Secondary project briefs (ages 11+)


Bronze Awards are typically completed by students aged 11+. They complete a ten-hour project which is a perfect introduction to STEM project work. Over the course of the project, teams of students design their own investigation, record their findings, and reflect on their learnings. This process gives students a taste of what it is like to be a scientist or engineer in the real-world.


Silver Awards are typically completed by students aged 14+ over thirty hours. Project work at Silver level is designed to stretch your students and enrich their STEM studies. Students direct the project, determining the project’s aim and how they will achieve it. They carry out the project, record and analyse their results and reflect on the project and their learnings. All Silver projects are assessed by CREST assessors via our online platform.


Gold Awards are typically completed by students aged 16+ over seventy hours. Students’ projects are self-directed, longer term and immerse them in real research. At this level, we recommend students work with a mentor from their chosen STEM field of study. All Gold projects are assessed by CREST assessors via our online platform. There are more CREST approved resources that have been developed by our partners and providers specific to your region.


There are more CREST approved resources that have been developed by our partners and providers specific to your region.


Find out how to build practical CREST projects into secondary science lessons using our free teacher guidance pack. Supporting this guidance are easy-to-use, free-to-download mapping workbooks, which match individual Bronze, Silver and Gold CREST Award projects with each area of the secondary science curricula for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You can download and save your own copy of the relevant mapping workbook via the following links:


England

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Wales


To browse the briefs, click the buttons below or scroll down.

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5 years ago

Fraud detection: testing metals

  • Text
  • Coins
  • Composition
  • Method
  • Determine
  • Detection
  • Metals
  • Investigate
  • Archimedes
  • Crown
  • Density
This resource is published under an Attribution - non-commercial - no derivatives 4.0 International creative commons licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). For more information visit our Terms and Conditions (www.crestawards.org/terms-and-conditions).

Click to edit project

Click to edit project description www.crestawards.org

• Page 1 Page of 1 of 2 Fraud detectiontesting metals In this project you will use a modern version of Archimedes’ method to investigate the composition of copper, silver and gold items. Getting started When Archimedes stepped into a full bath it overflowed. This gave him a clue to solving a king-sized problem – how to determine whether or not the new royal crown was pure gold. “Eureka!” he cried, meaning “I’ve found it!”. Read about Archimedes to find out how the overflowing bath helped him to determine the density of the crown, and thus solve the problem. Things to think about How will you ensure your test is fair? How could you use the dates on coins to test whether the composition of coins has changed over time? How many coins will you need to test? How could a magnet help you to test what coins are made of? Make a collection of 1p and 2p coins with various dates on them. How have they changed over time? Design an experiment using a Eureka can to prove that a modern 1p or 2p ‘copper’ or ‘bronze’ coin is neither pure copper nor bronze. Devise a way to improve your method to make your measurements more precise. You need to be able to calculate the density of a coin as precisely as possible, ideally to at least 3 decimal places. Use your improved method to compare 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p ‘silver’ coins. Show that the coins are not real silver. Are they all the same? Useful resources Ask your teacher if you can use a Eureka can. Or you could try making one: www.preproom.org/workshop/ws.asp x?wsID=1001 Find out about measuring the purity of gold in carats. Work out how to determine the carat value using your improved version of Click to edit project description Archimedes’ method. If you are able to, test some rings or jewellery to decide their carat value. Compare your results with the items’ hallmarks if it has one. Find out how the purity of gold or silver is checked at an Assay Office before it is granted a hallmark. Just as in Archimedes’ day, this is an official test procedure as a precaution against goldsmiths and silversmiths cheating their customers.

Bronze level

Ten hour projects recommended for ages 11+. Find out more about this level and how to gain a CREST Award on the Bronze Awards page.


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Bronze

Silver level

Thirty hour projects recommended for ages 14+. Find out more about this level and how to gain a CREST Award on the Silver Award page.


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Silver

Gold level

Seventy hour projects recommended for ages 16+. Find out more about this level and how to gain a CREST Award on the Gold Awards page


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Gold

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