Science research » Science Fair Project Ideas

Science Fair Project Ideas – Quick and Easy Project #5 – Crystal Radio

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:23:21 +0000

Of all the fun science fair project ideas, this one is my favorite for students that want to learn more about modern communication techniques and technologies. Through this experiment, students will build their own radios that actually work and can be tuned. This is also one of the cool science fair project ideas for students that are interested in technology and engineering, as well as communications.

Like all science fair project ideas, this project requires some materials to gather in advance, but the cost is still under $50. Also, students need to be careful that they are safe when working with any kind of electricity.

Objective:

Through this experiment, students will build a radio receiver from the ground-up. They will also fine-tune the radio to improve its performance.

Introduction:
Radios are an integral part of our culture. They help us communicate across the same house or across an entire world. Using this crystal radio, students will understand the fundamentals behind building a functional radio system.

Terms and Concepts You’ll Need to Know:
This experiment relies on a series of terms and concepts that students will learn before or during the experiment, including the following:

Radio frequency and radio waveFM radio frequency (amplitude modulation)ResonanceDetectorDiodePower and electricityAntennaTuner

Materials You’ll Need:
To complete this project, you’ll need a variety of materials that may take awhile to gather, including:

1 round oatmeal box1 wooden mounting board1 spool of plastic insulated wire (100 feet)1 germanium diode1 47 kohm resistor1 alligator clip1 ceramic earphone4 fahnestock clips (optional)1 multimeter

Procedure:
In order to perform this procedure, you may want to have a parent present. As with many science fair project ideas, safety should come first.

Thread wire through 2 small holes that you poke about 1/2 an inch down into the oatmeal box. The wire should come out on the outside of the box. Use about a foot of the wire on the outside of the box to use as the connection to the circuit. Take the remaining wire inside the box so it does not slip.Wrap the wire around the box 5 times. Remove some of the plastic insulation to twist the wires together. Make wraps every 5 turns until you reach 40 turns total. Once you reach 40 turns, poke another 2 holes into the box. Cut another foot of the wire off in order to leave extra wire on the outside of the box. Push the wire back through the hole so that it comes out on the exterior of the box. Take the wire on the inside of the box. Use an antenna and ground. This can be any wire that is not insulated. Place the antenna as high as possible, but not near electrical wires. Ground the antenna to a water pipe or metal rod that is at least 2 feet underneath the ground. Hook the wire to an alligator clip and a center tap. Hook the wire again to the earphone. Listen until you hear a noise. You may need to modify the radio to hear a noise if you do not hear it at first.

This is one of the great science fair project ideas, but it may take awhile to build and perfect. Always put safety first and work with a parent to make sure you are completely safe. Finally – have fun!

If you’re ready to get going with your own radio science project, your next step is to download a free copy of “Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects” from the link below right now.

By: Aurora L.

Science Fair Project Ideas That Win Awards – Project #11 – Electromagnets

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 03:11:02 +0000

Objective

You will be making an electromagnet using coils of wire. The aim of such science fair experiments is to test how strong electromagnets can be. You will also determine how the magnetic field strength is affected by the number of times the wire is wrapped around while making the magnet.

Introduction

A magnetic field is produced when a current flows through a wire. The same can be proved in science fair experiments by using a magnetic compass. Since a single wire has a comparatively weak magnetic field, the wire can be coiled to observe that the magnetic field strength increases with each added coil.

You will find out how the magnetic field strength varies when the coil turns are increased. You will also find out how the coil should be oriented (parallel or perpendicular) in order to be effective.

Material

A 6V battery, alligator clips, magnetic wire, masking tape, paper clips (one box) or 200 steel washers (1 cm diameter) and three core material pieces of equal length such as iron nails or iron bolts or pieces of iron pipe.

Preparation

Three different electromagnets are to be made using core material of equal lengths. Now wrap the magnetic wire neatly around each piece of core material, but let the number of turnings be different for each piece. For example, one piece will be wrapped with 100 turns, the second with 200 turns and the third with 500 turns. Keep the coiled wire in place at both ends by attaching tape and leave at least 5 to 6 cm of extra wire for being connected to the battery. Using your utility knife, carefully remove the insulation of the free ends of the magnetic wire and expose 1 cm of copper wire.

The free ends are to be connected to alligator clips which are always used in science fair experiments. The alligator clips are to be attached to the terminals of the battery. Use a shallow tray to hold the paper clips (washers).

Procedure

Begin with the core material with 100 turns of coil.
Connect the alligator clips to the battery and hold the coil of the electromagnet parallel to the tray, touching the paperclips (washers) with the coil to pick them up. Move the coil out of the container and disconnect the battery. Now count how many paperclips were attached to the coil and write down the number in a table. Repeat the same procedure 4 times more and calculate the average of all 5 readings and write it down in the table. Now keep the coil of the electromagnet perpendicular, touching the paperclips (washers) with the coil. Move the coil out of the container and disconnect the battery. Now count how many paperclips were attached to the coil and write down the number in the table. Repeat the same procedure 4 times more and calculate the average of the 5 readings and write it down in the table.Next, take the coil with 200 turns and repeat steps 1 and 2. Then proceed with the coil with 500 turns and repeat steps 1 and 2.

Make sure you record your findings without fail. Your table will consist of a whole bunch of numbers. Graphs are very important during science fair experiments. So plot a graph showing the results for each orientation. The X-axis should reflect the number of coils and the Y-axis should reflect how many paperclips (washers) were attached to the electromagnet.

When you look at the graph you may be amazed that all your efforts have been displayed by curved lines, which speak better than numbers.

By: Aurora L.

Sports Science Fair Project Ideas

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 06:19:39 +0000

Sports science fair projects are a wonderful way of connecting sports and science. It is a great idea to enrich one’s knowledge about the favorite sports by opting for doing a sports science fair project. There are so many exciting ways to apply science principles to sports. By working scientifically on favorite sports may even help your students to become a better sports player.

Another benefit of connecting science and sports is, it not only activates your body but also stimulates your mind. There are wide range of sports science fair projects to select from a list of categories such as Baseball, basketball, bicycling, football, Golf, soccer, sports and human behavior, tennis, throwing, kicking, hitting, bouncing, winter sports like skiing, skating, and hockey. Essentially any sport can become a sports science fair project

Selection of sports science fair projects:

While looking for sports science fair projects, one of the difficult tasks is selecting the problem. The project does not have to be very complicated or expensive or use specialized equipments. It is not necessary to purchase expensive project kits to carry out a project. Common sports equipments can be used to conduct the project. With a little imagination great sports science project ideas can be developed.

Some interesting sports science fair project ideas:

- Does exercise has any role to play in the better working of brain?

- Why does a ball bounce when it is thrown, kicked, dribbled or hit?

- What is the impact of exercise on heart rate?

- Does the flight of a baseball depend upon the spin of the ball?

- Which bat is better, an aluminium or a wooden bat to play baseball?

- Which type of turn is better in a skating race a tight, medium, or a wide? Why?

- Do sports drinks play an effective role in an athlete’s performance?

Method of doing a Sports science fair project:

- Select an idea for the project according to the interest.

- Develop a Plan and chart out each phase of the project into a variety of tasks.

- Collect information about the literature of the particular project.

- Collect data required for the project

- Analyze the collected data and categorize them accordingly in tables.

- Summarize and prepare a report of the project with all the required details.

Sports are a vital component of our educational system and sports science fair projects will help to promote the human quest for knowledge and increase the interest of an individual towards sports activities. Promoting sports science fair projects also pave ways to integrate sport and physical education into the over all development of an individual.

By: Jordan Matthews

Science Fair Project Ideas That Win Awards Project #14 – Static Electricity

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:33:56 +0000

Objective

You will be making your own electroscope and testing the ability of various materials to conduct static electricity. You will also be making a list or triboelectric series which arranges materials according to their ability to conduct electrons.

Introduction

When and electric charge is built up in an object, it is called static electricity. Sometimes, this static electricity can be discharged suddenly, as seen in a lightning bolt across the sky. At other times, this static electricity causes a static cling that is seen on socks just removed from the dryer. Static cling occurs when two objects having different charges such as positive (+) and negative (-) come together. Static electricity can be produced as well as tested using various science fair experiments.

During science fair experiments, static electricity can be measured using an electroscope. You will build your own electroscope to test various materials and find out which ones conduct more static electricity.

Materials

foam plate, Balloon, foam cup, clay, drinking straw, aluminum pie pan, aluminum foil, thread, wooden ruler, masking tape, different materials for testing such as nylon, polyester, cotton, aluminum, plastic, copper, wool, tissue paper, saran wrap, and so on.

Preparation

Making your electroscope

Pierce a Styrofoam cup by pushing a skewer near the base and make holes for a straw to pass through. Put a drinking straw through the cup by putting it in these holes and push it till it sticks out on one side. Now invert the cup and stick it strongly with clay on an upright pie pan.

Make a few knots at one end a thread and make a marble-sized ball with a piece of aluminum foil at the knotted end. Now tape the free end of the string to the straw that is sticking out of the cup in such a way that the ball hangs from the straw and touches the rim of the pie pan. Secure the straw with a tape so that it does not move.

Testing your electroscope

One of the methods used in science fair experiments to create a static electric charge is to rub a Styrofoam plate with some wool. This produces a negative charge on the Styrofoam plate surface. Now lift your electroscope by holding the Styrofoam cup and place it over the charged Styrofoam plate. What happens? The aluminum foil ball moves away from the rim of the pie pan.

Why did this happen? When you placed the electroscope on the Styrofoam plate, the negatively charged electrons travelled to the pie pan and then to the foil ball. Since same charges repel, the ball moved away from the rim of the pan.

Now touch the pan and the foil ball with the tip of your finger and see what happens. The ball will return to normal as it was before, because the electrons were transferred to your finger and the pan and the ball were discharged.

Procedure

Now it’s time to test different materials.

Charge different materials with static electricity. You may use materials such as a plastic wrap, a woolen scarf, a fleece sweater, an aluminum sheet, a balloon, and so on. Now test each charged material with your electroscope. Measure how far the ball is from the pan with a ruler. Write down the distance in a table. Make a note of which materials can carry an electric charge and which ones do not. Since recording data is an important step in science fair experiments, you must arrange your data in order with the most charged ones followed by the least charged ones. This is called a Triboelectric Series.

Now that you are equipped with some great ideas, I’d like to give you something more in order to ensure your success. Here’s your free copy of “Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects” which you can immediately download from the link below.

By: Aurora L.

Good Science Fair Project Ideas – Where Do They Come From?

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:03:22 +0000

The very idea of conducting a science fair is to help the students learn scientific facts in an interesting way, to understand it and also exhibit what they had learnt, to an audience. To achieve this, the theme of the project must be within the realm of the students and has to be chosen carefully. In order to have a successful project, one must first find a good science fair project idea.

Good school libraries and well equipped public libraries should be a helpful source for good science fair project ideas. But now plenty are available over the Internet. One can get a good science fair project idea from the ones listed, according to the targeted age group. In the science category, choose a topic that interests most of the students. Then, narrow it down and make it into a project. It would be ideal if it can be of some use to the general public also. In general, use the internet sparingly, unless there is a paid guide. Keep in mind that all of the ideas and information you find for free on the internet are about projects that have been done before by thousands of other students, while in general, paid guides are performed by far fewer students because of the price tag barrier.

A good science fair project idea can be chosen from natural science, physical science, microbiology or any interesting branch of science. Be considerate that the necessary articles required for the project are freely available either naturally or in the nearby areas. Let not the collection of materials be a big chore for the eager students that the project becomes a hard task.

Safety should be high on the list such that the students understand the risks involved and the project is undertaken in such a way that it is monitored and supervised both in the school and if it is carried on at home, by some elder.

It would be ideal if the project be done and over within a few minutes time, such that it can be demonstrated in full to the judges and the audience, who attend the fair. Time consuming projects can make the tiny minds restless.

Bigger projects that need checking and validation may be reserved for the students of the higher grades. Simple projects should be easily reproducible. Little projects that have a public value may be highly appreciated, and should definitely be considered good science fair project ideas if they have wide application. Few natural cycles that take a few days to complete may be carefully conducted such that the audiences may be asked to revisit the fair, which may be a crowd puller project.

Explanation of simple magical tricks and attempts to demystifying existing myths may be quiet receptive to the young minds. For zoology projects, information is gathered by observation. For physics and chemistry projects, experiments are done, data is collected and the conclusions are made. Such should be the good science fair project ideas.

Good science fair project ideas and the projects should keep the young minds motivated.

By: Jordan Matthews

Science Fair Project Ideas – Quick and Easy Project 4 – Light Intensity

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:42:27 +0000

One of the best science fair project ideas for students that are particular interested in the science and mathematics of light travel is the Joly Photometer. This project allows students to use the inverse square law to measure light intensity. This might not be one of the best projects for students in lower grades, as the project does require an understanding of some difficult mathematic concepts.

In order to perform this experiment, students will need to spend between $20 and $50. The project should take about a week, which makes it one of the more time-consuming science fair project ideas that I’ve come across. Also, students might want to have a parent around to make sure the project is done safely.

Objective:
During this project, you will measure the light intensity of light bulbs using your very own hand-crafted photometer.

Introduction:
Through this project, you will learn that different light sources have different powers to project light into a room. Every light bulb in your home might not have the same ability to emit light the same distance. During this project, you will learn about the basic differences between how light bulbs work. Plus, you’ll build and use your very own photometer.

Terms and Concepts You’ll Need to Know:
You’ll learn much more about these terms and concepts through the course of your experiment, but it’s a good idea to start with a basic knowledge of them:

Inverse square law (you’ll learn lots about this law!) Incandescent light bulbs (you may already have some in your home) Compact fluorescent light bulbs Photometer (you’ll make your own)

Questions You’ll Answer:
What makes incandescent light bulbs work? Why do incandescent light bulbs die? What makes fluorescent light bulbs work? Why do fluorescent light bulbs die? Which is the longest lasting light bulb? Which light bulb makes light most efficiently?

Materials You’ll Need:
You shouldn’t have to pay more than $50 for all of these materials, but you’ll probably find most of them in your home already:

One pound of paraffin wax A sharp knife Foil Cardboard box (small) Scissors Tape Identical light fixtures Measuring tape (not a ruler) Several kinds of light bulbs

Procedure:
Follow these steps in order to successfully complete one of the best science fair project ideas for determine how light works differently with different bulbs:

Cut one slab of the wax in half. (Each box of wax should have four slabs). Cut aluminum foil to be the same size as the slabs and place it in between the 2 slabs. Create a cardboard box around the slabs. Use tape to hold it together.Make 3 windows in the sides of the cardboard box (one side will not have a window). This is your photometer. Place the photometer straight between 2 light fixtures at equal distances and equal heights. Make sure these light fixtures are the only sources of light in a room. With the light bulbs illuminated, move the photometer between the two light bulbs until the wax has the same level of brightness on each side of the aluminum foil. To find the inverse square law, use the standard equation, which is found here. One of your light bulbs should be your standard bulb. This bulb should be called I1. To find the intensity of the second light, make sure you divide the first light by the square of the distance and make it equal to the second light divided by the square of the distance so both lights are equidistant from the meter. Measure the distance from each light bulb to your photometer (measure to the foil). Use the equation to calculate the intensity of each bulb. In order to find out how efficient each bulb is, divide the relative intensity by the wattage of the bulb.

Again, this is one of my favorite science fair project ideas for students that enjoy math and physics. However, it can be tough for those students that don’t quite understand tricky equations. Science projects should be fun – so have fun doing this project!

If you’re ready to get going with your own light intensity science project, your next step is to download a free copy of “Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects” from the link below right now.

By: Aurora L.

Science Fair Project Ideas – Quick and Easy Project #1 – Parachutes – Part 1

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:26:58 +0000

It can be tough coming up with science fair project ideas on your own. Sometimes we need a little help. Here is a science project that might work for you.

For this project you will need to know a little bit about skydivers. A skydiver is a person who jumps from an airplane while it is flying. The airplane must be flying a certain number of feet off the ground or altitude for the skydiver to be able to jump and land safely with a parachute.

The skydiver jumps from the airplane and will free-fall for a little bit before pulling the rip cord to open the parachute. The parachute will then slow down the skydiver’s fall so he or she will land safely on the ground. If the skydiver falls too fast, his landing wouldn’t be nearly as gentle and the skydiver would probably get hurt. Remember, as science fair ideas go, this is a topic and experiment overview.

How does the parachute work?

When the skydiver jumps from the airplane, the force of gravity it pulling him or her to the ground at a very high speed, the parachute is able to slow the skydiver’s fall because of air resistance or drag. Air gets underneath the parachute and pushes it back up. This creates a force, which is opposite of the force of gravity, which is pulling the skydiver down.

While the skydiver falls slowly, these two forces of pushing air up and gravity pulling him down are close to being equal or in balance. The air resistance force is just a little less than the gravity force and because of this the skydiver floats down to the ground.

So ask yourself this question, is the size of the parachute important? Could it be smaller or larger and still work the same way? What does the diameter of the parachute have to do with the size of the parachute?

Research Topics

If science fair project ideas like this one appeals to you, I may know a little about the words you will be using a lot of if you do this project, but you will still want to research them. You will need to know more in order to do the project well. Here is a list of the subjects you will want to do some research on, so that you will have a better understanding of what they are and what they mean.

Parachute Air resistance Drag Load Gravity Surface area

Questions

All experiments and science fair projects have a question to answer. The answer to the question is the reason we do experiments. We want to know the answer. Here are some questions you might have with this project.

How does a parachute work? Does the size of the parachute make it work better? Will the parachute work, if it were larger or smaller? Will increasing the diameter of the parachute make it bigger?

Materials and Equipment

This is a list of some of the items you will need to complete your project.

Heavy weight garbage bags Metric ruler Scissors Washers Twist ties Light weight string Stopwatch

This article on science fair project ideas using parachutes is continued in “Science fair project ideas – Quick and easy project #1 – Parachutes – Part 2″.

By: Aurora L.

4th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:59:15 +0000

It’s time for the school’s annual science fair competition. Now that your child is older, what are some good 4th grade science fair project ideas? Magnets? Plants? Electricity? No need to worry, 4th grade science ideas are not that hard to come up with. Here is a sample project:

Materials Needed

-scissors
-spoon
-tape
-crazy glue
- nails (same length)
-medium size cardboard box
-balloons
-bowl
-bag of sugar
-two thin wooden boards (Make sure they have lengths/widths that are equal to or less than the length and width of the bottom of the cardboard box.)

Step by Step Procedure

1. Adult supervision might be required. Take one of the thin wooden boards and crazy glue/tape a nail right in the middle of the board. Put crazy glue/tape on the head of the nail and stick it on the board so the point side of the nail faces up.

2. Take the other thin wooden board. Glue and tape the nails in the same manner as the first board (pointy side up). Instead of one nail, take four nails and arrange them in a square shape in the center of a board. Make sure the nails are about the same height.

3. Take the cardboard box. Using scissors, cut off the top and one of the sides.

4. Place the one pined wooden board into the box. Make sure the nail is in the middle.

5. Blow up one balloon and put it lightly on top of the nail. Make sure to be careful. You do not want the balloon popping!

6. Take the lid of the cardboard box that you cut off with the scissors. Put it on top of the balloon.

7. Put the plastic bowl on top of the cardboard lid, right in the middle. The sole needle should be holding everything up.

8. Add one spoonful of sugar into the bowl. Watch what happens. Keep adding spoonfuls of sugar until the balloon pops. Record how many spoonfuls of sugar it took for the balloon to pop.

9. Now it is time for a different setup. Take out the wooden board with the one nail. In its place, put in the wooden board with four nails. Make sure the nails are in the middle.

10. Repeat the other steps. Blow up a balloon and put it on top of the nails. Put on the cardboard lid. Then put the bowl in the middle.

11. Add spoonful of sugar until the balloon pops. How many spoonfuls did it take this time?

By: Alan Wagner

7th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:28:33 +0000

7th grade science fair project ideas are likely more involved than the projects you’ve done in previous years. The science fair at your school is likely more competitive for your age group and there’s a good chance your peers will be putting a lot more time and effort into their projects than they have in previous years, so you’ll want to do the same for your 7th grade science projects.

One interesting idea might be to see which type of cheese mold will grow on the fastest. This is a great project because it’s interesting, but still fairly simple. Another idea for a project might be to see if you can grow a plant without soil. You can try placing seeds in various things such as a wet paper towel, grass clippings, coffee grounds, etc to see if they will grow. Be creative!

You could find out whether the presence of smoke in the air affects plant transpiration. Perhaps you could look into whether or not there is ever acid snow, we all know there is acid rain, but what about snow? You can find this out by testing the PH level of the snow and comparing it to the PH level of acid rain. Obviously this particular project only works in the winter months. There are many great topics out there for your 9th grade science project, it’s just a matter of finding one that interests you, researching and testing it out and presenting it in a professional manner.

By: Dee Schrock

Free Winning Science Fair Project Ideas – Cheap, Easy Science Fair Projects

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:24:52 +0000

Free winning science fair projects are a lot like a story. They have a beginning, middle and an end. They show background research, the actual scientific research and a conclusion for that research respectively. There are number of ways of free winning science fair projects at any science competition. One can improve the chances of winning science fair projects.

The first thing to making a free winning science fair project is to get interested in the field. This will certainly affect the project and also the future presentation of the project. Enthusiasm and interest will direct decisions and motivation. A wide interest in the project will allow working on the project longer and deeper with more energy and fun. It will definitely show in every aspect of the project and research work. Being interested in the work is especially important and would certainly make a free winning science fair project.

So choose a topic that you have profound interest in. Pick a challenging topic, which would make you win. Simple topics will not help make a free winning science fair project. Go through lists of topics and finally you may arrive at some topic of your own. But, all you have to do is to make the topic a challenging one. Take a few extra steps to make your project a winning science fair project. Compete with higher level projects, which would take you to the edge of making a free winning science fair project.

Make a unique free winning science fair project because their uniqueness has an edge. Unique science fair projects are a little stronger with some originality which is more likely to become a winning science fair project. Choose something that is unusual and uncommon and make it a winning project. If you have something interesting in your mind that matches with your interest turn that one idea into a unique winning science fair project.

The next factor to make a free winning science fair project is the judges. Judges are scientists to at least scientists in mind. They look for projects that are difficult, complicated with unpredicted problems and a willful application of scientific methods. This is also a part for making a free winning science fair project. Most judges confront you with some challenging questions and look for a best answer. The best answer will give credibility and reliability. These efforts will certainly make you go one step further to make a free winning science fair project.

Next, understand your project and make a good attempt at doing background research. Background research is one of the most important parts of a project. It is the basis for your project, so collect the correct background information for your project. This will help devise a hypothesis. The more you understand about the topic the more you would learn from background information. It will also help you design a procedure and conserve time and energy. It will let you foresee some unusual problems that are to come.

Always look for concepts, definitions and equations that would best describe the topic of the project. Also connect your project to the present day society and world. Use every means to get your project closer to make a free winning science fair project.

By: Jordan Matthews