Project Proposal

UCLA Physics Department

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Creating a Project Proposal

• Before we get started on performing our experiments for our group-led projects, we need to come up with a cohesive idea for what these projects will be

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• In your groups, you will create a 3-4 page project proposal to describe your experiment, the materials you’ll need, and a general timeline for your project

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• The next slides will discuss this more in-depth. Here is a template that you can reference for your proposal. Submit your proposal on Gradescope by Week 6 Tuesday 11:59 pm

Required Information in the Proposal

• You’ve already come up with an idea for the project. Now you need to include two main items in your proposal:

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• Theory, motivation, and prediction:
• Background physics concepts and equations
• What your experiment intends to measure (independent and dependent variables)
• A hypothesis of how your dependent variables will behave based on the changes you make to the independent variables
• Experimental process:
• The materials you will need for your project
• How you intend to use the materials to measure properties of your system
• Potential sources of error and how you intend to minimize it

Introduction Section

• In this section, state the main goals of your project. Include background information, necessary equations, and the motivation for your project choice

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• State how you intend to perform your experiment:
• Explain the independent and dependent variables you will be measuring
• Describe the measurement-taking process
• Include how many datasets you intend to take
• Describe how you will analyze your datasets
• Explain how you intend to control for and minimize systematic errors

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• Include a specific, measurable, and predictive hypothesis for your experiment based on what you intend to measure

Materials Section

• List ALL of the materials that you will use for your project with bullet points. Clearly indicate the materials that you will require from the lab (e.g., air track & supply, springs, masses, etc.)

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• Here is a list of all the materials that the lab can provide

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• Include a complete diagram of your experimental setup. If a complete diagram of your setup is too complex, your project may require too much time to complete

Planning Section

• You will have 6 labs available per group member to complete the project. Ensure that the scope of the project fits this timeline

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• Include a distribution of tasks for how you will divide the project work among group members

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• Include a timeline for when you plan to achieve specific project goals. This timeline should be very thorough and include relevant dates

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• Refer to the project submissions page of the project instructions for a timeline of when you are expected to complete each deliverable