Fifth Grade, Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 5)

Making It Shipshape: Hull Design and Hydrodynamics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Sailboats, tugboats, barges, ocean liners, submarines are all different boats with different shapes. How does the shape of a boat's hull affect how easily it moves through the water? This project shows you how you can investigate this question using a homemade water trough and model boat hulls. Read more

Milk Does Your Body and a Boat Good—Design Your Own Milk Carton Boat

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Who'd have thought that drinking milk can lead to a pretty cool boat? Boat design is an important and active area of engineering. In this science fair project, you will design and build different kinds of model boats out of milk cartons. Examples of the types of designs you might test include a raft, a catamaran, and a V-shaped hull. Once the model boats are built, you will test key features, such as stability, maneuverability, and their ability to glide. Read more

Study Bottle Rocket Performance with Electronic Sensors

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Rocket design and operation is a fascinating field and analyzing the flight path provides insight into the rocket's performance. In this project, you will take measurements of the flight path to evaluate how a change in the rocket design or launch procedure impacts the rocket's performance. Initially, while the bottle rocket expels water (or the rocket expels exhaust), the rocket gets a boost. This push is referred to as thrust and projects the rocket forward. Earth's gravity pulls the rocket… Read more

The Paper Plate Hovercraft

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You can make a very simple hovercraft with a stiff, disposable plate-a pie plate should work well-and a balloon. Glue a square of cardboard in the center of the bottom of the plate. Make a small hole through the center of both of these layers. Enlarge the hole slightly with a pencil. Push a balloon through the hole so that the opening is on the front side of the plate, and rest of the balloon sticks out from the back. Blow up the balloon, then set the plate down (balloon side up). What… Read more

The Wright Stuff: Using Kites to Study Aerodynamics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The Wright brothers used kites extensively to test their design ideas in the years leading up to their first successful airplane flight. With this science project, you'll learn about kite aerodynamics, and then come up with your own hypothesis about building or flying a kite. You can test your hypothesis two ways: with an online kite simulation program from NASA, and outdoors with the real thing! A great feature of this science project is that it has many possible variations, so you can decide… Read more

Buoyancy of Floating Cylinders

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

This science project presents an interesting puzzle. A disk of wood will float face-up; that is, with its circular cross-section parallel to the surface of the water. A long log of wood, however, floats on its side with the circular cross-section perpendicular to the surface of the water. If you think about it, disks and logs are both cylinders. Is there some intermediate length of cylinder that floats with the circular cross-section at a tilted angle? Try this experiment to find out! Read more

DIY Mini Drone: Altitude Control Circuit

STEM Activity

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How do you make a drone fly up and down? In this activity, you will build a simple circuit to control the altitude of a popsicle stick drone. See this page for a complete list of our mini drone projects. You may wish to do the projects in order. Read more

Drone Control with an Analog Joystick

STEM Activity

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How do you steer a drone using a controller with a joystick? Find out in this activity as you program an Arduino to interface with an analog joystick, similar to those found in most video game controllers. You can use the joystick to make a mini popsicle stick drone tilt side to side or move up and down. See this page for a complete list of our mini drone projects. You may wish to do the projects in order. Read more

Investigating Fluid Viscosity

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You can measure the viscosity of a fluid using a glass tube and a marble with slightly smaller diameter than the tube. Seal one end of the tube. Fill the tube with the fluid to be tested. Drop the marble into to the tube and measure the time it takes to fall a fixed distance. Repeat the measurement several times, and use the average value. How does viscosity change with the amount of sugar dissolved in water? How does viscosity change with temperature? Read more

The Aerodynamics of Flying a Frisbee

STEM Activity

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Are you good at tossing a Frisbee? Have you ever wondered how a Frisbee is able to fly through the air so well? If you can throw a perfect, arcing curve, right on target, you have already trained your arm on the aerodynamics of Frisbee flight! In this science activity, you will investigate how the angle at which you throw the Frisbee affects its flight's direction and distance. Next time you are out tossing a Frisbee, this little lesson in aerodynamics may help make your throws be even… Read more

Fifth Grade, Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics Projects, Lessons, Activities (53 results)

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