PHYS 2080 - Physics Seminar

After forming a group, your team is required to present a research topic. Brainstorming topic keywords from popular magazines is a good start:

Here are some examples:

• What is a black hole and how it is formed?
• What are Newton's laws of force?
• What is the law of conservation of energy?

An overview or summary of the topic tells you what is known, what are the important issues, and gives you ideas of which area to explore. Besides Wikipedia and Google, you can find this background information in various encyclopedias and dictionaries.

To determine if the scope of your topic is appropriate for your assignment, you can search for books, articles, and other sources of information in databases such as PowerSearch (Library Catalog) and ProQuest. By doing so, you can assess the availability of relevant and reliable resources on your topic.

• Identify main concepts and keywords
  Before testing the scope, you need to "translate" your research question to concepts and keywords to help the databases understand what you are looking for.
  
  For example: "How does a transformer work?"

  Concept	Terms / Keywords
  Direct Current and Alternate Current	DC & AC
  magnetization	magnetic induction, magnetic polarization, magnetizing force or field
  voltage	electromotive force (EMF)

If you find that you have too much information, too little information, or information that is scattered and lacks focus, you may need to refine your topic.

Refine your topic by choosing a focus or point of view. Often, you start with a general topic and need to narrow it down. Occasionally you may need to broaden your topic.

• How to narrow down a topic
  • To find subtopics for a general topic, check the "Table of Contents" in books or encyclopedias. The table of contents can provide suggestions for breaking down the topic into more specific subtopics.
  • Choosing a focus, e.g., change the topic from "How does a transformer work?" to "How does a transformer work in stepping down the voltage?"
• How to broaden a topic
  • Lifting constraints, e.g., change "How to apply Newton's first law in explaining the motion of a stone released from a certain height" to "How to apply Newton's laws in explaining the motion of a stone released from a certain height".
  • Broaden the key concepts.

Remember:

1. Your goal is to reach a manageable scope that matches the requirements of your assignment in terms of length, depth, types of sources, etc.
2. The research topic is usually phrased as a question.