Students selecting their high school science fair project should choose an experiment which explores scientific questions they’re curious about. Here are a few ideas to get them started:
Demonstrate the wonder of osmosis with this fascinating experiment designed for eighth graders – its results will definitely amaze them!
Rube Goldberg Machine
Rube Goldberg machines are fascinating contraptions which use complex chain reactions to accomplish simple tasks. Not only are these captivating creations engaging, entertaining and artistic; but they’re also great ways of teaching kids engineering design!
As students construct their machines, they will gain insight into energy transfer and how each step of a machine must come together in order to reach its purpose. They’ll observe objects moving through their machine and understand that greater mass equals greater kinetic energy.
Zoe uses a ping-pong ball as the starting point for her machine; students may utilize any material, including dominoes, paper towel tubes, PVC pipe, string or miniature toy cars to build their machine.
UV Beads
UV Beads are an engaging way to help students comprehend how invisible sunrays can damage skin. Indoors, these beads appear pale white; when exposed to sunlight they change to vibrant hues; after being protected from the sun they return back to being pale white again allowing for thousands of repetitions!
Use these beads to compare the effects of various light sources and weather conditions on UV radiation. Students could also test different sunscreen or suntan lotion with different SPF numbers to see which is more effective at blocking harmful wavelengths. Each pack of 1000 beads weighs 2 oz., contains small parts intended for children aged 6-12, and comes complete with instructions.
Optical Illusions
Optical illusions are both entertaining and informative; they reveal much about our brains and how we perceive the world. These mind-boggling visual tricks often use colors, shadows or perspectives as clues.
One classic example is the Hermann Grid illusion, in which darker gray discs or blobs appear at intersections between white lines due to lateral inhibition processing in your brain.
Another illusion to look out for is the Pinna-Brelstaff Rotating Circles effect, in which concentric rings of diamond-shaped figures appear angled at different directions. When staring at this image for several seconds, your eyes and brain become overstimulated, desensitizing your cones so they appear to rotate – until your head moves away and it disappears when your gaze moves!
Cars
Your high school student may have become bored of their baking soda volcano science fair project. Give them something more thought-provoking that highlights their creativity.
Explore the physics of cars with this hands-on STEM project that allows students to assemble and crash a model car of their own design. Additionally, this STEM endeavor provides the perfect opportunity to discuss vehicle safety measures.
Discover how electricity works using this easy but effective high school science fair experiment that requires no special supplies. Adjust this experiment by altering temperature, surface area or pressure in order to observe how reaction rates change with changes.
Discover just how many electrolytes are found in sports drinks with this captivating high school science experiment using the same methodology used by fingerprint analysts at crime scenes.
Batteries
By using lemon juice, copper wire, zinc nail and electrolyte in this simple experiment students will gain insight into how batteries operate. Batteries use chemical energy to move electrons around a circuit and power devices such as flashlights. A battery contains two half cells consisting of a negative electrode made of metal (the cathode), positive electrode made from metal (anode), an electrolyte in between which allows ions to move, as well as a separator which prevents mixing but still lets some ions pass through; as well as an electrolyte separator allows ions passageway.
Build engineering wonders with this classic physics science fair project! Students will unleash their creativity and problem-solving abilities by designing machines to volley a Ping-Pong ball back and forth between surfaces – exploring friction, potential energy, kinetic friction and much more along the way!