Seventh Grade, Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 4)

Build a Levitating Water Fountain with the Stroboscopic Effect

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Can you make water fall up? Or make drops of water hover in mid-air? While you might not be able to make water defy gravity, you can create the illusion that it does using something called the stroboscopic effect. In this project you will make use of the stroboscopic effect to build your own "levitating water" fountain. Read more

Make a Self-Starting Siphon

STEM Activity

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If you have ever seen someone use a siphon in a movie, they probably sucked on the tube to get it started. That can be dangerous with liquids like gasoline! Can you make a siphon that will start on its own? Try this activity to find out! Read more

Two-Stage Balloon Rocket

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Learn about real space flight and Newton's laws of motion with this fun lesson! This new twist on a classic project lets your students build a multi-stage balloon rocket that they can launch across the classroom. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS2-2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object's motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.

A Model of Gravity in Our Solar System

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Why do the planets orbit the sun without flying off into space? Do they move in perfect circles or do their orbits take a different shape? And how could you possibly do a science project about any of this—you can't do an experiment with the planets! However, you can build a model of our solar system that demonstrates the concept of gravity, using balls of different sizes to represent the sun and planets. Watch the summary video for an excellent introduction to the model. Think about how… Read more

Balance the Forces Within a Mobile

STEM Activity

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Have you ever seen a mobile? Not a mobile phone, but a hanging art sculpture. You might have had such a mobile in your room when you were little. These mobiles hang from the ceiling and are usually made up of many layers of rods to which lots of differently shaped objects are attached with strings. When you look at the mobile sculpture, you might wonder how it can stay balanced all the time even when it is moving in the air. In this activity, you will make your own mobile sculpture and find out… Read more

Build a Recycling-Sorting Machine

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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In this lesson plan, your students will build their own recycling sorting machines that use various methods, like magnets or puffs of air, to separate shreds of paper from paper clips. This lesson is inspired by the real-world engineering challenge of separating various materials, like paper, plastic, and metals, that get combined in single-stream recycling programs. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS2-3. Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
MS-PS2-5. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Hit the Slopes: Build Your Own Ski Lift

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Do you like winter sports like sledding or skiing? Check out this winter-themed engineering project to build your own miniature "ski lift." Use it to transport small objects from one place to another, just like a real ski lift transports skiers from the bottom of a mountain to the top. Read more

How the Strength of a Magnet Varies with Temperature

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Physicists sometimes study matter under extreme conditions. For example, think of the emptiness of interstellar space vs. the unimaginable crush of pressure at the center of a neutron star, or an object dipped in liquid nitrogen vs. the tiles on the space shuttle during re-entry. Here's an experiment on permanent magnets in "extreme kitchen" conditions that you can try at home. Read more

Make Sprinkles Vibrate with Sound

STEM Activity

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You might know that sound is caused by vibrations, but did you know that sound can also make things vibrate? You might have noticed this if you have ever been at a concert or in a car with the stereo booming. Sometimes the sounds are so loud that you can feel the vibrations! However, sounds that loud can damage your hearing, so in this project you will investigate them using something safer. Read more

Measure Static Electricity With An Electroscope!

STEM Activity

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Have you ever been zapped by a door knob or another person? It feels like a little electric shock and usually happens on cold and dry winter days. Where is this shock coming from? Why is it that sometimes you get zapped and sometimes you don't? It all has to do with static electricity, which can build up in some materials and then be transferred from one object to another. Sometimes you can even see a spark fly between them! In this science activity you will explore how well materials around… Read more

Seventh Grade, Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (127 results)

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