What this event is about
Teams plan an experiment, collect data, and write a structured report (variables, procedure, graphs, analysis, conclusion).
Study plan
Setup (team of up to 3, ~50 min, Eye Protection C, Class II calculator, one timepiece, one linear measuring device — tools only for intended use, not as experiment parts)
- Memorize the official 2-part student report form sections and checklist point values from soinc.org.
- Minute 0–20 (Part I focus): Statement of Problem (not yes/no; includes variables) → Hypothesis (IV–DV relationship, direction, rationale) → Variables (IV levels + operational defs; DV; three relevant CVs) → quantified Materials (no extras) → Procedure list with repeats + labeled setup diagrams → qualitative observations → raw + condensed data tables.
- After Part II arrives: Graph (title, labels, scale, units) → Statistics (central tendency + variation with example calcs per IV level; two more stats at State/National shaded cells) → two specific experimental errors with effects.
- CER blocks: data trend, outliers, and variation — each Claim/Evidence/Reasoning. Conclusion restates hypothesis with CER. Applications: improve experiment, practical use, future experiments (State/National extras on checklist).
- Practice improvising IV/DV relationships from mystery materials in 20 minutes; always collect real on-site data (fake data ×0.25).
- Stay on the assigned question/topic (off-topic up to ×0.75). Clean up (×0.95 if not). Wear goggles or risk DQ.
- Peer-score write-ups with the checklist; know tiebreak order: CER → Procedure → Variables → Data Table → Graph.
- Role-split during practices (designer, data collector, writer) then rotate so all three can finish any section.
Tips
Graph early. A clean data table beats a fancy but incomplete conclusion.