Top 20 Best Science CBA 1 Ideas for 2nd Year Students

The junior cycle science CBA 1 is an assessment of students’ abilities to carry out an extended experimental investigation. The topic can be anything from the three areas of junior cycle science; physics, chemistry, and biology.

This assessment examines a student's ability to question and predict the outcomes of a hypothesis. They then must create and carry out a plan using the scientific process and analysis. Science CBA 1 finishes with a reflection and report of findings from the experiment.

Here are a few Science CBA 1 ideas and examples;

1. Dropping a Ball to Measure the Bounce

This experiment involves dropping a ball like a football or bouncing ball and examining the relationship between the height of the bounces and how high the ball was dropped from. The student could use this experiment to show that the ball will not bounce higher than the initial height it is dropped from unless a force other than gravity acts upon it.

For some additional insight into how a dropped ball will bounce, the student should drop the ball from different heights. The challenge in this experiment is finding an accurate method for measuring how high the ball bounces after dropping.

Although, if you let the ball drop from some wood fixed in place like some furniture, you could see with your eyes, whether the ball bounces back to the same height.

2. Making a Lather with Water

This experiment can examine the relationship between water hardness and soap. First, you get some soap flakes and add them one at a time to some pure water. Keep doing so until lather forms, or in other words, small bubbles appear in the water.

Next, repeat the process with a hard water mix. You can make water harder yourself by adding in small quantities of minerals like calcium. Observe the results and create a detailed report on the topic.

3. Showing How Resistance Influences a Lightbulb in a Circuit

Showing how current flows through a circuit using a resistor is another good idea for your science CBA 1. For this excitement, you will need to connect a lightbulb to a circuit containing a battery or fixed power supply and include a switch.

You should also place a resistor in the circuit that you can remove and replace with others. Start with a strong resistor and take note of how bright the light is, then work your way down to weaker resistors until the bulb is shining brighter.

4. Examining Heat Loss

This experiment is a simple one that can be approached in a few different ways. Whichever method you choose to examine the process of heat loss, involves the same core elements; heating something and recording the time it takes to cool back down.

You could heat different liquids or different metals using the same equipment and see how long it takes for them to return to room temperature. Repeating this process for water versus oil, or steel versus copper will offer you insights into how heat loss works. After all, the scientific process is what you're trying to show in your CBA 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EbfiXYxKS8

5. Cleaning Pennies

A fun, inexpensive and easy experiment that's suitable for science CBA 1 is cleaning pennies overnight using various liquids. All you need for this is a few small containers and a few different liquids like cola, soap, bleach, water and whatever else you can think of.

Pour a small quantity of whatever liquid you chose, into each container and place dirty pennies inside. Wait a set amount of time, like 24 or 48 hours, and then examine the results. Using different liquids and taking multiple measurements throughout the experiment will provide you with all the data you need for a great CBA 1.

6. How does the pressure and volume of a gas relate?

See how the pressure and volume of a gas are connected by doing an experiment with a simple gas law setup. Use a cylinder with a moving part and a gauge to measure the pressure of the gas as its volume changes.

7. Which sunscreen is most effective at blocking UV radiation?

Check how different sunscreens protect you from UV radiation by doing an experiment. Place different types of sunscreen in front of a UV light and see which one stops the most UV light from getting through.

8. Concentration and Osmosis in Plants How does the concentration of a solution affect osmosis in plant cells?

Find out how the concentration of a solution affects osmosis in plant cells by doing an experiment. Put thin slices of potato or other plants in different concentrations of sugar solutions and see how they change size or weight over time.

9. How does the concentration of a solution affect its electrical conductivity?

Learn about how the concentration of a solution affects its electrical conductivity by doing an experiment. Measure the electrical conductivity of different concentrations of salt solutions using a conductivity meter.

10. What is the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration?

Discover the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration by doing experiments with a force sensor and pulley system. Measure the force and acceleration of a moving mass using a force sensor and pulley.

11. What are the properties of waves and how can they be measured?

Investigate the different properties of waves, such as wavelength, frequency, and amplitude, by doing an experiment with a wave generator. Generate different types of waves and measure their properties with a wave meter.

12. How does soil composition impact plant growth?

See how the composition of soil affects the growth of plants by doing an experiment. Grow plants in soil with different compositions and compare their growth and development over time to see which soil composition is best for growing plants.

13. Investigating Soil Properties and Plant Growth

In this science task, students examine the properties of various soil types and their impact on plant growth. Through research and a controlled experiment, students compare growth of the same seed planted in different soil types. The aim is to determine which soil type is best for optimal plant growth and to understand the importance of soil properties.

14. Light Intensity and Photosynthesis

Students study the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis in Elodea plants. They set up a controlled experiment to measure the rate of photosynthesis under different light conditions and analyze the results. The task highlights the role of light in the process of photosynthesis and the importance of light intensity for plant growth.

15. Factors Affecting Evaporation Rates

Students analyze the factors that impact the rate of evaporation in different liquids. Through a controlled experiment, students measure the evaporation rate of several liquids under varying temperature and humidity conditions. The task teaches students about the interplay of temperature, humidity, and evaporation rates.

16. Temperature and Chemical Reactions

Students explore the relationship between temperature and the rate of reaction between Hydrochloric Acid and Sodium Thiosulphate. By conducting a controlled experiment, students observe the effect of temperature on reaction time and understand the impact of temperature on chemical reactions.

17. Battery Size and Motor Performance

In this task, students investigate the relationship between the size of a battery and the time it takes to run a motor. Through a controlled experiment, students compare the performance of motors powered by different sized batteries and analyze the results. The task teaches students about the relationship between energy sources and mechanical performance.

18. Investigating the Effect of pH on Enzyme Activity

Students explore the impact of pH on enzyme activity by conducting a controlled experiment using catalase and hydrogen peroxide. Students measure the rate of reaction under different pH conditions and analyze the results to understand how pH affects enzyme activity. This task highlights the importance of pH in biological processes.

19. The Effect of Concentration on Rate of Reaction

Students examine the relationship between concentration and the rate of reaction by conducting a controlled experiment with Sodium Thiosulphate and Hydrochloric Acid. Students compare reaction time under different concentration conditions and analyze the results to understand the impact of concentration on reaction rate.

20. Investigating the Impact of Surface Area on Rate of Reaction

In this task, students explore the relationship between surface area and the rate of reaction. Through a controlled experiment, students compare the rate of reaction between a solid and a powdered form of the same substance and analyze the results. The task teaches students about the impact of surface area on reaction rate and the importance of particle size in chemical reactions.

Key Takeaways

You can choose a complicated or simple experiment for your science CBA 1, and still achieve high marks. However, you must include as much data, details and processes to make the experiment accurate and scientific to get ahead of other students.

Take measurements and consider different variables when creating the CBA 1. Also, make sure you make changes between measurements like raising the ball higher to measure the bounce, or cleaning pennies in different liquids so you can compare results.

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