Thermal Output of Compost Lab
Questions - What are we trying to figure out. Come up with three or four questions.
Hypothesis - What do we think will happen. This needs to be a testable idea and something that will help answer our questions.
Research - This is a large part of the lab. Discuss how to create a compost pile, how heat is created in the pile, what is creating the heat, and how the pile changes over time. Also, discuss what should be done to properly maintain the pile.
Materials - List everything needed to conduct this lab.
Procedure - Describe in detail all steps needed to create the experiment and collect appropriate data.
Data - tables with all the data (use excel)
Graphs - 3 separate graphs, one of the temperatures in Core A compared to room temperature over 40 days, one of Core B compared to the room temperature over 40 days, and one graph with a comparison of Core A and Core B over 40 days.
Analysis - A description of what the data shows. Describe trends and try to relate them to what the research said. Did our compost pile act like it should have or did strange things happen. Why is there a difference between the two compost piles?
Conclusion - What did we learn in terms of what we were testing (think about our hypothesis). Use the data in your justification of what you learned. Discuss what we did wrong, including improper technique, missed data, errors, and other irregularities even if they may be trivial.
Further Questions - If we were to do a follow up lab, what questions should be try to answer?