Now that you and your partner have your question clearly stated and your blades are (mostly) constructed, and we have a good idea of how the trials will be run, you need to formally write your hypothesis.
A hypothesis is both a prediction of the results and your reasoning. Remember, we've learned a little bit about how the blades interact with the air. We need to angle them to get that unbalanced force to get them moving. The farther you angle them, they will have more drag they will experience as they cut sideways through the air. Larger blades will both catch more air (more force) and have to fight through more air (more drag).
Use the page in your journal that we set up to detail your Hypothesis:
1. Clearly sate your experimental questions:
1. Clearly sate your experimental questions:
We designed a set of blades to answer this question:
Does ______________________________ (fill in the blank with your detailed Independent Variable) affect how fast the turbine will spin and the voltage it will create?
2. Draw and label a small diagram of your blades that details Shape, Area, Material and Dowel Rod Placement,
3. Predict the results of the experiment:
3. Predict the results of the experiment:
Which group (Control or Experimental) do you think will spin the fastest and WHY you think it will spin faster than the blades in the other group.
BE SURE TO EXPLAIN YOUR SELF FULLY! Use some factual evidence, either from your observations of your blades or from what you know about how turbines work or what you know about Newtons Laws.
We other scientists need to know exactly what you think so we can decide if your ideas are the same as ours or if we want to argue with you.
Bring in your thoughtful hypothesis (in your journal) to your first science class next week when we will begin testing the turbines and measruing how much voltage they create.
