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Building Your Science Fair Project

by jimmycox

Do you have the right tools for the job? How about materials?
Here are a few tips on practical projecteering
 
Supervision is required for experiments involving animals.

If your tools are inadequate for building a project, check your
high school shop. Chances are they will have everything you need
including power tools and special equipment to make the job
easier.
  
Contrary to popular belief, you don't automatically become a
carpenter when you buy a power saw, or a metal craftsman if you
install a lathe in your basement.

Consider the sad story of a famous professor of electrical
engineering at a noted technical institution. This learned
gentleman was one of the pioneers of radio technology, and each
year he taught several hundred engineering students receiver
design theory. One day the radio in his office quit and he tried
to repair it. After several days of unsuccessful trouble
shooting, testing, and rewiring, he gave up. A local radio
repairman fixed the set in a few minutes.

The point is that it is just plain common sense to know what you
are doing in practical terms before you try to do it.

The title of your project doesn't tell you how to build it. You
must decide on the materials to use, how to arrange components,
and the dimensions of your work. Consider the aims of project
building. First, your display must be effective in achieving the
goals you have set for yourself. Second, it must demonstrate a
good scientific approach to the problem. In other words, your
project must do the job, and do it in the best possible way.

Design of experiments is an art in itself. Experience is the
best teacher, but you can gain insight into the problems involved
by reading accounts and histories of classical experiments. Your
local technical library should have several textbooks on the
theory of experimentation. These are concerned with the
mathematical aspects of experiment design. For example, how many
tests are required before a theory can be accepted as true?

Suggestions for Building

Organize your building efforts around the following
suggestions:

1. Make sure your project meets the specifications or
requirements set out by local science fair administrators.
Maximum dimensions, maximum weight, and safety precautions may be
specified. Projects using living things will have to conform to
Regulations for Experiments with Animals, as outlined by the
National Science Fair-International.

2. Build safety INTO your project, not ON to it as an
afterthought. All structural materials must be adequate for the
job. Fuse all electrical wiring, and make sure that wiring is of
the correct size for the current being carried. Heavy equipment
should be well supported; avoid top-heavy arrangements that could
tip over. If your project uses potentially dangerous materials or
equipment, design adequate protective devices and safety
precautions.

3. Build your project with ease of maintenance and repair in
mind. Don't hide often-replaced components in hard to reach
corners. Design cabinets and cases so that they can be removed
quickly if necessary. Add extra doors or hatches in the vicinity
of components requiring frequent adjustment or maintenance.

4. Aim for durability and utility. Use rugged components at
points where strain or wear are problems. Experimental apparatus
must hold up under actual use. Engineering projects must do their
job reliably and with little maintenance.

5. Don't overbuild or underbuild. Construction should be
adequate, but it doesn't have to be overly strong. Don't use
scotch tape if welding is called for; and by the same token don't
use reinforced concrete if balsa wood will do the job.

6. Your project must be convenient to handle and transport.
Several smaller units are preferable to one huge one. (Remember
the story of the man who built a boat in his basement only to
find he couldn't get it through the door!)

7. Complete the major sections of your project first.
Accessories can be added after the essentials are finished.
 
Your instructors can help you learn basic techniques.

Good luck with your project!

Discover Everything You'll Ever Need To Win First Place At Your
Next Science Project Fair

Click Here For Free Online Ebook
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href="http://www.scienceprojectfair.net/">http://www.scienceprojectfair.net/</a>

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