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2/7/19
Dr. Psaker
Recycling Against Radiation 2
Goals
For this upcoming month, our primary goal is data collection. Due to unforeseen
setbacks, we have postponed the data collection to a later date. We plan on definitely collecting
the data this month; our goal is to perform the experiment within two weeks. It is imperative that
we collect our data this month in order to prepare for the extensive data analysis necessary for
Accomplishments
Since our last progress report, we have completed all of our recycled HDPE shields.
Some shields came out too thick or thin and we had to go back and fix them by cutting/sanding
them or adding more plastic. We have also responded to new issues on Scienteer about data
analysis and X-ray safety in our experiment. We have added to our data analysis plan, which can
be found in the Data and Results section. We researched different types of statistical tests and
found the independent t-test would fit best with our data. We also found some tests we would
have to perform to ensure the data met all the necessary qualifications before performing the
t-test as well as ways to make the data meet these requirements if it did not. All sites from our
Figure 1: This figure shows the first 6” by 12” plastic slab as it was being cut in half to make two
shields.
Recycling Against Radiation 5
Figure 2: This figure shows the two separated shields directly after they were removed from the
pancake griddle.
Figure 3: These are three of the five total recycled HDPE radiation shields that we have prepared
Materials:
- X-ray machine
- Geiger counter
- Sanding tools
Procedure:
1. The first measurement taken must be the control. This should be done by simply
measuring the output radiation of the X-ray machine with no barriers. All
2. After measuring and recording the control, one 1/2” HDPE sheet should be placed
in a position where it visibly would be hit by all x-rays travelling to the geiger
3. Repeat step 2 four more times, adding another 1/2” HDPE sheet directly in front
of the original sheet for each trial. For every trial, make sure that the position of
After all data is recorded, as detailed in the procedure, the averages can be calculated for
each of the trials. The normality of the data and variance between each data set can be found
using a Shapiro-Wilk Test and Levene's Test, respectfully. If the data is normal and the variance
between the data sets is homogeneous, then an Independent T-Test can be performed to find the
similarity between the recycled HDPE and non-recycled HDPE data sets. If the data is not
normal, normalize it using Excel's standardize function; if the variance between the data is too
large, use an adjustment to the degrees of freedom using the Welch-Satterthwaite method. The
T-Test will then be possible. All this can and should be done in Microsoft Excel.
Create graphs using average dosage levels (measured in rads, rems, or microsieverts) as
the dependent variable and the thickness (in inches) of the HDPE stacks as the independent
variable for both data sets. Find the relationship (linear, quadratic, exponential, etc) of the
graphs. Compare the average rate of change for each graph using percent difference. The percent
percent difference = |pure trial - recycled trial| / (average of the pure and recycled trials)
The highest percent difference that we will accept as support for our hypothesis is 25%. Above
References
Independent t-test for two samples. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2019, from
https://statistics.laerd.com/statistical-guides/independent-t-test-statistical-guide.php.
LaMarco, N. (2018, August 24). How to Normalize in Excel. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/normalize-excel-36009.html.
http://www.real-statistics.com/tests-normality-and-symmetry/statistical-tests-normality-s
ymmetry/shapiro-wilk-test/.
http://www.real-statistics.com/one-way-analysis-of-variance-anova/homogeneity-varianc
es/levenes-test/.
https://www.real-statistics.com/one-way-analysis-of-variance-anova/welchs-procedure/.