Lesson One: Choosing a Problem

This course is designed to instruct you in how to conduct a research project from beginning to end.

Lesson 1: Introduction, How to Choose a Research Problem, and how to refine an idea for a project.

Lesson 2: Acquiring the necessary background for your project, staying abreast of current developments, and keeping a reading log.

Lesson 3: The scientific method in general, how to plan a research project using the scientific method, developing a budget.

Lesson 4: How to design, construct, and conduct an experiment.

Lesson 5: How to do field observations, how to collect samples, and how to classify samples.

Lesson 6: How to take measurements, do data analysis, and error analysis

Lesson 7: Sets out the basics of probability, randomness, and statistical distributions.

Lesson 8: Sets out the basics of set theory, logic, and proofs.

Lesson 9: How to formulate hypotheses, how to prove theorems, how to construct mathematical models.

Lesson 10: The basics of Mathematica use, developing mathematical models in Mathematica, developing approximations in Mathematica.

How to Choose a Problem

One of the hardest things about starting scientific research is choosing a good problem to work on. A good problem is:

• Something that is of real interest to you.
• Something that you can do in a reasonable period of time.
• Something that you care about enough to really work on.

Ask yourself these questions:

1) Is it something I am genuinely interested in?

2) Is it something that I can do? If not, is it something that I feel I can learn enough about to do anyway?

3) Is it something that I can devote time and other resources to completing?

4) Do I feel I can make a contribution?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you must move on to another problem. Pick one problem that passes all four to work on.

Now that you know how to test to see if a problem is worth trying, how do you choose a problem to work on?

Begin by choosing some phenomenon that you are interested in. One way of choosing an interesting phenomenon is to look into a book on a subject that interests you. Phenomena can be events, objects, devices, or even procedures.

Examples of Events:

• Combustion
• Computer Search Algorithms
• Equation Solving
• Lightning
• Metabolism of a Substance in Bacteria
• Photosynthesis
• Supernova
• Thermonuclear Fusion

Examples of Objects:

• Algebraic Groups
• Black Holes
• Computer Model
• Crystals
• Leptons
• Proteins
• Tornadoes
• Viruses

Examples of Devices:

• Anemometers
• CCD Cameras
• Centrifuges
• Gas Chromatographs
• Microprocessors
• Microscopes
• Particle Accelerators

Examples of Procedures:

• Calculating the Acceleration of an Object
• Data Analysis
• Electrophoresis
• Isolation of Bacteria
• Java Programming
• Severe Weather Forecasting
• Taking a Derivative
• Titration

Write down what phenomena interest you right now.

Refining a Research Problem

For evey phenomena that you listed above look through the questions below and see if a project idea comes to mind. Write that idea down immediately! Don't worry about whether you can do it yet. Even if you decide not to pursue the idea right away, it is something you might come back to when you can devote more time to it.

Question #1: What is the phenomenon?

Question #2: Can the phenomenon be generalized into a family of related phenomena?

Question #3: Can you make some general statements about the phenomenon?

Question #4: Can you simplify your view of the phenomenon by making some simplifying assumption?

Question #5: Can you figure out how to predict the phonomenon?

Question #6: Can you find a thoeretical basis for the phenomenon?

Question #7: Does the phenomenon fit an existing pattern?

Question #8: Can the phenomenon exist?

Question #9: Must the phenomenon exist?

Question #10: Can you design something related to the phenomenon?

Question #11: Can you make a model of the phenomenon?

Question #12: What predictions can we make with a model of the phenomenon?

Question #13: Can you think of an experiment to prove the phenomenon?

Question #14: How can the phenomenon be accomplished?

Question #15: What is the process of the phenomenon?

Question #16: How can the phenomenon be measured?

Question #17: How can the phenomenon be used?

Question #18: How can you classify the phenomenon?

Question #19: How is the phenomenon made?

Question #20: How is your phenomenon related to other phenomena?

Question #21: What happens when you consider only a part of the phenomenon?

Question #22: Is the phenomenon part of a larger phenomenon?

Question #23: What are the effects of the phenomenon on its environment?

Question #24: Whare can the phenomenon be found?

There is, of course, some duplication in this list.

Apply the four questions for choosing a project above to determine if you should work on the problem. If so continue with this problem to the next lesson.

Click here to return to the Conduct of Science web page.