Energy & Power Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 4)

Solar-Powered Cars for Junior Solar Sprints

Lesson Plan Grade: 5th-8th

Help your students learn about solar energy, physical forces, and other science topics with this hands-on engineering experience. This lesson plan will show you how to get your classroom started building solar-powered cars that your students can enter, if desired, in regional Junior Solar Sprint competitions. No previous experience with electronics or building things is necessary. Get the dates and location for your regional competition. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Spice Up the Power of a Microbial Fuel Cell with a Dash of Salt

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Generating power from mud sounds like science fiction, but it is actually real science, and a promising source of alternative energy. Topsoil is packed with bacteria that generate electricity when placed in a microbial fuel cell. Because such bacteria-laden soil is found almost everywhere on Earth, microbial fuel cells can make clean, renewable electricity nearly anyplace around the globe. They are an up-and-coming technology that scientists and engineers are working to make even more… Read more

Strong Wind Science: The Power of a Pinwheel

STEM Activity

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Have you ever ridden your bike into a strong wind? If so, did your legs feel like lead? How does this compare to how you feel when the wind is pushing against your back – does that make you feel ready for the Tour de France? In this science activity, you will explore how wind-powered devices, like wind turbines and pinwheels, also react in different ways to the direction of the wind. Read more

Unleash the Power of a Pinwheel!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

How do you feel when you ride your bike into a strong wind? Do your legs feel like lead? How about when the wind is at your back? Does that make you feel ready for the Tour de France? In this science fair project, you will investigate how wind-powered devices, like pinwheels, also react in different ways to the direction of the wind. Read more

Use the Sun's Energy to Heat Your Own Water

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Isn't it nice to take a nice, hot shower or bath after a long day of playing outside? But have you really thought about how the hot water in your shower or bath gets hot? Sure, the water heater in your house gets it hot, but what makes the water heater work? Water heaters are powered by natural gas or electricity. But are there any other ways to heat water? What about using the Sun? In this science fair project, you'll give it a try by capturing energy from the Sun to heat water. Read more

Want to Warm Up or Cool Down? Go Underground!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever been so cold sitting in your house in the winter that you feel like icicles could grow off your nose, and your feet could turn into blocks of ice? Or have you ever been so hot in your house in the summer that sweat just drips off you? Making yourself comfortable can mean turning on the heater or the air conditioner, but that costs money. Being cozy or cool does not have to cost a lot of money if you use a geothermal heat pump. In this project, you will build a model geothermal… Read more

Wily Waves: Build an Oscillating Water Column to Extract Energy from Ocean Waves

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The ocean is a wondrous force of nature. It affects the weather, and provides us with food and renewable energy to power our lives. How can the ocean provide us with renewable energy? One way is to extract the energy that is in the waves. There are many kinds of power systems that can be installed to extract energy from the waves, depending on the location. In this energy and power science project, you will build and test a simple model of an oscillating water column device to create power. How… Read more

Batteries: The Shocking Truth

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You probably use batteries to power different devices every day, ranging from toys to TV remotes, without giving it much thought. Figure 1, below, shows some common types of batteries. Eventually the batteries will die and you have to replace them with new ones (or recharge them if they are rechargeable batteries). How much do you actually know about how batteries work? This abbreviated project idea will give you some suggestions to investigate how batteries perform in common household… Read more

Biodiesels: Converting Oil into Clean Fuel

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Most of the energy and fuel that we use in the United States is derived from burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are the remains of plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. Examples of fossil fuels include coal, petroleum oil, and natural gas. Burning coal releases 21.3 gigatons of carbon dioxide— a greenhouse gas that may be responsible for global warming and climate change—into the air in one year. About half of this amount is absorbed by natural processes… Read more

Brainstorming for Engineering Projects using SCAMPER

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-8th

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Coming up with new ideas is hard! How do engineers design new things or improve existing ones? Engineers and inventors use different brainstorming techniques to help them think outside the box and come up with new ideas. In this lesson plan, your students will practice brainstorming with a method called SCAMPER. Read more

Energy & Power Projects, Lessons, Activities (59 results)

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