Science Project ideas?

[Glorious manwhore]

1. Take 10 different kinds of yogurts.
2.Open them.
3.Pour different kinds of liquids and into a science dish!.
4.Expose them to the sun.
5.Make fungus grow and identify what kind of species they are.
6.???
7.Profit!

 

[Angry_squirrel]

Perform a titration, and calculate the concentration of an acid against a known concentration of an alkaline (or vice versa) using molar calculations. Any school should have the equipment to do this.

 

[EHKOS]

I'm going to be the dick here and say build a model volcano.

 

[frizzlebyte]

OT: Are you into programming? You can do a report on different sorting algorithms - compare and contrast, pick the best one for given circumstances, and so on. It's not too hard, should be doable within a week or so, but you do need some programming background. Also it may just be too geeky for a science project.

Sorry I can't think anything more "normal".

Ooh. that sounds pretty cool, and I passed the whole "high school" thing a few years back. Just got into Computer Science in college.

Can't imagine how it could be "too geeky" for a science project, though.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

You could create the Schrodinger's cat experiment, all you need is a cat, a box, and some poison.

I'm going to be the dick here and say build a model volcano.

DO NOT DISS THE MODEL VOLCANOES!

 

[DoPo]

OT: Are you into programming? You can do a report on different sorting algorithms - compare and contrast, pick the best one for given circumstances, and so on. It's not too hard, should be doable within a week or so, but you do need some programming background. Also it may just be too geeky for a science project.

Sorry I can't think anything more "normal".

Ooh. that sounds pretty cool, and I passed the whole "high school" thing a few years back. Just got into Computer Science in college.

Can't imagine how it could be "too geeky" for a science project, though.

Well, you'll have to sit there and explain to normal people how the different sorting algorithms work. Also, you'll have to touch upon things like complexity. It could actually work very well with some visual aid (animation, or at least some Power Point stuff) but I still think there would be people who'd be lost when you go beyond "you click on this thing". Imagine trying to explain to them how mergesort uses linear space or why O(n[sup]2[/sup]) on bubble sort is bad (and how it's actually good in some cases).

 

[John Hagg]

How about "Science cannot (or can depending on your position)prove god".. or something to that effect. If it doesn't get a high grade it will at least get people talking. Or maybe expulsion... who knows.

 

[BRex21]

My simplest science fair project was testing if light bulbs burn longer without oxygen inside the glass.
Basically i got some sealing jam jars an ran a couple wires into holes in their lids (sealing it with caulking) looped some fine copper wire between the two, and plugged it into a big ol' 6 volt battery. burn one strait, and light a candle in the other before you light it and it will show you that burning copper wire in a oxygen deprived environment will last longer than one in you usual jar o' air.
Its fairly simple and can be set up in a night.

 

[Fireprufe15]

My simplest science fair project was testing if light bulbs burn longer without oxygen inside the glass.
Basically i got some sealing jam jars an ran a couple wires into holes in their lids (sealing it with caulking) looped some fine copper wire between the two, and plugged it into a big ol' 6 volt battery. burn one strait, and light a candle in the other before you light it and it will show you that burning copper wire in a oxygen deprived environment will last longer than one in you usual jar o' air.
Its fairly simple and can be set up in a night.

I'm liking this one because it's so simple. My dad is thinking of safer ways to light a fire. My original project was going to be to check if buying petrol for your car is more value for money when it's colder in the day, due to changing density of the petrol, but it didn't work because apparently the meters in the pumps account for the density.

 

[launchpadmcqwak]

A Death Star...with wifi

 

[StBishop]

Here use this.

To demonstrate the idea of density you get a can of coke and a can of diet coke, drop both into a glass tank of water; because the coke is heavier (due to having actual sugar) than the diet coke (which has a minute amount of hyper concentrated artificial sweetener) and therefore the diet coke will float while the standard coke will sink.

They have the same volume but differing weights. Density = mass / Volume.

You explain this and the interplay of volume and mass in relation to the density of an object.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

What kind of science are we talking here? Physics, chemistry, biology etc...

If physics:
Have you considered the 'Monkey and the Hunter' experiment?
Basically, it's a demonstration of linear motion, specifically a projectile, and shows how the velocity sending a particle in an arc can be split into vertical and horizontal components, which are independent of each other. The experiment thus shows that, no matter how fast a particle is moving horizontally, it moves vertically, i.e falls, at a constant gravitational acceleration g, which equals 9.81ms^-2, or 9.81m/s^2. Therefore, if an object is dropped, and another is thrown perfectly horizontally (not up and not down) they will fall at the same speed and hit the ground at the same time.

I can't help you with other sciences, not my area of (very limited) expertise.

A fantastically simple experiment that is easy to take for granted and has complicated implications.

 

[Sanshou]

For my science project I tested the whole idea of "talking to plants helps them grow".

You will need:
3 - Small fishtanks
3 - Packets of seeds
1 - Bag of soil
1 - an audio device
1 - a system of delivering additional carbon dioxide (i cant remember what i used).

Set up 3 the three fish tanks as a mini garden to grow the plants.
The first will be the control, and the plants will just grow normally.
The second will have the audio device hooked up to the inside of it, playing an audiobook of some sort (simulating the talking)
The third will have the CO2 delivery system hooked up to it (simulating breathing on the plants)

Allow to grow. And you will find that the third fishtank grows the best.

 

[Simonoly]

You could always do the classic extraction of DNA from your own cheek cells experiment. It's a very easy thing to do and there are protocols for it all over the net. All you really need is some detergent, a source of protease (a meat tenderiser or pineapple juice works well) and some alcohol (70-90% ethyl alcohol - you're school will surely have some of that available). It's a great way of demonstrating your understanding of the composition of cells and how DNA is packed into them.

I sometimes do it in my Kitchen when I'm bored.

 

[Rhaff]

I seriously can't believe someone hasn't suggested controlled explosives, or you know, just about anything with explosives :O

 

[Fireprufe15]

I seriously can't believe someone hasn't suggested controlled explosives, or you know, just about anything with explosives :O

If it makes you feel any better, my mom actually suggested this.

 

[Quaxar]

How about a fisteroid hitting the planet nerd?

http://boremaschine.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/fisteroid.jpg

Or... y'know... putting a superintelligent AI into a potato battery.

 

[Olas]

Teach worms to fly.
Today the ground, tomorrow the air, Tuesday the world.