Design Labs

Name:



Date:



Directions:

Submit a copy of these prompts, as a cover sheet, along with each report submission.

HL: Choose a minimum of four topics below and design a separate experiment for each one. Write the title at the
top of your paper, write the prompt (research question) directly underneath the title, complete all necessary tasks
to fulfill "Design" criterion.

Assessment:
Design (D)
PSOW: 1.5 hrs/report

Due Dates: Final draft for topic choice #1 due November 11, 2013
Final draft for topic choice #2 due December 16, 2013
Final drafts for topic choices #3 due January 20, 2014
Final drafts for topic choices #4 due February 28, 2014

Keep the following points in mind:
Your experiment must be realistic, and you must provide all the necessary details for a student to perform the
experiment correctly and safely.
You must clearly state your research question and, and it must be focused.
You must clearly identify your independent, dependent, and control variables.
Explain how you will control the variables effectively.
Explain how the data will be collected, and provide a plan to collect a sufficient amount of data.
You must work alone (no two research questions can be the same)
Consult the DP physics guide for more information regarding the assessment rubric.

1. Title: Design: Rubber Band 2
Prompt: Investigate the flight of a rubber band.

2. Title: Design: Cooling
Prompt: Investigate the cooling of a hot cup of tea.

3. Title: Design: Electromagnet
Prompt: Design an experiment involving an electromagnet.
4. Title: Design: Coffee Filter
Prompt: Investigate the flow of water through coffee filters.

5. Title: Design: Beta Radiation Shield
Prompt: Design an experiment to investigate the effectiveness of paper as a shield from beta radiation.
Assume you have: a large mass of
14
C (a source of beta radiation); a Geiger counter (refer to your textbook to
review how a Geiger counter works); and an endless supply of A4 paper.

6. Title: Design: Leaking Can
Prompt: The general topic for this exercise is water leaking from a soda can. Pick two variables and
investigate the relationship between them.

7. Title: Design: Balloons
Prompt: The general topic for this exercise is balloons. Pick two variables and investigate the relationship
between them.

8. Title: Design: Van de Graaff Generator
Prompt: Design an experiment involving a Van de Graaff generator. (It must be realistic and safe.)