If you're interested in object motion and like taking mechanical objects apart to see how they work, then it sounds like you'd be interested in applied mechanics. Check out one of the Project Ideas below and you could find the science fair project you're looking for. Here are a few of the topics that are covered:
Catapults and trebuchets
Projectile launches, such as the trajectory of cannonballs
Springs, levers, and mechanical mechanisms
Stability, equilibrium, momentum, and inertia of various systems; for example, the results of differently shaped objects rolling down an incline
If you've ever been shot with a rubber band then you know it has energy in it, enough energy to smack you in the arm and cause a sting! How can the energy of a rubber band be put to work? In this experiment you will find out how the stretching of a rubber band affects the amount of energy that springs out of it.
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Robots come in many shapes and sizes. Everything from the Mars Rover to a toy dinosaur is a well planned machine designed to suit its purpose. In this experiment you will test different robot designs with an online simulator. How will each robot design respond?
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Music boxes, bicycles, and clocks all have one thing in common: GEARS! You might say that gears make the world turn, since they are in so many mechanical instruments. How do they work and how do you know which gears to use? Find out in this simple experiment.
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Amaze your friends and family by moving water with just a few turns of your wrist! Nope, it's not a magic trick. It's simply an Archimedes screw. In this science project, you will build a very simple pump, called an Archimedes screw, to transfer water from a low-lying location to a higher location.
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Doesn't working as a toy designer sound like the coolest job ever? You might be surprised at how much brain power it really takes. In this science fair project, you'll get to try your hand at combining fun with function. You and your small team will get to design your own entry that teaches, demonstrates, or tests a scientific concept for the Sally Ride TOYchallenge!
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With this project you'll send ping pong balls flying through the air with a rubber-band powered catapult. This catapult makes it easy to reproduce the launch angle, and to measure the amount of force applied to the projectile. Armed with this information, can you find ways to keep the ping pong balls flying accurately on target?
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When you open up your presents on your birthday, you probably don't spend a lot of time admiring the wrapping—you'd much rather see what's inside. It can be the same way with the packaging that products come in, but packaging is important for protecting the things we buy as they make their way from the factory to our homes. How much shock force is produced when a box gets dropped accidentally? What kinds of materials work best to protect products from damage? This project can show you how to find out.
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How much force does it take to drive a nail through different types of wood? In this project you'll build a simple test apparatus to swing a hammer reproducibly so you can find out.
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If you have a multi-speed bike, you know that you can make it easier or harder to pedal just by shifting gears. Ever wonder how that works? You can investigate this a number of ways. A basic...
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Do you love roller coasters and other kinds of exciting rides? Are you a thrill-seeker? Well, this is the science fair project for you! What makes a ride so thrilling that people want to ride it over and over again even though it scares them? Is it the speed, the twists and turns, the vertical drops? In this science fair project, you will build and use an accelerometer to figure out what makes a roller-coaster ride worth standing in line for. Oh, and if Mom and Dad ask what an amusement park visit has to do with school, let them know that it's all because you love science!
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