Science Fair Projects: Rock Candy

I want to do a science fair project about rock candy. How do I get started?

Answer:

There are FOUR basic steps for starting any science fair project.

Step 1. Select a topic:

Step 2. Find a Descriptive Experiment about the Topic:

A descriptive experiment is an exploratory experiment which give instructions for investigating something or producing something. Descriptive experiments do not have nor do they need a hypothesis. It is an experiment performed basically to collect information about a topic.

Step 3: Identify the dependent variable for the descriptive experiment.

A dependent variable is the measurable purpose of the descriptive experiment. For the descriptive experiment, the purpose is: To grow sugar crystals on a string.

Examples of dependent variables are:

1. amount of sugar crystals grown
2. size of sugar crystals grown
3. shape of sugar crystals grown
4. color of sugar crystals grown

Step 4: Identify the independent variables in the descriptive experiment.

An independent variable is something that if changed might affect the dependent variable. For each procedure step of the experiment, list each variable. For my example, instead of making a list of the independent variables, I

For details, SEE   ROCK CANDY: Variables

Janice VanCleave’s Guide to More of the Best Science Fair Projects