I'm preparing a project for the NIWA Auckland Science and Technology Fair. What are the key tips for making my science experiment reliable and accurate? Also, if I choose a technology project, what are the main things I'll be expected to do?
Navigate to scifair.org.nz. Click on the 'My Project' link. Click on the '3. Practical' link. Scroll down to locate the 'METHOD RELIABILITY AND ACCURACY' section and extract advice for reliability and accuracy. Continue scrolling to locate the 'Technology' section and extract the core activities for a technology project. Synthesize the extracted information into a concise answer.
State the advice for reliability, including repeating trials and averaging results to reduce errors from random variation (e.g., repeating experiments 5 times and averaging; timing 10 swings of a pendulum and dividing by 10). State the advice for accuracy, including using good measurement tools and techniques (e.g., reducing parallax error; using the smallest scale possible; using equipment that removes human error like optoelectric sensors or automatic ball launchers). List the core activities for a technology project: designing a solution to an identified problem or need that serves a real purpose, functional modelling, prototyping, or using materials to build a solution, and examining the fitness for purpose of earlier technological outcomes and making informed predictions about where things can go in the future.