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Science Fair Ideas

Page history last edited by Matt Fritz 10 years, 5 months ago

Science Buddies 800 science fair ideas

Physical Science (motion, force, energy, chemistry)
What shape causes the most drag?
Does the material of a parachute affect how fast it drops?
Which materials are effective magnetic shields?
What's the breaking point of balsa wood?
What materials can be used to insulate hot water?
Does color affect the melting speed of ice cubes?
Which materials are effective sound insulators?
Which liquids have the greatest viscosity?
What factors affect the speed of a ball rolling down hill?
Can we measure the speed of sound?
Which materials are effective heat insulators?
How does mass affect an object in a collision?
What factors affect the speed of a toy race car?
What factors affect the speed of a swinging pendulum?
What launch angle will give the greatest distance for a projectile?
What kind of packing material best protects your valuables from damage?
Does water boil faster when salt is added?
How does temperature affect the diffusion of food coloring in water?
What kind of candle burns the fastest?
Which liquid can dissolve a tablet the fastest?
What variable affect the force of friction on a sliding block?
What factors affect how far a rubber band will fly?
Sinking Values: Analyzing footprints
Tire patterns: How do time, weight, and surface affect the tread patterns left by bike tires?

Earth Science (soil, weather, astronomy, rocks)
Will different types of salt grow different kinds of crystals?
What type of soil resists erosion most effectively?
Evaporation – what affects the rate of evaporation?
Hurricane evacuation – how long would it take to evacuate the coastline?
What factors affect the speed at which chalk will dissolve?
How accurate are weather predictions?
How does wind affect surface waves?
How pure is the water at different locations?
Do dark or light surfaces absorb more heat?
What factors affect beach erosion?
What kind of soil absorbs the most water?
What type of nail corrodes the fastest?

What factors affect the size of a sand dune?

Life Science (environment, living things, food)
What makes yeast react the best?
Do low fat foods taste worse than regular foods?
Does salt water harm plants?
What factors affect the growth of mold?
Do organic foods look and taste as good as normal food?
Anti-bacterial soaps – do they work?
Preventing mildew on shower curtains
Genetic Variation: How diverse is the population?
Do name brand foods have a taste and reputation advantage over generic brands?
Which foods are the greasiest?
How do germs spread?
Which camouflage pattern is the most effective in the wood

What makes yeast grow? Do cheap generic foods taste as good as more expensive name brands?

Do people accurately judge the number of calories they eat?

People & Animals (require special permission)
Rock, Paper, Scissors – luck or strategy?
Caffeine – does it affect pulse rate, blood pressure?
What factors affect short term memo

Are identical twins really identical? Do visual aids improve your ability to remember? Peer Pressure – study using music Does having the TV on affect your ability to do homework? Why is it so hard to debunk a myth? Can people detect when they are being watched? Image or issues – how do voters choose a candidate? Risk assessment – do people over estimate some risks? Science of speed reading: context and word shape Makes Scents: Testing the ability of humans to smell Smell You Later: Can scents improve your memory? You Look Familiar: Ability to recognize faces Money Talks: Is money a good motivator? Real Estate Reality Check: Does the wording of real estate ads affect sales? Unskilled & Unaware: Do people accurately assess their own abilities? Why we use Smilies: Can people accurately judge the tone of email messages? Stereotypes: Do stereotypes affect our performance? Is a dog's mouth really cleaner than a human's? Can you use a person's body language to detect lies? Is their a relationship between a person's arm span and height? How long does it take for your eyes to adjust to the dark? What technique will help you remember people's names? Can music improve your ability to concentrate? Does scent affect your ability to taste? What color is easiest to read at night? Does smoking affect your sense of taste? Which cat toys most interest cats? Can you trust eyewitness testimony? Are guard dogs more alert than other dogs? Does smoking affect lung capacity? Are fingerprint types an inherited trait? Are left-handers also left-footed? Who is best at following directions? How do we decode words when we're reading? What's the most effective teaching method? Which hand can identify a shape the fastest? Are kids TV shows more violent now than in the past? Is there a gender bias in school text books? Are young kids the targets of ads for fatty and sugary foods?

What factors affect your ability to balance?

Do different seeds attract different birds?

Can background music increase your reading speed?

Sports & Hobbies
Distracted driving: Use a driving video game to test if talking on the phone, talking to a friend, or eating affects your ability to drive safely
What's the most accurate way to shoot a basketball?
What factors affect your shooting percent at the 3-point line?
Does wearing gloves reduce you ability to catch a football?
Which exercises raise your pulse rate the most?
Do aluminum bats really hit for greater distance?
How is the bounce of a basketball affected by different floor surfaces?
How does the condition of a baseball affect its bounce?
How can we lower our pulse rate after exercise?
Does playing video games improve your eye-hand coordination?
Which cleats are the best for athletes?
Can crowd noise affect your ability to shoot free throws?
Does your bat speed improve after swinging a weighted bat?
Which surf wax is the stickiest?
Does the size of a football affect the distance it can be thrown?
Which body position creates the least wind resistance when skateboarding?
Does your location on the court affect your shooting percentage?
How does vision affect your balance?
Which hand position is the best for back handsprings?
Which surf boots are the best for keeping your feet warm?
How does the pressure in a basketball affect the way it bounces?

Which balls have the greatest elastic bounce?

Math
Home field advantage – do refs favor the home team?
Does jet lag affect the performance of sports teams?
Population Balance – predator and prey balance
Chaos – the mathematics of disorder
Tesselations – which polygons can tile an area?
Fractals – creating patterns
Racial bias in officiating – is it real?
Candlesticks 101: How can candlestick charts be used to invest in the stock market?
Bracketology: Applying mathematics to the NCAA basketball tournament
Cluster or Coincidence: Using math to explore cancer clusters
Spirolaterals: What number sets create repeating patterns?
The Golden ratio: Do people really prefer golden rectangles, do pretty people have faces that are golden ratio, and does Do-Wop or Victorian architecture use the golden ratio?
Fibonnacci Sequence: Where is it found in nature?

Engineering (Make something, test it, make it better)

Passive Solar Heat – black top energy source?
Bridge Strength – which design is the strongest?
What kind of lever gives the greatest mechanical advantage?
Which paper airplane design flies the farthest?
Which structure is the strongest?
Can I build a machine to simulate the bell curve?
Which car design is more aerodynamic?

Product Testing
Which hair spray is the best?
What brand of shampoo gives the best results?
How strong are trash bags?
What type of salt melts ice faster?
Which sneaker has the greatest friction?
Which is the most effective sunscreen?
Which shoes improve your agility and ability to stop and start?
Which detergent creates the largest bubbles?
What's the most effective tile cleaner?
Which camera produces the best pictures?
Which tooth paste is the best?
Which is the best stain remover?
Which fabric is the most absorbent?
How effective are vacuum cleaners?
Which is the best glass cleaner?
Which detergent really works better?
Which paper towel is the strongest when wet?
Which brand of popcorn pops most efficiently?
Which washable marker is really washable?
How long will a band-aid stick?
Which bubble solution makes the largest bubbles?
Which bathroom cleaner works the best?
Which paper towel can absorb the most liquid?

Which glue is the strongest?

Which is the strongest fishing line?

What sail works the best?

2006 - 2008

Can you build an effective civil war style copier?

How does Carbon Dioxide Affect Global Warming

Which is the strongest paper towel?

What's the most accurate way to shoot a 3 pointer?

Which Sail Design Works Best?

Should you follow through on foul shots?

How far does the average student walk in a school day?

What factors affect your ability to remember things?