Conducting Your Own Research Project

So how do you come up with an idea? Sometimes its not easy. One suggestion is to try to make the topic something that you are interested in. Most teachers from elementary to the top university are typically supportive of this idea. Looking through books on the subject sometimes helps spur ideas.

But actually if you play a sport or have a hobby you're typically a "natural experimentalist" - you just may not have thought of it that way before. Let's say you're trying to make sure your return does not go outside the court lines. You're hitting the ball with no spin each time and the ball is going out of bounds each time - so what do you do? YOU EXPERIMENT! Hit the ball with less force or add some topspin, right! So maybe your project could be comparing how spin affects the distance the ball travels?

Let's take a different example. Maybe you like paper airplanes. You fold one and play - or actually you "experiment" with it. What happens if you bend one wing down and not the other? What if you add some weight to the nose or tail with a paper clip? How does the plane react?

Another important point to keep in mind as you select an area to investigate is your timeframe and your budget. When is the project due and will you need to spend any money to answer your chosen question? We'll be helping you determine these things in the next sections. Make sure that the problem is manageable and fits in your timeframe and budget. Downsize - make it smaller if you need to.