Picking an engaging science fair project will make studying the topic and completing their project much simpler, while simultaneously making them feel passionate about their topic and increasing the odds that they’ll present it well.
Students can explore the physics of roller coasters by building and testing their own model, while exploring its safety features. Furthermore, students can investigate the effects of various liquids on plant growth or test natural mosquito repellents.
Fertilizer Runoff
As part of an environmental science project, children evaluate water quality near urban freeways and suburban pools to see what effects human pollution has on natural water sources.
Paper may seem soft and easily bends away, but this eighth grade science experiment challenges that notion. Students interleave multiple sheets of paper before conducting strength tests to measure how resilient their interlocking is.
This experiment is one of the easiest on this list and produces visible results that teach students about chemical reactions that lead to the formation of different crystal structures.
This DIY science experiment teaches students about conduction and insulation. Not only can this activity provide educational value, it’s also great way to de-ice driveways!
Newton’s Cradle
Newton’s Cradle, an ingenious desk toy named after the famed scientist, serves as an excellent way to demonstrate conservation of momentum and energy laws. A series of metal balls is suspended so as to just barely touch each other on a frame; when one ball at one end is pulled away from its neighbors, it strikes one in turn and sends ripples down through all rows until one hits last ball and causes it to rise up from its seat in unison.
Ideal balls should be composed of identical materials with similar density and mass to illustrate elastic collision. However, different sized balls work just as effectively and can still demonstrate mass and speed equivalence when two identically-sized objects collide.
Students can also explore different materials by experimenting with the cradle. Try wood balls, steel or even ball bearings to see how their effects on physics affects the system. This project allows students to investigate density and its effect on power of collisions between objects.
Candle Relighting
Many have heard stories of candles spontaneously relighting themselves or each other after being extinguished, prompting this science experiment to investigate potential causes for such phenomena.
When lighting a candle, its wick draws oxygen from the air and burns it for chemical reaction, producing carbon dioxide, water and heat as byproducts. As the candle burns on, more and more water forms heavier than air layers that rise towards its center while heat warms it further, expanding and pushing aside any air that might have gathered beneath its feet.
This experiment blends chemistry and physics, two disciplines often found together in science projects, together in one simple experiment that involves open flames. Please observe all fire safety rules to prevent accidental ignition of any of the jars used for this investigation, as this experiment serves as an excellent introduction to scientific methodology for students.
Lung Capacity
Lung capacity is an indicator of health. In this hands-on human body science experiment, students will have the chance to test their lung capacity and see if it increases with regular exercise. They’ll also gain more knowledge of how the lungs operate by making a model showing gas exchange between their lungs and blood and diaphragm movement to increase surface area for breathing. Finally, students can test whether boys or girls have larger lung capacities before learning what factors determine volume/capacity ratios.
Fill a milk jug to the mark you set and insert a straw in its mouth, before blowing through it to push out water from inside it and record results. This method of testing lung capacity is known as water displacement method and volume of displaced liquid will be used to calculate lung capacity.