Research Paper

[Radman]

What would be a good topic for a research paper? I'm doing one in English and it can be on whatever we want.

[ccfan213]

do something related to highly advanced tech work... you can start completely making up terms and your teacher will never know :-P

[Mayhem]

Do you have an outline to follow?

Perhaps a historical overview of your school theatre may be a good topic.

[ship]

Originally Posted by ccfan213

do something related to highly advanced tech work... you can start completely making up terms and your teacher will never know :-P

Hmm, making up terms... what school do you go to in expecting others to contact your teachers now? Never post what might be harmful to what tactics you use that are not correct on-line by way of advice, and in tech, even if stressed to get something out, never cheat in what your career path might become. Far too useful to learn and present something that you might use later. What might get you by at time is never what one should advise. Much less in presenting fictional info, you never know who as a teacher just because they are not in your program have not have a tech course in the past and might call you on it. I would view other than factual info and a real research project similar to that of plagerism in my own grading were I grading. In the pro setting, I often get those who attempt to punt their knowing what they are doing but attempting to get by. They get my special attention. I would hope this was more joke than reality.

[ccfan213]

it certainly was a joke, obviously it would be really stupid to completely make up terms, a simple google search on a term could lead someone to information that could catch you cheating. that wasnt serious at all.
but a serious topic might be the history of theatre... there is alot on that particularly for english, you could go as far back as shakespeare or even further.

[ship]

Sorry to call you on the joke in not understanding it's intent. No offense meant, just a clarification. We both do 25 pushups for the error and five for the Marine Corps for the sake of it in this it would seem.... begin....

Agreed that on a more serious tone, it is what ever takes your interest that is most of interest for you to write about. It's not like the 20's where there will have been only so many topics. Literally what ever takes your interest now can be written about be it how a 4x8 platform in using one to three center supports of 2x4 lumber in a box frame and a single layer of 3/4" plywood can be rated for a 50# live load, yet the same area of your bedroom floor no doubt has 2x10 lumber 16" on center with a double layer of material in only having a 30# live load. Beyond baloon fraiming, this can be something to think about in a paper on the engineering of it all. To what makes a moving light turn right after a signal tells it to? What about a motor will make it spin one direction or another? Beyond the signal that tells the electronics which way to turn the motor as it's own term paper, what make a motor spin in a specific direction?
You name it, the field is wide open. I certainly have written some doosies here.

[Radman]

Jeez don't throw all your ideas at once.

I picked dimmer doubling.
We just had to pick a topic and make a thesis, then do the research. We don't even have to write the paper, we're "focusing on the process, not the product." Sweetest teacher, lets us be late, eat and drink in class, etc. Very glad to have a break from the normal "take off your coat! Go to your locker! Where's your pass! Is that gum? You're cleaning the band room!" of every other class.


So yeah I picked Dimmer Doubling.

[SuperCow]

What kind of a thesis can you do on Dimmer Doubling?

[Radman]

Is dimmer doubling a cost effective solution for increasing dimmer count without greatly reducing light output?

Sounds like a thesis (or whatever the question form of it is,) to me!

[Mayhem]

With a thesis - the normal practice would be to do the research and then write the thesis (usually in the vicinity of 20,000 to 50,000 words (give or take a few).

Without the research, you don't really have much to write unless you are hoping that the introduction, literature review, critical analysis and conclusion are going to see you through to the point where you come up with a hypothesis that you can then propose to test.

The more efficient way would be to write a research proposal (much smaller) where you follow the above steps. I think this may be what you are referring to, rather than a thesis, which would be what you undertake once you have written a proposal.