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MUSI Math/Science Resource Teacher
December 1, 1998-Revision #3
The ideas listed below are provided to help students and their families with science fairs and the MPS science project. Please feel free to use these ideas or to modify them to design an experiment or science project that you feel comfortable with. Or, you may have your own ideas for a project or experiment. Always check with your parents and teacher before selecting and beginning an experiment.
All projects or experiments should probably start with some sort of a "problem" that the student wants to investigate or find an answer to. Based on a student's life experiences or finding information or talking to people, the student would probably want to make some sort of prediction or educated guess. This guess is called the "hypothesis". And, all projects would most likely end with some sort of a "conclusion" to show what was learned from doing the project.
While doing the project, you should keep notes as to what was done, when it was done, how it was done, etc. These notes make up the "experiment" and help document the project.
When doing the experiment, students should observe what is happening and keep track of the results of the project. This information is called the "data". Data might include: how long, how high, how low, how heavy, or any other information derived from the experiment. Some people call this the "observation" part of an experiment.
It might not be a bad idea to show these results (data) not only as a chart but also in the form of a line graph or a bar graph or a pie graph or some sort of visual display. This graph could add a lot to the overall appearance of the project or display.
Many teachers put these 5 main words together in an acronym called "PHEOC", with the "P" standing for problem, the "H" standing for hypothesis, the "E" standing for experiment, the "O" standing for observation, and the "C" standing for conclusion.
One other note....... Depending on your project, consider running or doing some experiments several (3) times. Results for a one time observation usually need to be validated or confirmed. If the results cannot be duplicated, you may have a poorly done experiment. If, each time you do an experiment, you get similar results, you probably have done things right.
One last note: Make sure your science teacher gives you an "OK" before you start your chosen project. Your teacher will be the main judge of your proficiency. You will not be able to "claim" proficiency because you did a project from this list. These projects are provided only to give you ideas to help you get started on a science project.
1. Planet size and Distance. This project, properly done, will most probably also meet your 8th grade Scale Modeling requirement. Pick a "scale" to fit the solar system's large size into a room or onto a piece of paper. Consider 1 mm=1,000,000 miles or 1 cm= 1,000,000 miles or ????. Make a scale drawing of the each planet. To add realism and accuracy, use a different scale to "size" the planets. Pluto might be represented by a pea. Earth might be shown by a ping pong ball. What would this scale be?
2. Potato Germ Prints. To show the number of "germs" on a finger, take a clean slice of potato and make a thumb print on it. Do the same with another slice after you washed your hands. Place these slices in clean containers and observe the growth of "germs". Do some research on other microorganism growth materials and how to conduct this type of an experiment.
3. Lowering your electric bill. Find out what you pay per month for electricity. Take some time and find the "wattage" of all the electrical appliances you use. Which ones are frequently left running or using energy when not being used? Are there some that could be turned off? For one month live a normal family life. Do not change your electricity habits. The next month turn off unused lights and appliances. Be aware. Is there a difference in your family's electric bills?
4. Record the outside high and low temperatures for a week or two. Create a data table and then a graph. Perhaps you could do this at 2 locations, like a shady location and a sunny location. Write a hypothesis. Can you reach a conclusion? Before you get started do some reading about weather. This can be a really good project!
5. Wind Chill. Do some reading about what wind chill is. Find a wind chill chart. Test some damp or wet objects in calm and windy conditions. Measure the temperature of each. Does wind chill effect non-living things? Are cold-blooded animals effected by wind chill? Record the wind chill vs. actual temperature over a period of time. Graph it.
6. Maple Syrup. (This can only be done in the spring of the year) Find a maple tree in your neighborhood or at school. Get permission to bore a small hole in the tree. (a small hole in a tree will heal within a year) Read about making maple syrup. Make a maple spigot and hang a can under the spigot. Gather some sap. Make some syrup. Don't forget to take good notes. Record night time and day time temperatures and compare to tree output. Consider trying this with a birch tree, a box elder tree, a ? tree.
7. Measure the snow on the ground each day for two weeks. Compare locations. Tie this in with some weather forecasts and some self study. Don't forget......keep good data. Can you come up with a good conclusion about snow?
8. How fast does damp bread in the dark mold as compared to dry bread in the dark? Do some research first. Keep good data. Control the variables correctly. Sometimes it is difficult to compare how things "look". Keep good notes and consider taking pictures or making drawings to document your work.
9. Do bananas ripen faster (or better, or ????) in the _________ or the _________? (See # 8, above for ideas on being a good scientist.)
10. Which kind of ball bounces the best, a __________ or a __________? Make a prediction. Gather data. Reach a conclusion. Try this several times.
11. Keep track, by distance, of successful free throws out of 10 shots at 5 feet, at 10 feet, etc. Make a prediction. Try several "shooters" Keep data. Come up with some "numbers". Can you come up with a conclusion?
12. How long does the flashlight battery last (in a flashlight or in a toy)? Compare batteries; i.e., Energizer or Duracell or ???? Keep data. Be accurate. Consider including some newspaper ads in your project display. Is the public being misled by battery companies?
13. Compare the calories or vitamins or ???? of various cereals. (Read the labels) Make some predictions based on the advertising you have read. Are the best cereals really the best for you? Which are the most fattening? Charts and graphs might be made showing number of calories, or grams of fat.
14. Which soap gets dirt out the best? Try 3 or 4 soaps and maybe 3 or 4 different kinds of dirt. This may give you inconclusive results. Consider having a rating scheme and a "panel of judges" Keep good data. Be careful with this experiment so you do not do bad science. Check with your science teacher.
15. Does a tennis ball or a basketball or a ??? bounce best on concrete or wood or on carpeting? Make some predictions. Run the test several times. Did you find anything out? Graph it.
16. Run a "blind fold" taste test with 5 or 6 people. Test Coke against Pepsi or some generic cola. Try the soda warm and cold. Have a good testing scheme. Maybe try more people to "back up" your conclusion. Be careful to do this well. It could be bad science if you are not careful.
17. Which type of toweling absorbs water best. Test several. Weigh the water picked up. If you squeeze a towel will this get all the water out? Would this be an accurate way to handle things? Think this out before you start it.
18. Which type of diaper holds the most liquid. Test some. (See #17, above, for suggestions.)
19. Plant 5 or 10 beans. Water them. Put them near a window. Record their growth. Before you start consider how you could do some experimenting. How about different temperatures? Or, varying amounts of water. Or, ????. Keep good data.
20. Get some grass seed from a hardware store. Plant it in a wet sponge. Make a prediction before you start. Keep good data. Consider varying the amount of water or light. Would this give you a good conclusion?
21. What outside temperature is best for making snow people. Experiment on 5 or 10 different days. Consider also checking snow temperature. This will be difficult to set up properly. Be careful.
22. Do Chips Ahoy or ???? really have 1000 chips? Or, ?????. Compare your results to the ads. What's your conclusion? Are the companies honest?
23. Does _________raisin bran really have more raisins than other brands? How many more? What percent? Try several boxes. Keep data. Did you start with a prediction or a hypothesis?
24. Whose house in the neighborhood is the highest? Measure and compare by shadow or angle or ??? Do some research into the math in this problem. Use the scientific method to tie science into this math problem. You could also do this with tall trees. Which neighborhood tree is the tallest?
25. Make a seed collection of all the seeds you can find. Consider these: tomato, pea, corn, grapefruit, cucumber, pop corn, bean, sesame, poppy, peanut, etc. Before you start make some predictions. Do some research into seeds. Classify the seeds. Turn a simple seed collection into a good science project.
26. How does freezing effect the "eat-ability" of tomatoes, or bananas or ?????? This can be a good project. But, set it up right. What are you judging? Consider having several judges so your get several opinions.
27. Do a "blind taste test" with 10 people on various name brand or types of food. Record the results. See previous suggestions to help you set this up well.
28. How long does a milk jug full of water take to freeze at different outside temperatures? Make sure you have a hypothesis. Are you starting with water at the same temperature each time? Maybe do this with several jugs with different temperature water on the same night.
29. Does salt water, or sugar water freeze better than plain water? Be careful on the amounts of sugar or salt. Keep accurate data. See previous items for some "good science" ideas.
30. Which paper airplane design flies the farthest or stays in the air the longest? Do some research into why airplanes fly. Be careful that you don't try too many planes. Better, many trials with fewer planes. How will you control the variables such as wind or arm strength? Be careful. This is a good experiment, but many people get a little on the sloppy side and do not get good results.
31. How much salt, dissolved in water, does it take to float an egg? Try carefully measured amounts. Did you make a prediction? Keep good data. How about sugar?
32. What kind of juice cleans pennies the best? This is not a great project idea but students often hear about it and what to try it. This "experiment" is not easy to do right. What are you measuring? How will you determine what "clean" is? Be careful.
33. Which foods contain starch? First do some research. What safe chemicals will you use? Where will you get them? How will you set up the data chart?
34. How can you build the strongest bridge with 1/2 piece of paper, a full sheet, or 2 sheets. Once you pick a number of sheets try different designs. Set a goal of, say, 6 inches above a table. Then, all bridges need to hold a weight at that height. Keep data. Make drawings of each design. Consider research as to different designs.
35. Does playing loud or soft music affect a plant's growth? Plant some new seeds. They probably will grow faster than old plants. Make sure you control the variables.... same light, same water, etc. Measure and keep data. Make a prediction. See what happens.
36. Invent a container that keeps an ice cube from melting for 24 hours. Try all sorts of materials for the container....i.e., styrofoam, wrap a can with a scarf, pack a box in packing "beads", etc. Check each one the same number of times on some sort of a schedule. Keep data. Before you start read and talk to people about different kinds of insulation.
37. Does light make a plant bend? Plant some seeds. Water, soil, etc. need to be controlled. Keep notes. Put some seeds near a window or light. But the others in the dark or ????. Keep notes as you measure each day. Do you have a hypothesis?
38. Does gravity effect a plant's growth. Do everything like #37, above, expect grow all the plants under identical conditions. Then after a week or ????? tip some of the containers on their side. What happens? Use "PHEOC".
39. What color material absorbs the most solar energy? This can be a good experiment but you'll need some thermometers and some careful setting up. And, any sloppiness will mess up your data. Be careful. Before you start, do some research into what kinds of clothing people wear in the hot areas of our planet.
40. What is the best material or type of packaging to keep an egg from breaking when it is dropped? Make some predictions. Try different materials. Have fun.
41. Snow fencing and snow drifting. Set up a short fence in an open area. A board or a large piece of cardboard will do. When it snows and blows check how the fence effects snow drifting. Find out which way the wind was blowing on each day. Draw a few pictures to show what you found.
42. In my class who has the smallest hands or feet, boys or girls? Pretty simple. Maybe read a little about growth rates of boys and girls as they become teenagers. Then do the research. Measure and compare. Use a larger number of students to make sure your results are valid.
43. Which cheese grows mold the fastest? This could be bad science. Make sure you control all variables. Make a prediction. See what happens. You should read about cheeses and mold before you do this.
44. Which type of container is the best to keep food from spoiling? Read about canning food and food containers. Try various foods. Stay away from meat. It might develop bad germs. Perhaps have several judges so you agree on what "spoiled" is.
45. Under what conditions does mold grow fastest on bread.....hot, cold, light, dark, moist, dry? This could be done in many ways. Don't get carried away with doing 6 things at once and ending up with a poor conclusion.
46. How does omitting an ingredient effect the outcome of cake or cookie baking? You could have fun with this. It's a little unscientific, but if you keep good notes and read a little about cooking and make some intelligent "omissions" it would work.
47. Which brand of battery will run a toy, flashlight, or ????? the longest? Be careful that you don't leave this overnight with the battery connected. Some people report fires from hot wires and motors. A model car will probably run a set of batteries down in a matter of hours so you would not have to do this overnight. Keep good notes. This could be expensive buying batteries. (This is similar to #12)
48. Which is the strongest glue? To do this you'd need weights and identical things to glue together to test with these weights. Be careful or you'll get bad results. Also be careful and wear safety glasses. Some things shatter when the glue breaks.
49. Which is the best way of keeping a peeled apple from turning brown? Make a prediction. Read about preserving foods. Talk to a cooks. See what works the best.
50. Which fruits or vegetables sink or float? What happens in salt or sugar water? Use PHEOC and have fun with this one. There is lots of good science here.
51. How much weight does a grape, or apple, or ?????; left in the air; lose in a week? How about a peeled apple, or a donut, or a ????? There is good science here, but you'd need a sensitive scale to get the measurements. Maybe you could do this at school using school equipment.
52. Do boys or girls have a higher resting heart rate. How about after 100 jumping jacks? How about comparing 2nd graders to 6th graders? Do some reading about heart rates. Talk to a doctor, or a nurse, or an EMT. This could be well done and be an excellent project.
53. Do taller people run faster than short people? In a straight line? In an obstacle course? Design some running courses. Keep track of times. Read a little about center of gravity, levers, the human body, etc. Do some studying before conducting the experiments.
54. Is using two eyes better for judging distance. Study about "3D" vision and people who may have only one good eye. You can set up some really good experiments.
55. What happens when minerals are removed from (chicken) bones? (Try this using vinegar to remove the calcium) Read about bones and calcium and minerals and the human body. Perhaps talk to a nurse or a doctor to get ideas. This could be a fun experiment.
56. Which brand of bubble gum produces the biggest bubbles? This could be bad science. But, with talented bubble blowers and a number of trials you might get good results. This might need a "panel of judges" or an assistant with quick ruler to measure the bubbles.
57. Using a battery, test the number of winds of wire to see how to make the best magnet. This could really get into some science. You could test various gauges of wire and various types of batteries. Seriously consider putting a switch in line with your electromagnets so they can be switched off to give the batteries a "breather". Do not get into car or lawn tractor type "wet" batteries. They have acid and could start a fire or cause burns when shorted out.
58. What is the best material to make a hair dryer hot air balloon? Test shopping bags, garbage bags, freezer bags, dry cleaner bags, etc. Keep the bags from small children. You know the danger. Maybe weigh the bags on a school balance and then figure the volume to see if you can predict "lift". You might try putting a small hole in each bag to insert a thermometer to measure "envelope temperature".
59. How is the temperature inside an unheated garage different from out in the air. Try this for 5 or 10 mornings or afternoons. Keep good data. See if the sun makes a garage hotter during the day. Is there really an advantage in putting a car in a garage on a cold winter night?
60. Which type of insulation keeps things coolest longest? Or, warmest longest? You might want to try containers of hot or cold water and check water temperature every 15 minutes or half hour. Don't forget your prediction or hypothesis. This is a good project to graph out.
61. Is salt water heavier than plain water? You might want to read about the Dead Sea and the Great Salt Lake. Find out how things float in salt water. Do some experiments. You might need a school balance to measure and compare the weights.
62. Is warm water heavier or lighter than cold water? (See #61, above, for ideas.)
63. With and without a ceiling fan, is the ceiling temperature of a room warmer or cooler than the floor temperature? You can do loads of experiments with this one. You will need a couple of better thermometers. But, 2 outdoor, household thermometers would probably be OK. You might check in several locations, like a couple of homes and maybe a church or a meeting room.
64. By filling glasses or cans with different amounts of water, is it possible to create a xylophone or ????? Can you play a song or two? What's happening? Before doing this, why not do some reading about musical scales and how vibrations cause sounds of different frequencies.
65. How cold can salt water get before it freezes? How about sugar water? This is a good one, but don't get "sloppy". Keep accurate records of the amount of salt used and the volume of water. Will more salt allow water to get colder before it freezes? Is there a point when there is so much salt that the water cannot freeze?
66. Which is the best lubricant to use on the wheels of your bicycle? Do several tests on model cars or ?????? Read and find out about oils, silicon lubricants, graphite, etc. You can run some fun and interesting tests with model cars. Set up a measured track and see how far the cars go.
67. Are pure bottled waters really "pure"? Obtain several brands and pour a measured amount of each into a clear container. Let the water in each evaporate. Observe each day. Are there any residues? Which has the most left over residue? Which has the least? Which is more "pure"?
68. Which is the faster swinging pendulum, one with a long or short string? Or, one with a heavier or lighter weight? Do some reading about pendulums. Then set up some different types with different string lengths. Using a kitchen clock, time the number of swings per minute. There is lots of data here. Keep track of things.
69. How wet is snow. Read about snow and how much water snow contains. Obtain snow on different days. Keep track of temperature. Melt each type. Measure the amounts. Graph it out.
70. Far away radio stations. Read about radio reception. During the day and evening try to tune in to far away stations on the AM and FM dials. Listen to the cities when the announcers give the call sign. Make a chart of cities, call signs, distances, time heard.
71. Is the sun lower in the sky in winter? Does the sun rise later and set earlier in the winter? This project will take several months. Perhaps on the first day of the week for 3 months find the times of sun rise and sun set. At noon determine how many degrees the sun is up over the southern horizon. See if things change. Do not look directly into the sun. Use shadows or other methods to protect your eyes.