Sci-box_Keep your hair on

			Keep your hair on


		How strong is a single human hair?

		Be careful if you are pulling your hair out - make sure you only pull one hair ... or you'll be the only bald kid in your class. Be careful if you decide to use scissors - you don't want anyone to get scalped!

PLAN	Whose hair will you use? What length of hair will you use? What will you fix the hair to? How will you fix it? What weights will you need? How will you add the weights? How many times will you repeat the experiment? What data will you collect?			I WILL NEED	A hair. Some weights. Something to fix the weights to the hair. Paper & pencil to record results.
				I MAY NEED	More than one hair - perhaps different kinds of hair (curly, fine, dark, blond, ginger). A forcemeter.
				FAIR TEST	Does the length of hair matter?

	PREDICTION	What mass (weight) will a single hair support? Will different types of hair be stronger?

PRACTICAL ACTIVITY	What did you do? Give a clear step-by-step explanation. What did you observe? Did you encounter any problems? What did you do to overcome these?			COLLECT DATA	What weights did you use? If you repeated the experiment, are your results consistent?
				ANALYSE DATA	Which type of hair is strongest? You could draw a chart showing strongest to weakest in order. Can you explain your findings?
				PRESENT FINDINGS	What is the best way to show what you did? Perhaps a step-by-step explanation? Would a diagram make things clearer? Is it possible to give a demonstration? What is the best way to show your data and your findings?

	EVALUATE INVESTIGATION	If someone else was going to carry out this investigation, what tips or advice would you give them? If you were going to do this investigation again, what would you do to improve it?

	If you have carried out this investigation, you may wish to send your results to Brainboxx - we may publish your work on the website. Click this icon to e-mail the results of your investigation or you may need to send them by post. Make sure you get permission from a teacher, parent or other adult before you get in touch.
	HAIR