Could this physics EE ever get an A?

[sleepisover]

I am having ALOT of trouble on finding a topic in physics HL since in our school we take all of the SL stuff on the first year then the AHL topics in the second year, which means that my knowledge is basically that of a physics SL student so im finding it really hard to find a physics Topic with good depth but this is what i got to till now:

"To What extent can the change in temperature affect the Bounce-back height of a squash ball"

[sleepisover]

can anyone help?

[lostfan123]

Trust me its not the topic tht will get you an A. Even if u works months on it, doing research nd think u have written a good essay, the highest u will get is a C. So if u are looking for high grades don't do physics, if u wanna do research nd have fun in doin physics den only do a physics ee!!!

[dessskris]

my boyfriend did an IA on a similar topic :/ I'd say your EE is too narrow. I'm not sure what you can do though as I never really looked into science EEs but perhaps you could have two independent variables? check with the EE guide and your supervisor though, I'm not so sure.

[sleepisover]

Thanks for the replys, we're not getting alot of help from our supervisors in summer and the school wants our EE in September (Crazy deadline). And i think i have to do physics because i plan on applying in engineering in college so cant they wonder why i didnt do it in physics? (also can this be expanded in any way to have potential for an A?)

Desy Glau: Do you happen to know what he got in it?

[dessskris]

if you like physics, do your EE on it. make sure that you'll enjoy the subject and the topic. otherwise it's going to be wasted

whether you can get an A or not actually depends on how good you explain things and the contents of your EE, really. I cannot tell. even if you have an awesome topic but you don't know how to explain stuffs, you'll still fail. if your supervisor can't help you, I guess there are other physics teachers at your school? try to ask them.

I probably wouldn't be able to give good advices, but read the EE guide, read physics EE exemplars and spot on what you need to write/show.

about that IA, actually it was a design IA. I don't know what he ended up getting, but I could ask him for you if you'd like to know...?

[sleepisover]

Thanks Desi And no need to ask him, IA and EE's are really different although they'd both be labs but thanks anyway

[sleepisover]

BUt now i'm feeling kinda stuck because i cant think of ANY topic that has potential to get an A? Can anone give some examples that got an A so that i can set a bar to the topics im thinking of.

[sleepisover]

bump?

[Arrowhead]

Personally, I think your problem is that you're too hell bent on trying to get an A rather than writing a good EE. You can write your EE on cow farts releasing methane being the most potent cause of global warming and means to counter that and you could get an A. Believe it or not, one of my friends in my batch did his EE on that and he and I were the only two people to get As on our EE, he being the first person to get an A in a Science EE, and the first person in the school's history to do an EE in Environmental Systems and still get an A. Mate if you do your EE on flipping gas, literally, you can get an A so long as you do it well and check off all the tick marks on the IB rubric while doing so. Your problem is that if you fret too much about the right topic and get caught up in that, you're missing the point of the EE, which is all the effort that goes into writing a good one. The longer you worry about the perfect topic, the lesser time you have to actually write and get that elusive A.

And i think i have to do physics because i plan on applying in engineering in college so cant they wonder why i didnt do it in physics?

That's rubbish by the way. The EE is a long term project and is a huge paper to write in High School, if you're doing it thinking it will impress colleges you're so wrong. One of my friends a few batches above me applied for medicine at Cambridge. Her EE was in English A1 about "Magic Realism in folklore and Harry Potter" and some such. During one of her Cambridge interviews (she had two), the interviewers spent majority of the time gushing over her topic and how she came to choose it and the fascinating research she's done. Its worthy of note that she's entering her third year at Cambridge this coming fall.

What I'm trying to say is, do your EE in Physics if you absolutely adore Physics and cannot imagine yourself writing a 4,000 word formal essay in anything else, no matter what. Don't do it in the misguided attempt to impress colleges otherwise you will start entertaining notions like "I can't do MUN or Theatre for fun outside of class, won't my engineering college think I was wasting my time on these endeavours instead of winning blue ribbons at Science Fairs!?!"

Two of my friends did their EEs in Maths. Both of them were in Maths HL, both of them were the only students in Maths Further, both of them got 7s in Maths HL and 6 and 5 respectively in Maths Further. One got a B in his EE and the other got a C in her EE. But they absolutely adored Maths, it was their raison d'être I dare say because one is studying Maths at UChicago right now and the other is studying Engineering at Stanford (after rejecting Cambridge).

You need to do your EE in something you love otherwise it will be a painstaking process for you, and even if it is a subject you love, it has to be a specific topic you're in love with. Beyond that, you have to start working on your EE, you have to work and work and work on it until you can recite it in your sleep. The longer you take to decide your topic, the more you're derailing from the actual work which will really determine your final grade.

I don't mean to make you feel like a berk or be a **** for that matter, but this is the best advice I can think of giving you. So please take it in that spirit.

Best of luck,

Arrowhead.

Edited July 13, 2011 by Arrowhead

[sleepisover]

... Your post is feakin amazing! Thank you for bringning my hopes up!! I was literally panicking because of my inability to get an "amazing" topic, but now im starting to understand where the main bulk of the EE should be. I practically love physics and math, and i AM passionate about them, however i never actually thought alot about something that intrigues me in them (which is why i cant think of an even mediocre topic)also do you think the topic should have a "purpose"/"practical use" when it comes to these subjects. And is the extended essay grade itself THAT important to colleges?

[Arrowhead]

And is the extended essay grade itself THAT important to colleges?

It depends on where you're applying. If its the UK, they don't give a flying f*ck if you wrote your EE on Einstein's theory of Relativity or frickin' cow fart so long as you rake in the marks that you need to meet your predicted, your EE exists (insofar as UK Unis are concerned) for a two-fold purpose: (1) 50% of the reason to boost your overall score by 3 points and (2) one of your requirements to get your diploma. US Unis would take a look into it if you bring their attention to it by saying, "By the way, I wrote this awesome 4,000-word paper in Physics," and then too they would perk up and ask, "Why did you do it on the extent that temperature affects the bounce-back effect of squash balls?" you better have an impressive answer as to what was so fascinating about a bouncing ball that you wrote 4,000 words on it.

Honestly I don't know how you got it in your head that the EE matters in any way, shape or form insofar as Unis are concerned unless its something special that you brought their attention to for a specific reason.

i never actually thought alot about something that intrigues me in them (which is why i cant think of an even mediocre topic)also do you think the topic should have a "purpose"/"practical use" when it comes to these subjects.

Start thinking.

As far as the essay itself is concerned, consult the rubric, the rubric is your BIBLE!! And do what you think is right. I can't tell you what would or would not be useful in a Physics EE because if you check my signature, I wrote mine in English, I didn't even take a 'real' science in the IB (or so I'm told), so really, wrong person to ask about specificities about a science subject-based EE.