You are on page 1of 6

CATEGORY: Consumer Science STUDENT: Tasmiha GRADE LEVEL: 11th (High School) STATE / Country: Illinois, USA AWARDS:Honorable

Mention of the Virtural Summer Science Fair Contest - Super Science Fair Projects Hypothesis I believe that nylon will dry the fastest because it looks and feels the thinnest. Because of its thinness, the water would be absorbed less than cotton and polyester. The amount of water that is absorbed would eventually evaporate quicker than the other two cloths. We also believe that cotton would come in last because it quite seemingly is the thickest. Therefore, it absorbs more water and takes a longer time to evaporate and dry.

Experiment (Procedure) - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics: I did the following steps in order to conduct my experiment: 1. Gather all materials. 2. Fill three bowls with water at the same room temperature. 3. Take three squares of cotton, nylon, and polyester, and dip each of them into the bucket, making sure that they are all in the same water temperature. Do this for twenty minutes. Stir them around a few times to ensure that they get thoroughly wet. 4. Take each cloth, one at a time, and hang each of them on the dry stand with clothespins, making sure that they are in the same room temperature. Make sure none of them are touching. 5. Record what time you hang each cloth. 6. Every ten minutes, check to see if any of the fabrics are dry yet. If any of them are, record the name of the fabric and the length of time it took to dry. 7. After the fabrics are dry, redo the experiment two more times for accuracy.

Materials - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics: In order to conduct my experiment, I used the following materials:

Three bowls Water Same-sized squares of the following squares: polyester, cotton, and nylon; in different colors Thermometer Dry Stand Clothespins Notebook to record data Timer

Data - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics: (Minutes refer to the time the cloth took to dry) Trial 1 Polyester Nylon Cotton 17 Minutes 27 Minutes 44 Minutes Trial 2 15 Minutes 28 Minutes 45 Minutes Trial 3 16 Minutes 29 Minutes 46 Minutes Trial 4 16 Minutes 28 Minutes 45 Minutes

Conclusion - Science Fair Projects with Fabrics: My hypothesis was correct. I was really stunned to see that polyester would dry faster than nylon. The most challenging part of my experiment was to test each type of fabric

and record the data accurately. From doing this experiment, I learned a lot about each type of fabric. Now, I know that when its a rainy day to wear clothes that dont retain moisture such as cotton. Instead we should wear clothes that are more absorbent such as polyester, or nylon. However, polyester would make the best choice. What I Would Do Differently Next Time: If I were to do our experiment over, I would change quite a few things. First we would use more types of fabric, such as wool, and georgette. I could also change the room and water temperature. I would also try to figure out new techniques to measure the water and absorbency of the cloth for accuracy. These are just a few ways I would change my experiment. I really learned a lot about the fabrics and I enjoyed doing my experiment.

HOW DOES THE JUDGE THINK

11 Important Points
It is empowering to know what to expect from the Judges. Each school has their own criteria for judging, but here are some factors that judges most often look for when evaluating your project. So ....

Shhh... don't tell anyone. Here is the inside scoop from Detective ThinkMore!...

#14.

1. Are you physically and mentally prepared?


Let's pretend that it is the day before the science fair. You are reading over the following questions to make sure that you are prepared to answer the judges question. Why? Because then you will be all prepared in advance for your science fair. I don't know about physically, but mentally you are ready! After all, you know your project from beginning to end because you did it. Every detail is stored in the computer of your brain. And you certainly must be proud of all your efforts.

2. The night before the science fair...

Be sure to get enough sleep the night before.

Eat a good breakfast. Stay away from sugar because it will cause a dip in energy and memory about 10 AM. Plan your wardrobe. Dress neatly and conservatively.

3. What do you do to ACE the interview?


Judges walk from display to display, stopping at each one. Some briefly talk to every student and others take the time to do an indepth interview. Don't panic, it only takes a couple of minutes. Now is your opportunity to "show your stuff". You can use your display board as a prop, but the judge wants to hear from you. Don't read from the display board. Use it to highlight your presentation by pointing to the charts, graphs and photos.
If English is a second language, then take your time in expressing yourself. Whatever your native language, talk in an easy, slow pace.

4. The day of your science fair , read this page.

5. Does your display board grab the judges attention from 3 feet away?

The first thing the judges see is your display. It does not have to be flashy, but well organized and makes the most of their time. When the judge opens your notebook will it be well organized? Does it have all the basic elements: Aabstract Research paper with bibliography hypothesis, procedures, results ~ tables, figures and graphs

6. Were you creative when doing your science fair project?

Does your Big Question show creativity and originality? <

Did you go about solving the problem in an original way? Did you give an analysis of the data for your science fair experiment? an interpretation of the data?

How about the type of equipment you used? Did you construct or design new equipment?

7. Did you follow all 6-steps of the scientific method that proved or disproved your hypothesis?

Did you clearly state your problem? Did you use scientific literature or only popular literature (newspapers, magazines, etc.), when doing your initial research? Did you clearly state your variables? Did you use controls? And if so, did you recognize their need and were they correctly used? Does your data support your conclusions? Do you recognize the limitations of the data / experiment? And did you state them in your conclusions? Did you make suggestions as to what further research is warranted?

8. Were you thorough in doing your science project?


Did you carefully think out your science fair project, go about it systematically with well thought-out research following the scientific method and observations? Did you complete all parts of your research experiment? Did you keep a Science Fair Lab Notebook? Did you keep detailed and accurate notes in the Notebook?

9. What was the quality of your technical skill?


Did you have the required equipment to obtain your data? Was the project performed at home, school, university laboratory? Where did the equipment come from? Did you build it? Did you loan it from somewhere? Did you work in a professional laboratory? Did you do the project yourself or did you receive help? If you received help the judges are looking for you to give credit to those individuals.

10. Did you have clarity with the details of your science project?
Sometimes you may be asked to explain a short version of your project. This is where you will find abstracts can be of help to you. Look it over and become familiar with the information. If a Judge asks what would happen if you changed a variable in your experiment, don't panic...you have plenty of knowledge in that computer brain of yours! On the spot, just create another hypothesis or idea about what you think will happen.

Are you familiar enough with the material to answer questions? Judges are not interested in memorized speeches or trivial details. They want to know what you learned. Can you explain the purpose, procedure, and conclusions of your science project?

Does your written material, including your abstract, tables, charts and graphs, show that you understand your research project? Is your material presented in an orderly manner? Is the data of your project clearly stated? Are the results of your project clearly stated? Does your project display explain your science project?

11. What are some questions that you may be asked?


First, here are some Helpful Hints:

What is most important when answering the judge's questions is to be honest. If you don't know the answer, then to truthful. Judges like spontaneous answers. Don't try to memorize answers. Know your stuff cold like you know 1 + 1 = 2. And you do, because you did the work! (Remember that computer brain of yours?) Know the formulas, terms and acronyms that you used for your science fair project. They may ask you to define some of the scientific jargon that you used. Science Fair Judges want you to succeed. They want you to shine. They are not trying to stump you or get you flustered. Either during your presentation or afterwards, the judge will take notes. Don't panic! Many have to fill out a form for each project that they see. On that form are 5 areas (creativity, scientific thought or engineering ability, thoroughness, skill and clarity).

Here are a few questions that have been asked at the San Diego Science & Engineering Science Fair.

How did you decide to do this particular project?

Is this project an expansion of one you did before? If so, what did you add or change?

How does this science fair project apply to real life?

Where did you do this project? (At home, at a school, hospital or university lab)

Did you receive help from others? If so, who?

How did you determine your sample size?

Did you choose any statistical test? If so, how did you determine which one to use?

Will you explain your graph / chart / photos me to?

Please explain your procedure.

What do your results mean? How can they apply to every day life?

How many times did you repeat your experiment? Test your device or program?

How is this project different from others that you researched?

What was the most interesting background reading that you did?

Where did you get your science supplies (bacteria, plants, animals....)

What new skills, if any, did you learn by doing this science fair project?

What is the most important thing you learned by doing this project?

What changes would you make if you continued this project?

You might also like