Unit 2 Survey 2016
Titles of Practical Investigation topics
Motion:
Determining friction coefficient of different surfaces
Measuring terminal velocity
Friction between inclined surface and block. How does surface area effect static friction?
What is the best angle for launching a projectile to get maximum distance?
What affects the height of a water rocket?
What affects the velocity of a block down an incline?
What affects the energy transformation efficiency of a dropper-popper?
What affects the arc height of Newton's Beads?
Effect of viscosity on falling object
Effectiveness of pinball spring
Hooke's law under various conditions
Analysing Energy in inclined planes
Investigating domino fall
Investigating the accelerating force of magnets on a cart
Parachute design
What are the effects of mass and stamina on Beyblades?
Does surface area affect whether different masses fall at the same rate?
How does mass affect tension in a tow truck?
Height due to pressure in a water bottle projectile
Analysis of harmonic motion
Analysis of Parachute materials
Analysis of effects of gravity on falling masses
Displacement of buoyant objects in a moving container of water
Friction of a shoe
Vibrating coin
Investigating an electric motor
Effect of mass on circular motion
Fitting a theoretical model of an osculating circle to a curve
Effect of mass on a pendulum
Effect of pressure on a ball
Elasticity of a rubber band
Friction of a shopping trolley
Catapult launch distance
Hot Wheels: Car Motion around a loop-the-loop
Effect of reaction time on distance travelled of a toy car
Hooke's constant for elastic bands in series and in parallel
Factors affecting range of a torsional catapult
Factors affecting flight of a water rocket
Spring Pendulum
How do heavy things float?
Is energy conserved when an object falls?
The effects on the flight of water rockets
Can a shotput produce the same force as a bowling ball
Do different size shotputs have different effects on a surface when dropped
Rolling marbles down an inclined plane
Spring constant of a rubber band
How can heat be used to create motion?
How do pendulums work?
Does the mass of an object effect it's falling speed?
How do different surfaces affect the amount of friction experienced by a moving object?
How can a cantilever be balanced?
The efficiency of energy transformations when firing a compound bow
Catapult efficiency
Friction forces acting on a rolling object
The impulse of a 'punch'
Optimum pressure of a soccer ball
Hot wheels mania (conservation of momentum)
Optimum weight ratio for a trebuchet
Finding the relationship between sliding friction and speed
The effect of mass on the falling speeds of parachutes
What makes the best rocket fuel out of household items
Does the mass of a marble change the ripples it produces when dropped into a tank of water
Catapult making project
Which surface provides the best performance for a remote controlled car
Friction on an inclined plane
Making a functioning motor from scratch
Toothpick bridge
Options:
How can AC electricity charge a DC device?
Smoothing voltage on a half-rectified circuit (by varying resistance and capacitance)
How do heavy things fly?
Flight Investigation: looking at how differing variables affect flight distances, flight times, flight paths
Flight of glider
Effectiveness of an airfoil
Lift of a flat roof in wind
Magnus effect (deviation of a spinning ball)
Factors affecting lift in a quadcopter
Measuring the lift force as air passes over a model house and the angle of the roof is changed
Best roof structure to withstand winds
Material and lift
Hovercrafts
Propeller diameter vs thrust, no. of propellers vs thrust
Flight vs weight of aircraft
To what extent does air resistance affect the flight of a football
How does the shape of the leading edge of a wing affect the flight of an air rocket
How does weight affect flight of a glider?
Paper Airplane aerodynamics
How is radiation used to maintain human health?
Radiation blocking by household materials
How can human vision be enhanced?
Refraction of light
Examining the relationship between the object distance and image distance of a convex lens
How do instruments make music?
How does the length of a guitar string affect its frequency?
How does the age of a violin affect tone and frequency?
Investigating frequencies that a wineglass will produced when rubbed (with different amounts of water).
How can performance in ball sports be improved?
Dropping a ping ball from different heights
What affects the coefficient of restitution of a ball?
Analysis of kicking soccer ball with spin
Analysis of the Magnus effect in basketballs
Spring constants of golf balls by brand
Spring constants of cricket balls by brand
How to most quickly scuff a cricket ball
Impact of surface condition on the aerodynamics of balls
Pressure of a ball and rebound height
Path of a ping pong ball
Bouncing basketballs
Bouncing tennis balls
Co-efficient of restitution of a bouncing basketball
Where is the sweet spot on a tennis racquet?
How does the human body use electricity?
Functionality of a polygraph and galvanic skin response
Unit 1 Content:
Thermodynamics
Thermal equilibrium between newtonian and non-newtonian liquids
Thermal equilibrium
Comparison of thermal properties in drinking cups
Comparison of thermal properties of bottles v thermos
Boiling point of alcohol to determine the concentration of alcohol
Colour of roof vs heating of the inside environment
Does milk cool the coffee faster or slower when put in the cup first or after the coffee
Does room temp water freeze faster than boiling water
What liquid acts as the best insulator in a balloon when exposed to heat
Electricity
How does the amount of salt in play dough affect its resistance?
Efficiency of LED/incandescent globe
What affects the resistance of a pencil lead?
Resistance in a wire
Efficiency of a light bulb
Does current stay constant in a parallel circuit?
How do magnets affect circuits?
Ohmicness of a thermistor
How can fuses help prevent fires caused by faulty wiring?
Optimal angle of a solar panel
Shading of a solar panel vs performance
Conductivity of metals
Inappropriate topics:
Spring constant
The Simple Pendulum
Proving Newton's Second Law,
Proving Hooke's Law,
Investigating Newton's First Law,
Investigating Newton's Second Law,
Investigating Newton's Third Law