27 Jan 2010
Writing of objectives &
hypothesis
Methodology
Cat 1 prelim rubrics
Ask a question
Do background research
Construct hypotheses
Conduct experiments
& collect data
Analyse results & draw
conclusions
Hypothesis
is true
Report Results
Hypothesis is
false/partially true
Experimental
Design – The
Scientific Method
Think again
Constructing hypothesis
 A hypothesis is an educated guess about how
things work.
 Hypothesis should be testable. In other words,
you need to be able to measure both "what you
do" and "what will happen."
Example of hypothesis
Objectives
Hypothesis
To investigate if ethanolic
and acetone extracts of
leaves of dragon’s scale
fern possess antibacterial
activity against the Grampositive Staphylococcus
epidermis and
Micrococcus luteus, and
the Gram-negative
Escherichia coli.
Ethanolic and acetone
extracts of leaves of dragon’s
scale fern possess
antibacterial activity against
both Gram-positive and
Gram-negative bacteria.
 Checklist
What Makes a Good Hypothesis?
For a Good
Hypothesis, You
Should Answer "Yes"
to Every Question
Is the hypothesis based on information
contained in the Research Proposal?
Yes / No
Does the hypothesis include the
independent and dependent variables?
Yes / No
Have you worded the hypothesis clearly
so that it can be tested in an
experiment?
Yes / No
Experimental design
Rigour
Triplicates
Experiments must test
hypothesis
Replications
Reproducible
Controls
Fair test
Experiments allow you
to change some
variables to test your
hypothesis
 Checklist
What Makes a Good Experimental Procedure?
For a Good Experimental
Procedure, You Should
Answer "Yes" to Every
Question
Have you included a description and size for all experimental
and control groups?
Yes / No
Have you included a step-by-step list of all procedures?
Yes / No
Have you described how to the change independent variable
and how to measure that change?
Yes / No
Have you explained how to measure the resulting change in
the dependent variable or variables?
Have you explained how the controlled variables will be
maintained at a constant value?
Have you specified how many times you intend to repeat the
experiment (should be at least three times), and is that
number of repetitions sufficient to give you reliable data?
The ultimate test: Can another individual duplicate the
experiment based on the experimental procedure you have
written?
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Yes / No
Searching for methods
After idea is finalized, search for methods
Google to find possible methods, discuss with
mentor to check feasibility and whether the
reagents/instruments needed are available.
Be very clear what data you need to collect.
Garlic, an eco-friendly pesticide
Theoretical background
Research shows that the organo-sulfur
compounds in garlic inhibit cancer.
Garlic may be effective in killing insects.
Overview of method
Measure the brain size of ants
which are not fed with garlic
(control)
Feed ants with garlic extracts
of different concentration
Measure the brain size of ants
fed with garlic extracts
Compare initial and final
readings, draw conclusions
Biodiesel as an alternative fuel
Currently, oil
has great
economic,
social and
environmental
influence
Oil reserves
are depleting
very quickly
Thus, an
alternative
fuel is
needed.
Biodiesel
Does not
contribute to a
net rise in the
amount of CO2
Renewable
source of
energy
Biodegradable
Produces less CO,
SO2 and unburnt
hydrocarbon than
diesel
Objectives
To optimize the synthesis of biodiesel from
waste vegetable oil.
To compare the quality of biodiesel with that of
commercial diesel
Reaction to produce biodiesel
O
O
OH-
O
+ CH3OH
O
O
O
+
CH3O
Biodiesel
O
representation of
generic vegetable oil
Transesterification
OH
HO
glycerol
OH
Methodology
Collect waste
vegetable oil
(WVO)
Reflux WVO with
methanol and NaOH –
vary the ratio of methanol
to NaOH to optimize yield
Separate and wash the
product -biodiesel
5.37
5.36
5.35
5.35
5.34
5.34
5.33
5.33
5.33
5.32
5.32
5.31
3.65
2.76
2.75
2.30
2.29
2.27
2.06
2.05
2.03
2.02
2.01
1.99
1.98
1.64
1.62
1.61
1.59
1.58
1.38
1.36
1.35
1.33
7.26
4.17
4.16
4.15
4.13
4.12
4.30
4.30
4.28
4.27
F2 - Acquisition Parameters
20090622
Date_
9.22
Time
av500
INSTRUM
5 mm BBO BB-1H
PROBHD
zg30
PULPROG
32768
TD
CDCl3
SOLVENT
64
NS
0
DS
10330.578 Hz
SWH
0.315264 Hz
FIDRES
1.5860696 sec
AQ
181
RG
48.400 usec
DW
6.00 usec
DE
300.0 K
TE
1.00000000 sec
D1
1
TD0
C
N
E
P
5.370
5.366
5.359
5.354
5.349
5.342
5.338
5.335
5.331
5.327
5.323
5.313
Characterization of biodiesel using
1 H NMR @ NUS
ppm
5
4
3
F2 - Processing parameters
16384
SI
ppm
5.3
5.2
MHz
500.1300127
SF
EM
WDW
0
SSB
0.30 Hz
LB
0
GB
1.00
PC
92
Waste vegetable oil
8 1
7
ppm
6
5
4
3
Biodiesel
2
8.70
61.42
6.37
F
S
S
W
S
L
G
P
5.69
5.85
8.54
5.4
62.92
7.73
5.98
5.97
1.83
2.24
3.32
0.90
6
0.57
5.5
=
N
P
P
S
0.55
4.2
8.28
4.4
======== CHANNEL f1 ========
1H
NUC1
11.50 usec
P1
0.00 dB
PL1
500.1330885 MHz
SFO1
3.40
4.6
4.8
F
D
T
I
P
P
T
S
N
D
S
F
A
R
D
D
T
D
T
1
ppm
Further tests
Cloud point test
Biodiesel
Test to measure energy content
Cat 1 Prelims Rubric
Helpful websites:
http://hsprojectsday.wiki.hci.edu.sg/
Cat-1
http://hsprojectsday.wiki.hci.edu.sg/
4.+Resources
Q&A
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