Science Buddies Blog (Page 56)

Halloween STEM Roundup

October 22, 2015 2:13 PM

Every October, we hand-pick a collection of Science Buddies projects and activities that tie in with all things Halloween. This year, we have even more great suggestions for slimy, icky, ghoulish, spooky, gross, or tasty hands-on science for Trick-or-Treat week and beyond. We can help you light up your costume with science, too! Squishy Circuits Candy Corn Geodesic Dome Seeing Tonic Water Glow Alka-Seltzer Lava Lamp Squash Power Building a Halloween Brushbot Saved by the (Blood)… Read more

Phone Book Friction Physics

October 22, 2015 10:56 AM

Explore the physics of friction using sticky notes. What happens when you interleave the pages of two books or pads of paper? Why? The friction between two objects determines how difficult it will be to slide one object across another. Friction accounts for how your feet move across grass, for example, compared to how an ice skate moves across ice. Scientists use both the coefficient of friction and measurement of normal force to talk about how much… Read more

Water on Mars—From Sci-Fi to Space Science

October 16, 2015 8:00 AM

The action in a popular sci-fi movie explodes when an astronaut stranded on Mars attempts to create water to irrigate his plants. Real-world space science, on the other hand, has been buzzing with new findings about water on Mars. The dry planet isn't completely dry after all. Image Left: The Martian, Twentieth Century Fox; Image Right: Recurring 'Lineae' on Slopes at Hale Crater, Mars, NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona The big screen… Read more

Cucumber Chemistry: The Drying Power of Dessicants

October 15, 2015 10:00 AM

Substances that can absorb water from the environment can help keep products dry—or help dry out something that has gotten wet, like an electronic device. The small silica gel packets that you often find when you open a new product are used to help keep the product dry. The properties that make a silica gel packet work are properties you can find in other substances as well. There are even ordinary kitchen ingredients that can be used to absorb moisture and help to dry something… Read more

Samsung Inspires Students to Solve Community Challenges with STEM

October 12, 2015 3:20 AM

Samsung knows that future success will depend upon innovative and empowered use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest challenges teachers and students to brainstorm ways that STEM could be applied to solve a real-world challenge or problem in their community. Teachers who enter their classes in the contest can use the challenge as way to teach and explore hands-on STEM. Plus, they have a chance to win a share of $2 million in technology… Read more

Taste Tests and Other Science Projects with Volunteers

October 6, 2015 10:08 AM

Certain kinds of science questions require input from volunteers. Whether the project involves a taste test or another kind of test, volunteers can be a key component for projects exploring human behavior and perception, human biology, or food sciences. Sometimes, a science project is all about you and the experiment. You have a question. You have a set of variables. You have a hypothesis. You have a procedure, and by following the steps, you will see… Read more

Flippy the Robot Dances (and Falls Apart)

October 2, 2015 12:47 PM

Engineering projects encourage students to think creatively, troubleshoot, and innovate. Sometimes there are no single "right" answers, and students will need to work, test, and brainstorm to find their own solutions to problems they encounter or to challenges presented. Building and improving a simple dancing robot whose legs fly off is a great way to "teach" lessons related to engineering and troubleshooting. Plus, Flippy is adorable, and this engineering challenge is a lot of fun! … Read more

Compare Circumference and Diameter with String

September 24, 2015 10:01 AM

Things that are circular in shape surround us. From quarters to wheels to the openings of cups and bottles, circles are abundant, and they come in all sizes. In this week's family science activity, students explore properties of a circle, just like mathematicians do, to see if they can identify the relationship between the diameter of a circle and the circumference. This hands-on math activity turns these measurements (and the concept of Pi) into something that can be visualized with… Read more

Survey Science: Asking Questions and Analyzing Answers to Test a Hypothesis

September 23, 2015 10:45 AM

Using a survey to gather data for a science project can be a lot of fun, but successful survey science takes careful preparation, planning, and data analysis. What will the survey data show? "Survey says!" is a famous phrase used in the classic "Family Feud" television game show. Surveys offer an interesting look at information gathered from a group of participants, and with careful planning, you can use surveys to help investigate a range of science… Read more

Wind Turbines and Energy from Wind Turbulence

September 17, 2015 11:00 AM

Wind turbines can be used as a source of clean, renewable energy. With their tall towers, wind turbines harness the movement from the wind-spun blades to generate electricity. The positioning of a wind turbine, however, will determine how effective it is. Environmental and civil engineers carefully evaluate the placement of wind turbine towers to help ensure they get maximum exposure to wind. What happens when there are buildings, trees, or other objects nearby? In this family science… Read more

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