Need Ideas

[Amber]

I need ideas for a physics project. The teacher said that we could do anything, so long as we can get hold of the equipment for it. I basically need to answer a question or have some kind of title which I could investigate, for example, drag forces on different shape objects, variation of surface tension with temperature. But I want to do something interesting so that I don't get bored of it half way. It's a project that will take about 3 months to complete, inclulding the experiments and write-up.

 

Thanks,

Amber.

[Tormod]

What grade, Amber?

[Amber]

I'm not sure what the equivalent is, but I'm in year 13 in England.

[Pyrotex]

I'm not sure what the equivalent is, but I'm in year 13 in England.

:surprise:

There is a physics experiment I have always wanted to do but never got around to. To do it you may need a good camera or even a video camera capable of taking slow-motion shots. You will probably need an extra lens so that you can record images that are only an inch or two across, with magnification.

 

Give a name to and explain the cause of the following phenomenon:

Get a bottle of thick, translucent hair shampoo. Ordinary stuff. In the USA, we have PRELL, the cheapest around, the "green stuff". Shampoo.

 

Put a shallow white bowl on the table and mount the bottle above so you have fine control of how fast the shampoo streams out. Get the minimum stream you can without it breaking up into droplets. Let the stream impact upon the gathering pool of shampoo below. Look carefully at the point of impact.

 

You will see the stream hit and form a mound. Then you will see large (0.5 to 2.0 inch) LOOPS of shampoo suddenly shoot out to the side. It happens very quickly. And I typically see about 20 loops a minute. Try varying the rate of flow of shampoo to see if this affects the number and/or size of the loops.

 

How are the loops formed? Why are they shot out to the side? What the heck is going on here?

[InfiniteNow]

Don't know if you have this available to you, Amber, but back in 8th grade a good friend of mine gave me this book:

 

Amazon.com: Great Experiments in Physics: Firsthand Accounts from Galileo to Einstein: Morris H. Shamos: Books http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486253465/103-0959070-4130249?v=glance&n=283155

 

 

It's pretty cool, and would certainly get your creative juices flowing.

 

 

Best of luck with the project!

 

 

edit: The book is "Great Experiments in Physics," and it is, by no means, meant to be read at an 8th grade level. Cheers.

[InfiniteNow]

You will see the stream hit and form a mound. Then you will see large (0.5 to 2.0 inch) LOOPS of shampoo suddenly shoot out to the side. It happens very quickly. And I typically see about 20 loops a minute. Try varying the rate of flow of shampoo to see if this affects the number and/or size of the loops.

 

How are the loops formed? Why are they shot out to the side? What the heck is going on here?

Sounds to me a bit like Brownian motion...but, I'm no physicist. :surprise:

[CraigD]

Put a shallow white bowl on the table and mount the bottle above so you have fine control of how fast the shampoo streams out. Get the minimum stream you can without it breaking up into droplets. Let the stream impact upon the gathering pool of shampoo below. Look carefully at the point of impact.

 

You will see the stream hit and form a mound. Then you will see large (0.5 to 2.0 inch) LOOPS of shampoo suddenly shoot out to the side. It happens very quickly. And I typically see about 20 loops a minute. Try varying the rate of flow of shampoo to see if this affects the number and/or size of the loops.

 

How are the loops formed? Why are they shot out to the side? What the heck is going on here?

It’s a phenomenon associated with non-Newtonian liquids. What is happening is that the viscosity of the shampoo increases when it's compressed on impact, causing it to form a column that then coils, loops, etc. Once the compression is released, it turns back into ordinary liquid, and flows away.

 

Thicker liquids, such as pancake syrup, do it slower, and are easier to observe.

 

There’s a fun stunt along these lines, popular with phys-sci teachers: fill a large tub with a mixture of water and corn starch. You can gently splash the solution out of the tub. Take a paddle and slap it hard and fast. It doesn’t splatter at all. Have faith in Science. Be sure to use enough corn starch. :surprise:

[Jay-qu]

Rockets are always good! :surprise:

[Amber]

Thank you for all your ideas. However, I'm not sure I understand all the concepts. Do you have any easier to understand ideas? Basically, I need to get a good set of results that I can analyse and draw up a conclusion.

 

Thanks,

Amber

[InfiniteNow]

Thank you for all your ideas. However, I'm not sure I understand all the concepts. Do you have any easier to understand ideas? Basically, I need to get a good set of results that I can analyse and draw up a conclusion.

 

Thanks,

Amber

In my high school physics class, we had to build an item using nothing but popsicle sticks and glue that would protect an unboiled egg being dropped from a high spot (like the roof of a building or at the top of the bleachers at our stadium) from breaking.

 

We'd design it, build it, talk about our design, and why/how it distrubuted the impact enough to protect the egg without using something soft like a pillow.

 

How about something like that?

 

Even if the egg breaks, you can speak of why... It's a win/win.

[Jay-qu]

Thank you for all your ideas. However, I'm not sure I understand all the concepts. Do you have any easier to understand ideas? Basically, I need to get a good set of results that I can analyse and draw up a conclusion.

 

Thanks,

Amber

ok well a very easy thing you can get recorded results of would be measuring the density of a piece of wire. You could also measure the speed of sound - all you need is a car with working headlights and horn, stopwatch and a big open space preferably without wind.

[GAHD]

allrighty Amber, sinc you're having troble understand the examples provided, and I am confused by the context of your request, I'm gonna ask you to describe some experiments that you have done before.

 

After I see those I'll be able to give you some ideas :hihi:

[Amber]

allrighty Amber, sinc you're having troble understand the examples provided, and I am confused by the context of your request, I'm gonna ask you to describe some experiments that you have done before.

 

After I see those I'll be able to give you some ideas :hihi:

 

Last year the two investigations I did was:

Investigation to Determine the Internal Resistance of a Solar Cell;

Investigating How the Speed of a Wave Varies as the Depth of Water Changes

[GAHD]

here's a few wingnut ideas:

*how well do different plants grow under different frequencies of light?

 

*What structures can better withstand earthquakes? Arches? Pillars? Cubes? is a flexible material better than a rigid one?

 

*what is the best thermal insulator? Best way to keep something warm in cold water?

 

*Ballistics research for the gun nut: The effects different laminate designs have on prevention of bullet penetration.

 

Hope that helps.

[Amber]

Thank you GAHD.

 

I need to form a rationale for my project and how it would be of interest to the general public, i.e. how it can be related to every day life.

 

I was searching the internet for quite a while and I found this (possible titles for experimental projects):

http://www.spidercox.co.uk/Extendedpracticals.htm

 

I have posted the ones of interest below. Please could you look at them and see which one I could get a good set of results for analysis and drawing up a conclusion. Also I'm not exactly sure how to go about all of them. Any advice as to what to do (which project to choose), would be much appreciated.

 

Small drops of water dance about on very hot metal surfaces, without evaporating (the Leidenfrost phenomenon). How hot must the metal be, and how small the drop?

 

Modelling a rainbow i.e. light through water droplet, hence predicting angles at which rainbow formed etc.

 

The performance of a firework rocket - could be dangerous?

 

Where does dust collect? Why?

 

The colours of thin films of oil on water

 

Compare glass and polythene as greenhouse materials

 

 

http://www.ifrn.bbsrc.ac.uk/public/FoodInfoSheets/EDPBeer.html - This sounds interesting, but I don't know how to go about this.

 

 

Your ideas:

*how well do different plants grow under different frequencies of light? Sounds interesting - a potential project idea

 

*What structures can better withstand earthquakes? Arches? Pillars? Cubes? is a flexible material better than a rigid one? Someone is already doing this

 

*what is the best thermal insulator? Best way to keep something warm in cold water? Too simple perhaps?

 

*Ballistics research for the gun nut: The effects different laminate designs have on prevention of bullet penetration. Don't understand this

 

 

Forever grateful,

Amber

[Erasmus00]

Build a van de graaf generator(the metal ball that makes your hair stand on end) and do some static electricity experiments. If you have two metal salad bowls, a motor of some sort and a few small items you can get one working fairly quickly.

 

Google van de graaf and I'm sure you'll get some good tips on how to build one, and some good explanation of the science of how it works.

-Will

[GAHD]

Thank you GAHD.

 

I need to form a rationale for my project and how it would be of interest to the general public, i.e. how it can be related to every day life.

I'll give it a shot, but this is where you need to step in and see what's up your alley.

 

Small drops of water dance about on very hot metal surfaces, without evaporating (the Leidenfrost phenomenon). How hot must the metal be, and how small the drop?

fun with fire, not much e;se I can say.

 

Modelling a rainbow i.e. light through water droplet, hence predicting angles at which rainbow formed etc.[/quote]The first steps to building a spectral anilyser. the only difference is adding smoke to the rainbow and finding out what elements block what frequency. :hihi:

 

The performance of a firework rocket - could be dangerous?

Dangerous but fun. Topics include nozzle shape, fuel to weight ratio, method of burn, stabilisation design...and once it's all put together it's all about going really high really fast. You might ask C1ay about rocketry.

 

Where does dust collect? Why?

that's a complex one, you gotta measure average static charge of the matrial, moisture count in the atmosphere, monitor air-currents (done with smoke)...could be informative if you're patient enough.

 

The colours of thin films of oil on water

odd idea, I wonder what purpose it could serve?

 

Compare glass and polythene as greenhouse materials

it's almost a combination of the thermal and light experiments below

 

http://www.ifrn.bbsrc.ac.uk/public/FoodInfoSheets/EDPBeer.html - This sounds interesting, but I don't know how to go about this.

Eeew, beer sucks to start. somebody else can get this one.

 

*how well do different plants grow under different frequencies of light? Sounds interesting - a potential project idea

simple project, just need lights, color filters(R,G,:hihi:, and plants. an advanced varient would have you alternating the light type based on what point in the life cycle the plant is experiencing. Careful notes on leaf size, height, stem thickness, coloring, etc.. is needed. Applications include indor gardening, and possibly bonzai.

 

*What structures can better withstand earthquakes? Arches? Pillars? Cubes? is a flexible material better than a rigid one? Someone is already doing this

too bad, this one's fun when you use a paint-shaker as your 'ground' and a mess of materials (like Jell-O and pipe-cleaners) to see what happens.

 

*what is the best thermal insulator? Best way to keep something warm in cold water? Too simple perhaps?

Perhapse, but this is where design and structure come into play as well: is a ball a better insulater? Cube? Cylinder? Do layers have an effect? What about composite materials? Vacuume? Do certain materials reflect heat well? Does the temperature of the water have an effect? Most thermoses are a vacuume chamber with mirrored glass, keeps your soup/coffie warm and all. Could you build a better one?

 

*Ballistics research for the gun nut: The effects different laminate designs have on prevention of bullet penetration. Don't understand this

Basicly you'd need various materials, a camera may be an asset, gun(s), and lots of bullets. Bullets loose much of their velocity penetrating an inital obsticle, so much so that a second layer a short distance away may stop them completely. The purpose of this experiment is to laminate various materials together(possibly at interesting angles) ans shot them to see how well a laminate structure stand up in comparison to the same thicknes of varous other materials. The practical upshot of this would be better surviveability on the battlefeild.It's really very similar to the earthquake project

 

hope that helped somewhat, let us know how it goes!