|
Write Better Science:
|
CONCLUSIONS - A PIECE OF CAKE!
At this point your report should have introduced all the relevant concepts, described the method used, displayed the data and analysis, and discussed the results and improvements to the method. Now is the time to write your conclusion. Simple, right? We write those all of the time for English and History assignments - a piece of cake!
Ah, but you would be wrong! When making a good impression it’s important to start off strong, and finish strong, but unfortunately this is simply not the case for most students. Their conclusions are rife with errors that are so easy to fix!
WHAT SHOULD A CONCLUSION LOOK LIKE?
Okay, now you might be wondering; Ok Mr Boman, what does a conclusion look like on a prac report? The first thing to keep in mind is that its purpose is to summarise your experiment. This means summarising what you set out to do, what thoughts you had going into it (hypothesis and/or expectations), what were the results and your concluding statement.
What you set out to do - to summarise this point, you will need to restate your aim.
What thoughts you had going into it - this means you have to restate your hypothesis or expected outcomes depending on whether your experiment has a hypothesis or not.
What were the results - select specific data from your results that summarise your findings. If you aren’t quoting any numbers or observations from the experiment, then you are doing it wrong.
Concluding statement - this is the part where you state whether the results supported, negated the hypothesis or otherwise inconclusive. If your experiment was not investigating a hypothesis, but instead an objective (like, to measure the quantity of caffeine in Red Bull), then write a statement based on what you have.
At this point your report should have introduced all the relevant concepts, described the method used, displayed the data and analysis, and discussed the results and improvements to the method. Now is the time to write your conclusion. Simple, right? We write those all of the time for English and History assignments - a piece of cake!
Ah, but you would be wrong! When making a good impression it’s important to start off strong, and finish strong, but unfortunately this is simply not the case for most students. Their conclusions are rife with errors that are so easy to fix!
WHAT SHOULD A CONCLUSION LOOK LIKE?
Okay, now you might be wondering; Ok Mr Boman, what does a conclusion look like on a prac report? The first thing to keep in mind is that its purpose is to summarise your experiment. This means summarising what you set out to do, what thoughts you had going into it (hypothesis and/or expectations), what were the results and your concluding statement.
What you set out to do - to summarise this point, you will need to restate your aim.
What thoughts you had going into it - this means you have to restate your hypothesis or expected outcomes depending on whether your experiment has a hypothesis or not.
What were the results - select specific data from your results that summarise your findings. If you aren’t quoting any numbers or observations from the experiment, then you are doing it wrong.
Concluding statement - this is the part where you state whether the results supported, negated the hypothesis or otherwise inconclusive. If your experiment was not investigating a hypothesis, but instead an objective (like, to measure the quantity of caffeine in Red Bull), then write a statement based on what you have.
EXAMPLE 1: A CONCLUSION WITH A HYPOTHESIS
The aim of the investigation was to determine the bounce efficiency of a tennis ball at varying heights and it was hypothesised that as the drop height was increased, so too will the bounce height due to the extra gravitational potential energy being added with an increase of drop height. The findings indicated subtle changes occur in the bounce efficiency of the tennis ball ranging from 37.3% to 32.9%, but with an overall decline in the chosen linear trend line. The results of the experiment support the hypothesis that as drop height increases, so too will the bounce height due to an increase in gravitational potential energy, however the bounce efficiency remained relatively consistent.
EXAMPLE 2: A CONCLUSION WITHOUT A HYPOTHESIS
The aim of the investigation was to verify the 20g/L of ammonia claim on the label of "cloudy ammonia". The experimental results determined a 20.6g/L content with an uncertainty of 2.604%, which differed by a 3% margin from the claim. This minor difference in ammonia content provides evidence of the authenticity of the claim as well as some indication of the tolerances of the product's manufacturing.
The aim of the investigation was to determine the bounce efficiency of a tennis ball at varying heights and it was hypothesised that as the drop height was increased, so too will the bounce height due to the extra gravitational potential energy being added with an increase of drop height. The findings indicated subtle changes occur in the bounce efficiency of the tennis ball ranging from 37.3% to 32.9%, but with an overall decline in the chosen linear trend line. The results of the experiment support the hypothesis that as drop height increases, so too will the bounce height due to an increase in gravitational potential energy, however the bounce efficiency remained relatively consistent.
EXAMPLE 2: A CONCLUSION WITHOUT A HYPOTHESIS
The aim of the investigation was to verify the 20g/L of ammonia claim on the label of "cloudy ammonia". The experimental results determined a 20.6g/L content with an uncertainty of 2.604%, which differed by a 3% margin from the claim. This minor difference in ammonia content provides evidence of the authenticity of the claim as well as some indication of the tolerances of the product's manufacturing.
THE TOP 5 STUDENT MISTAKES
5. Students tend to write conclusions that are not insightful. They tend to say things like; “and so the experiment was successful” - what does that even mean?
4. They do not summarise their findings
3. They forget to restate their hypothesis and aim. Usually they just refer to them as ‘the aim was achieved’, or ‘the hypothesis was incorrect’.
2. Misusing the word ‘proven’ in their conclusion. To prove something in science, requires much more rigorous testing - numerous times, and verified by other scientists repeating your experiment, and testing it from different approaches it to verify that it is indeed true. This is beyond the scope of a high school science experiment so you are not in a position to say ‘prove’. Don’t use it!
1. And the most common mistake of all is that students don’t refer to specific data to back up their claims. This makes for a very weak, unsubstantiated conclusion.
5. Students tend to write conclusions that are not insightful. They tend to say things like; “and so the experiment was successful” - what does that even mean?
4. They do not summarise their findings
3. They forget to restate their hypothesis and aim. Usually they just refer to them as ‘the aim was achieved’, or ‘the hypothesis was incorrect’.
2. Misusing the word ‘proven’ in their conclusion. To prove something in science, requires much more rigorous testing - numerous times, and verified by other scientists repeating your experiment, and testing it from different approaches it to verify that it is indeed true. This is beyond the scope of a high school science experiment so you are not in a position to say ‘prove’. Don’t use it!
1. And the most common mistake of all is that students don’t refer to specific data to back up their claims. This makes for a very weak, unsubstantiated conclusion.