Physics Project Topic Ideas for High School

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around selecting a unique physics project topic for a high school assignment, focusing on principles that are not fully established or have exceptions. The student seeks ideas beyond common topics like wave-particle duality, aiming for something that can contribute new insights through experimentation. Suggestions include exploring the photoelectric effect, which aligns with the student's access to adequate equipment. The project allows for testing principles rather than disproving them, encouraging creativity in experimentation. Overall, the goal is to engage with physics concepts that invite further exploration and understanding.
John H
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I'm not sure if this really constitutes as homework, its really a question more about topics in physics. As a final project in our high school physics course, we have been asked to design and test a physics principle learned over the period of the course. Topic from Kinematics and dynamics, Circular motion, conservation of momentum, Electricity and Magnetism, wave nature of light. We also will learn about relativity, but this assignment is due before, although I have already read the modern physics unit out of interest and for doing presentation on quantum computing for comp sci class. Many of my fellow students are thinking about showing wave-particle duality, and so I want to do something different. Now the project does not state that we have to prove a principle learned in the course wrong, but just to test and if you are able to choose a topic that is not fully fleshed out in the course and could add to it through your experiment and presentation, than even better.

My question is what topic in high school physics isn't how should I say, fully fleshed out and concrete. By that I mean, its mostly true but has some exceptions or has been proven somewhat wrong through years of research. A good example is that light isn't only a wave but rather made up of photons, but has wave properties. Also it would be nice if an experiment could also be suggested, knowing that my school's labs have a limited supply of materials.
 
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John H said:
I'm not sure if this really constitutes as homework, its really a question more about topics in physics. As a final project in our high school physics course, we have been asked to design and test a physics principle learned over the period of the course. Topic from Kinematics and dynamics, Circular motion, conservation of momentum, Electricity and Magnetism, wave nature of light. We also will learn about relativity, but this assignment is due before, although I have already read the modern physics unit out of interest and for doing presentation on quantum computing for comp sci class. Many of my fellow students are thinking about showing wave-particle duality, and so I want to do something different. Now the project does not state that we have to prove a principle learned in the course wrong, but just to test and if you are able to choose a topic that is not fully fleshed out in the course and could add to it through your experiment and presentation, than even better.

My question is what topic in high school physics isn't how should I say, fully fleshed out and concrete. By that I mean, its mostly true but has some exceptions or has been proven somewhat wrong through years of research. A good example is that light isn't only a wave but rather made up of photons, but has wave properties. Also it would be nice if an experiment could also be suggested, knowing that my school's labs have a limited supply of materials.

Do you think you have adequate equipment to build up a demo of the photoelectric effect? That would be pretty cool.
 
I believe so, I have viewed some video after Ur suggestion and it seems like a reasonable experiment, more suggestions would help.
 
I think it's easist first to watch a short vidio clip I find these videos very relaxing to watch .. I got to thinking is this being done in the most efficient way? The sand has to be suspended in the water to move it to the outlet ... The faster the water , the more turbulance and the sand stays suspended, so it seems to me the rule of thumb is the hose be aimed towards the outlet at all times .. Many times the workers hit the sand directly which will greatly reduce the water...
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