Hobbies And Interests
Purpose
The purpose of a science fair project on global warming is to illustrate how it works and how it impacts life on this planet. One of the first steps you need to take when creating your science fair project is to determine which question you want to answer. In most cases, you want to evaluate the reasons why global warming occurs and what environmental factors contribute to the issue. For instance, you question can relate to the impact of different types of terrain on global warming or how trapped gas contributes to the issue.
Materials
Glass containers can illustrate the way global warming works. Glass is clear and allows for the most amount of light to transfer from one side to the other. It is also solid, which traps heat and air inside the container. Some types of glass containers you can use for your project include glass jars and glass aquariums. A thermometer is another important material for most global warming projects. Depending on the type of experiment you want to perform, you need other materials. For instance, if your question is how different terrains impact global warming, you need soil, sand, water and a patch of plastic grass. For a science fair project on the effects of global warming on the ice caps, you also need water, ice cubes, plastic wrap and a rubber band.
Procedures
Whenever you conduct a science fair project, you must keep some things consistent between your groups. In the case of a project on the effects of different terrains, use a glass jar for each group. Place 1/4 inch of each element --- soil, sand and water --- into separate jars. Place a patch of plastic grass in the fourth jar. Place the lids on the jars and drill a hole to accommodate the thermometer. Seal the thermometer hole with clay to keep it in place about midway into the jar. Record the temperature at the beginning and after the jars are in the sun for half an hour. For an ice cap experiment, place the same amount of water that is the same temperature into two jars. Place five ice cubes into each jar and place the lids on. Leave one jar alone and wrap the other in plastic wrap secured with a rubber band. Set the jars in the sun for an hour and then take the temperature in each glass. You can also use an aquarium to track the temperature of the air within the tank after certain intervals in the sun.
Putting It Together
Whenever you put a science fair project together, you must use the data you collected to present the answer to your question. Take pictures of your experiment to show the judges and those present at the science fair exactly what you did. Create a chart that shows the data you collected, including the temperatures you recorded, the conditions under which each group was conducted and the time intervals between temperature readings. Some science fair projects require you to write up a report to accompany your display. This report should detail your experiment, including the materials you used, what question your project answers, the process of your experiment, the data you collected and your conclusion based on your results.