Help with investigation topics/ideas.

[LachlanMc]

This term in physics we are being assessed on designing an experiment of our choice (and topic), obtaining the data and analyzing/concluding upon it. At my school this is known as an extended experimental investigation. Basically I am looking for some ideas or even topics that will have enough weight behind it for the 10 weeks. Before you suggest anything out of my ability I'll let you know I'm a grade 12 high school student. I can get help from my teachers on harder topics but my resources will be limited and I do not wish to spend a huge amount of money for any unique equipment.

For my EEI last year I investigated what characteristics of wine glasses give them their unique resonant frequency. After examining a large selection of wine glasses I developed an equation that will give an approximate resonate frequency based on certain characteristics (eg height, width, glass thickness). This was fairly boring and I'm hoping someone will suggest something that will give me some motivation to complete.

Thanks in advance...

 

[Bartek]

This was fairly boring and I'm hoping someone will suggest something that will give me some motivation to complete.

If you are looking for something fun, I suggest to investigate the Weber-Fechner law.

It is mainly founded on experiments where persons were given two nearly identical stimuli (for example, two similar weights) and tested whether they could notice a difference between them. It was found that the was roughly proportional to the intensity of the stimulus. Ie, if a person could consistently feel that a 110 g weight was heavier than a 100 g weight, he could also feel that 1100 g was more than 1000 ghttp://www.neuro.uu.se/fysiologi/gu/nbb/lectures/WebFech.html" .

You can also investigate this law according to sound, frequency, distance effect, vision etc. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weber%E2%80%93Fechner_law" ).

To investigate weight effect you need bottle, dish and some weights. By filling bottle you can fix base stimuli and with weights you can measure smallest noticeable difference.

[PLAIN]http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3299/weberz.jpg

For all sound effects you need computer with speakers and a freeware program etc.

You'll need a lot of friends to collect data. Fun guaranted.

regards

 

[LachlanMc]

Thanks this sounds like it could be some fun. I did some research on the topic and I don't think I could formulate an question/aim/hypothesis for it. What would I be trying to find, would I be trying to prove his laws are true based on blind human trials? Even then there is not a whole lot of physics that could be linked into my analysis of the data.

 

[Bartek]

What would I be trying to find, would I be trying to prove his laws are true based on blind human trials? Even then there is not a whole lot of physics that could be linked into my analysis of the data.

Well... you asked about inspiration, not solution .

Weber-Fechner law is well known law. You can just ask: "is this law correct?".

Or you can investigate question: "What is the smallest noticeable stimulus difference? Is it independence or depend from stimulus level?"... and develop this law again

Then you have to collect data with many friends and many levels for some different type of stimulus. Investigate dependency from age, sex, type of stimulus...

Weber-Fechner law is an experimental law, we don't know why and how it works. But we (for instance) should make volume potentiometers in TV set according to this law...

There is no much complicated physics in this experiments, but statistics and error calculations are complicated enough.

 

[rwisz]

I understand the importance of finding a topic that interests and motivates you in order to successfully complete an extended experimental investigation. It is great that you have already completed an investigation on wine glasses and have developed an equation based on certain characteristics. However, since you are looking for new ideas, I would suggest exploring the field of acoustics further. Some possible topics could include investigating the relationship between the shape of an instrument and its sound output, or analyzing the effect of different materials on the sound produced by a musical instrument. You could also explore the science behind how sound travels through different mediums, such as air, water, or solids. These topics would allow you to use your knowledge from your previous investigation while also challenging you to learn more about acoustics and its applications. Additionally, you could consider reaching out to local universities or research institutions for guidance and access to equipment that may be necessary for your investigation. Good luck with your extended experimental investigation!