Senior Project (HS): Physics Research Paper

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges of writing a high school senior project paper on a recent discovery in physics, with a focus on the inclusion of mathematical content and the structure of the presentation. Participants explore the balance between depth of content and time constraints for a presentation aimed at judges.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses uncertainty about how much mathematics to include in the paper, considering the audience's comprehension level and the time limit for the presentation.
  • Another participant suggests that with only 8 to 12 minutes, it may not be feasible to delve deeply into the equations, especially given the audience's potential lack of familiarity with complex topics.
  • A later reply emphasizes the importance of knowing the judges' expertise and suggests that a higher-level description should not be sacrificed for detailed explanations.
  • One participant indicates a desire to impress colleges rather than focusing on the judging aspect, suggesting a preference for avoiding complex math to ensure clarity for the audience.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the time constraint limits the depth of mathematical discussion, but there is some disagreement on the importance of impressing judges versus colleges. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the optimal balance of content and presentation style.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the challenge of fitting 20 pages of material into a 10-minute presentation, highlighting the need for careful consideration of content selection and audience understanding.

Biscuit
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Ok I can't tell if this should go in academic guidance or homework questions so I'll just put it here. I decided to do my high school senior project writing a paper on a recent discovery in physics. I narrowed my topic choices down to either photonic particles, exotic hadrons, or the Higgs. I want the paper to be around 20 pages but the problem is that I'm not sure how much mathematics I should include when discussing the detection or the application of these topics. Should I just include some main equations and briefly describe what they do or should I really dive into the details. I only have 8 - 12 minutes to actually present my topic so I'm at a loss here on exactly what my paper should mainly consist of. I don't want it to be too pop sci/pseudo science sounding but I also want to avoid making it look like it came out of a textbook. Also I doubt I have the mental fortitude for a paper completely about the mathematics. any recommendations on topic or paper structure would be greatly appreciated thank you.
 
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With only 8 to 12 minutes, you don't really have enough time to dive into details of the equations. Also, as this is a high school class, the details might be well beyond the level of comprehension of the people in your audience.
 
Mark44 said:
With only 8 to 12 minutes, you don't really have enough time to dive into details of the equations. Also, as this is a high school class, the details might be well beyond the level of comprehension of the people in your audience.
The presentation is to a group of judges not students. And to be honest I don't care how complicated it is because I'm mainly doing this for college stuff not high school grade
 
Biscuit said:
The presentation is to a group of judges not students.
Are the judges knowledgeable in the field your topic is in? If they are, can you fit a detailed explanation of the equations into ~10 minutes? This shouldn't be at the expense of a higher-level description. Also, trying to present 20 pages of material in ~10 minutes would be difficult, I would think.
 
Mark44 said:
Are the judges knowledgeable in the field your topic is in? If they are, can you fit a detailed explanation of the equations into ~10 minutes? This shouldn't be at the expense of a higher-level description. Also, trying to present 20 pages of material in ~10 minutes would be difficult, I would think.
I honestly don't care that much about the judging and all of that. I expect on getting an A no matter what way I approach the paper. The reality of it is that I want it to look like I know something for colleges. But now I just realized they probably won't end up reading it so its probably best to avoid the complex math for the judges sake. I guess Ill check with my teacher to see if they are going to be educated on the topic.
 

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