Practical Investigation Talk

Annotations to slides

Slide / Commentary
1 / Introduction
is relevant to both Year 11 and Year 12 students.
The Vicphysics website has a section for students with webpage for 'Prac Investigations' which contains the powerpoint as well as lists of possible topics, poster templates, sample posters and general advice.
2 / What I will cover in the talk?
3 / Description of your task including reference to the amount of class time for the task.
4, 5 / What do you get out of the task?
The personal gains, note the attributes for a successful investigation are those that relate to careers and employment, so the task is useful in a CV.
However there can be worries, but they should be seen as an opportunity to show your skills to solve problems.
6 - 10 / Deciding on a topic
It is good to choose a topic that is related to your interests, whether it is a hobby or a sport or an instrument that you play.
Consider working with a few other students to brainstorm dome topics, there is a table to help you. Just pick a box in the table and generate a few topics, the wilder the better. Workable topics will then arise.
Simplifying a complex topic down to something manageable: Consider 'the sweet spot of a tennis racket'. Analysing a person hitting a ball is too complicated. First step: suspend the racket by the handle, let a tennis ball swing down to hit the racket, measure initial height of the ball, the recoil height of the racket and the rebound height of the ball. If this is still too complicated, then clamp the racket to the bench nd drop the ball vertically on to the racket.
11 - 13 / Identifying variables
Demonstrate with four different topics asking the students to identify various possible variables in each
  • Bounce of a basketball
  • Bounce of washers on a spring
  • Tipcat (ruler over the edge)
  • Parachute
  • Charged rod above a balance

14 / Developing a plan
The experimental design is your method or procedure.
15 / Measuring instruments
Not only micrometers, vernier callipers, top loading balances, but also data loggers and software such as Tracker.
Tracker is free video analysis software. It is very useful for investigations where events happen too quickly to make measurements such as a falling parachute. The software has impressive video tutorials.
16 - 18 / Using a log book
Emphasise: It will be a significant component of your assessment. It will be the supporting document to your poster.
19, 20 / Advice and Hints
21 - 32 / Uncertainties
Reading scales Slide 22 is a task for viewers to read the two meters.
Slide 28 with the fully analysed graph, is an example of how much information can be extracted from data.
33 - 35 / Using Excel
36 - 39 / Assembling a poster
Slide 37 is a template from the Vicphysics web page. The text boxes can be used to paste in your own text.
Note: The left column in on your planning. You will have a clear idea of plan after the first week, so why not fill that section of the poster then. You can tidy it up later.
Similarly in week two when you have some analysis completed, paste a graph or two in the poster along with sample calculations and uncertainty calculations.
Slide 39 is a poster from the Year 11 Poster competition. Check the Vicphysics page for others as well as constructive comments made about each of them.
40 / Quotes on Investigations