Science PFA

Music Science Fair Projects

Students and adults alike might be surprised that an interest in music and participation in a science fair can be combined. Music science fair projects are some of the most interesting demonstrations at the school event. Most people enjoy some style of music in their car, at home, with a personal music player, in a band, or at concert. Many people enjoy singing in a choir. What all these venues have in common is obviously music. What most participants do not realize is that there is science at work in every note they play, sing or hear! Music science fair projects offer the students and the visitors to the event to learn completely new concepts of science as they relate to music. Many of these people will leave the event with a deeper level of understanding of and appreciation for the magical science that is music!

Music science fair projects are chosen by students who have a love of the universal language that we all call music. The most creative students will choose music science fair projects to investigate the various topics surrounding the production and enjoyment of music. The first category of music science fair projects will focus on different ways to produce the tones that human being consider musical. This may include an investigation of the sounds of music from different cultures. Included in this are the unique instruments found around the world. Additionally, this may investigate the rhythms that different cultures gravitate toward. These types of music science fair projects will also demonstrate the creativity of students as they develop their own mechanisms for making musical tones. The most popular of these are crystal containers filled with various depths of water.

The other group of students presenting music science fair projects may focus on the effects that music has on people. Instead of examining the instruments, these students will explore the old adage that music hath charms to sooth the savage breast. There are still research studies being conducted on the soothing effects of music on various demographics of people as well as different animal and plant life. These students who present demonstrations and research findings on this data also increase everyones understanding and appreciation for the universal language of music.

Bacteria play a very important role in the decomposition of organic materials. This simple observation leads the inquisitive mind to wonder if it also plays a role in the decomposition of inorganic materials, such as metals. In this science fair project students will be exploring the decomposition properties of bacteria to see if it impacts both organic and inorganic materials.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis for this science fair project is that bacteria speed up the rusting process. The dependent variable in this hypothesis is the rusting rate and the independent variable is the presence of absence of bacteria.

Supplies Needed

To complete this experiment students will need at least two pieces of iron, a bacteria sample, an anti-bacterial solution and a digital camera. Students will also need to create data collection sheets. These sheets will have spaces for the date, the test number and a description of the rust stage.

The Experiment

There are two experiments that need to be set up. The first experiment is the control test. This test will be set up so that no bacteria are present on the iron sample. To accomplish this students will need to wipe down the control iron with an anti-bacterial solution. The iron will then be wiped down and dried on a daily basis to prevent the colonization of bacteria. This test will be left outside to rust naturally.

The second experiment is the test experiment. It will need to be contaminated with a bacteria culture. It will then be left outside to rust naturally.

Collecting Data

The data that will be collected will primarily be observations about the progress of the rusting process. Each entry will need to identify the test, the date and the amount of rust that develops. Students will want to make note of any initial signs of rusting, they will need to measure rust spots and they will need to measure and not any holes that develop.

Analyzing Data

After data has been collected the student will need to analyze their results. First of all they will need to organize their data. This will involve the creation of tables. In the first column of the table will be a list of important developments in the rusting process such as discoloration, holes, flaking and stability degradation of the iron. The second column will contain the heading of control and the third column will contain the heading test. Students will then write down the number of days it took each test to develop the condition in the first column.

The next step is to compare the progression process rate between the control experiment and the test experiment. To prove the hypothesis true the data will need to show that the presence of bacteria speeds up the process of rusting. If the data does not show this trend then the hypothesis can be deemed to be false.

Drawing Conclusions

The analysis of the data that was collected will be used to draw conclusions. To be scored well at a science fair, the conclusions need to be logical and they need to be supported by both the data collected and by the background research done by the student. Students can make references to their background research to support the validity of their conclusions.

Although nobody will expect entries for 8th grade science projects to be outstandingly proficient and altogether scientific, there are a number of ways in which you can make a good balanced project that will stand out and that will amaze the people who will see it. The main concern will be the validity of the information provided and the reliability of the sources used.

In many ways a project will have to tackle a subject that is either imposed by the teacher, or some topic that will be investigated by the student himself. In the latter case the student ought to pursue a certain subject that he feels drawn towards, something that he is interested in and also something that will be challenging. Many 8th grade science projects will be judged on the originality of their content, or rather, on the originality of the method in which they are presented.

Getting to know the subject at hand as well as possible is also very interesting and challenging. The teachers may be interested in finding how well prepared the student has actually been, and he may ask questions regarding the subject that were not included in the project itself. That’s why a little history and a little bit of focus on the entire area of the subject will be very important from the student. There’s no better way to impress a teacher than to know the information presented without hesitation.

Another aspect that needs to be prepared carefully will be a practical application or a specific set of visuals to go along with the project. If there is a possibility to include a video or a slide show, there will be further praise for the student. Also, a video may be just as good, and given the ease with which a laptop computer can be integrated, a multimedia display may prove very important as well.

Another way to make your project stand out is to think of it as a tale, as a story. There is tension and plot and suspense that can be used in your presentation. Start out by making an almost unbelievable statement that will arouse the attention of the crowd and then slowly bring out the facts. Keep your information clean and well presented, make pauses, and allow for the audience to focus and to think.

The best results are those that require the extra bit of attention and a bit more work. In the field of education there will be different levels of preparedness and the 8th grade science projects will be judged according to the standards of the age group, but still they should be well done and a good learning experience.