Weird question: ideas of a physics' project

[ikjadoon]

Hi! As you can see, I didn't use the template, but that is because this is a different kind of question.

I need to think of a project relating to physics for my final project in Honor's Physics. She (the teacher) would like an idea by Monday and the sooner I can start researching, the better.

I want something cutting-edge, new, unexplained, mysterious, relating to technology, etc. I kind of don't know where to start. Where does one find ideas for physic's projects?

I was thinking about quantum cryptology, but it seemed a bit difficult to understand. The parts that I did understand, however, weren't interesting. Maybe you have to understand it all to really get the picture. But I am in 11th-grade, so nothing that would take a few months to really understand. I'd like to be challenged, though. If anyone has any cool ideas, give me a shout! :D

~Ibrahim~

 

[eys_physics]

Maybe you can explain which area of Physics you want to your project in (and your knowledge). And if your project should be theoretically (for example simulations) or experimentally and the period of time you have. Quantum Cryptography is very interesting but not very trivial to understand at a first glance.

 

[ikjadoon]

Well, I'm open to anything, really, as long as it is relatively new. We have done Newton's laws extensively, we've done heat/energy, we've just finished light/sound waves, and have recently moved into quantum mechanics. How deep have we gone? Although there is quite a bit of math, it is more conceptual-like than a college-level class. I mean, I could tell how many joules of energy it would take to evaporate a lake or tell you the basic steps of a nuclear decay series, but not much more than that.

It should mostly be theoretical, as I only have a few weeks to prepare. It is more of a research project than an actual study. If I could demonstrate a few things, it might be cool. Basically, I should explain it, tell why it is important, what advances have been made, etc. We actually haven't received an official prompt, but I've heard from previous students that it is very open-ended.

I've been reading some papers online from graduate students, but unfortunately the good ones focus on the computer science half of Quantum Cryptography. Is there a place where I can find information on it? The information at HowStuffWorks.com is good, but possibly not deep enough. Heck, even that is a bit hard to understand. But I'd like some good articles/studies that I can have a look at.

Thanks for the response, really. :)

~Ibrahim~

 

[Ataman]

There are some awesome online demonstrations done by an MIT professor during his lectures.

ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Physics/8-01Physics-IFall1999/VideoLectures/index.htm

Something (I suggest) you could try in your high school physics class is discuss bernoulli's equation. Explain why the glass of cranberry juice empties itself. Walter Lewin does it in lecture #28.

-Ataman

 

[Maurice]

Ibrahim's weird question is what caught my attention. I am in almost the same situation, and still fishing for ideas. Mine is to be a project for my Bsc. Physics program, and my area of interest is quantum computing or quantum information science. I have about 8 months to get it done. I would like to go mostly theoretical because being in Kenya, the experimental stuff that might be required will just not be available. Any ideas are highly welcome and appreciated.

Maurice.

 

[ikjadoon]

After some thinking and thinking, I've settled on nuclear fusion.

Thank you for the link Ataman! That is really quite an amazing site, it touches on some stuff that our class didn't have time for.

~Ibrahim~

P.S. Sorry for the late response, the email notifications don't seem to be working.