Seventh Grade, Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 6)

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered why a water strider can walk on water? Or how detergent can clean your dishes? If you observe carefully, you can find dozens of similarly interesting phenomena that are all linked to the surface tension of water. In this science project, you will investigate the properties of water surface tension. Read more

Circus-Trick Science: How to Balance Anything

STEM Activity

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Have you ever wondered why it is harder to keep your balance with a heavy backpack on? Or why it is difficult to make a toddler's sippy cup tip over? Maybe you are the kind of person who wonders about circus balancing acts and would like to learn how to ride a bike on a rope. Or perhaps you want to know how to make your toy car less prone to toppling over when racing through a sharp curve. In this science activity, you will get to investigate balance using marshmallows, skewers, and… Read more

Cricket Wicket Knockdown Challenge

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

In this cricket-inspired engineering challenge, you will build a machine to launch a ball and knock down a target (called a wicket). How many times can you knock down the wicket in three minutes? Teachers, lesson plan versions of this challenge are also available. Read more

Distorted Images in Curved Mirrors

STEM Activity

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Have you ever visited a house of mirrors and seen a wacky-looking version of yourself? In this activity you can construct your own miniature house of mirrors. Try it out and see what funny reflections you can make! Read more

Engineering Car Crash Safety with Newton's Third Law

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Combine Newton's third law of motion with engineering design in one fun lesson! Your students will learn about equal and opposite reaction forces as they design and build a bumper to protect a toy car during a crash. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS2-1. Apply Newton's Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
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.

Forensics: How Does It Matter? Measure the Spatter!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Every criminal leaves behind evidence at the crime scene. The trick to catching the criminal is collecting all of the evidence and making sense of it. This is what the forensic expert does. In this science project you will be correlating the size of blood stains to the distance they fell, but do not get too grossed out. You will be doing it with fake blood. If you like figuring out mysteries, this is the science project for you! Read more

Make a Model Rocket Land Vertically

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are dramatically lowering the cost of space flight by designing reusable rocket boosters that land back on Earth. Getting a rocket to land vertically without any damage - and without using a parachute to slow it down - is quite a tricky physics problem! In this project you will modify your own model rocket so it can land vertically. Read more

Study Kinetic Energy with a Rube Goldberg Machine

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Rube Goldberg machines—machines that complete a simple task in a convoluted way—are intriguing, artistic, and fun! In this lesson, students will design and build such a machine themselves and use the concept of kinetic energy in the process. Before students start designing, they will do an experiment that explores how kinetic energy depends on the mass and the speed of the moving object. With a clear understanding of this concept, students then tackle the engineering design… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS3-1. Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

Use a Drop of Water as Magnifying Glass

STEM Activity

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Are you ready to bend light, magnify letters, and have fun with drops of water—all while getting a glimpse into how lenses work? Lenses are the key components in eyeglasses, contact lenses, binoculars, telescopes, and magnifying glasses, just to name a few devices. With this activity, a homemade magnifying glass is only a drop away! Read more

Volleyball Machine Challenge

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Can you build a volleyball machine? It will need one part to launch a ping pong ball over a net and another to return the ball. How many back-and-forth volleys can you get before the ball touches the ground? Looking for inspiration? You can see how other students have tackled this and other annual Science Buddies Engineering Challenges. Teachers, lesson plan versions of this challenge are available. Read more

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

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