mins, strain off red juice) = pH indicator, vinegar and sodium bisulphite (baking powder).

Put vinegar in a glass, add some red cabbage water. Colour will change to red (= acid).
Measure how much bisulphite you need to add to get the colour to change back to purple, then how much more you need to add to get a definite Green colour.

It will fizz lots and give off CO2, which you could also capture and measure the volume of.

Maybe best in a Big container otherwise it'll foam over the sides.

gdflp - 22-9-2014 at 05:54

@aga

I think you're talking about sodium bicarbonate, not bisulfite. As far as I know, baking powder isn't sodium bisulfite, it is impure sodium bicarbonate baking soda is more pure. And sodium bisulfite would give off sulfur dioxide not carbon dioxide.

Little_Ghost_again - 22-9-2014 at 06:50

Quote: Originally posted by Blue Matter  
Hello, normally I would not do this but I am in desperate need of help and only have 48 hours to come up with a idea. I have had a lot of different ideas but none of them have been approved because we either don't have the materials or the amount of time to carry out the experiment fully.
I need help to come up with a fairly simple experiment that can be carried out in under 8 hours with limited materials.

Any ideas are helpful
Thank you.



Summary of the group 4 project
The group 4 project is a collaborative activity where students from different group 4 subjects work together
on a scientific or technological topic, allowing for concepts and perceptions from across the disciplines
to be shared in line with aim 10—that is, to “encourage an understanding of the relationships between
scientific disciplines and the overarching nature of the scientific method”. The project can be practically or
theoretically based. Collaboration between schools in different regions is encouraged.
The group 4 project allows students to appreciate the environmental, social and ethical implications
of science and technology. It may also allow them to understand the limitations of scientific study, for
example, the shortage of appropriate data and/or the lack of resources. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary
cooperation and the processes involved in scientific investigation, rather than the products of such
investigation.
The choice of scientific or technological topic is open but the project should clearly address aims 7, 8 and 10
of the group 4 subject guides.
Ideally, the project should involve students collaborating with those from other group 4 subjects at all
stages. To this end, it is not necessary for the topic chosen to have clearly identifiable separate subject
components. However, for logistical reasons some schools may prefer a separate subject “action” phase (see
the following “Project stages” section).


I dont mean to be funny but. I would have thought at least 1 out of a group of 4 could have come with a dozen idea's?
Most of the above dosnt explain very much, what materials? what are aims 7,8,10?
Whats a group 4 subject?
What age range?
WTF?

Sorry I just find it odd that if you know the criteria and the resources at hand, then surely 4 people could think up 100's of things to try within an hour!!
I have trouble stop thinking of projects I want to do.
I am not being mean and I am guessing this is a USA School thing because I have no idea what half of the above means. So I am guessing if you are having trouble coming up with something then it isnt as straightforward as a UK kid thinks.
You have a better School system for sure, but sometimes I think learning is made over complicated.


Having read my reply I think its as helpful as a dead fish!

So I am going to make assumptions and guesses,
The group 4 thing is referring to chemistry, biology,physics,ecology kind of thing?
And you need a experiment to show how they interact and the impact involved.
Is this close?
I ask because we have just done something a bit similar at School. In our case it was a disaster!!! (Mostly because in our group of six there were 4 girls and 2 boys, it involved magets! and only one person would go near them!).

macckone - 22-9-2014 at 06:54

The classic calcium chloride and sodium carbonate precipitation reaction is safe and easy.

aga - 22-9-2014 at 06:55

Quote: Originally posted by gdflp  
I think you're talking about sodium bicarbonate, not bisulfite. As far as I know, baking powder isn't sodium bisulfite, it is impure sodium bicarbonate baking soda is more pure. And sodium bisulfite would give off sulfur dioxide not carbon dioxide.

Ooops.

Yes. Bicarbonate. Good thing you pointed that out.

Blue Matter - 22-9-2014 at 08:59

^^

I completely know what you are saying from this post that this project is absolutely ridiculous. We have been given hardly any guidelines to do this project basically being told that we needed to do a experiment. Many of the people that have preformed the project in the past at our school have failed terribly.
It is a high school senior class but it is at a medium range college level. we have limited materials stuff you would find in a typical high school lab.

[Edited on 22-9-2014 by Blue Matter]

Little_Ghost_again - 22-9-2014 at 09:05

What are group 4 subjects? To someone at School in the UK this means nothing to me. Do you have to do an experiment that uses principles from all areas of science?