Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 160)

Winglets in Wind Tunnels

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Winglets are the short vertical "fins" at the wingtips of some airplanes. Have you ever wondered why they are there? If you have access to a wind tunnel, you can build model airfoils with and without winglets and see for yourself. If you're really ambitious, you can also build your own wind tunnel. Read more

Wire Wilt: How Light-Emitting Diodes Fade As Temperature Increases

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What's your favorite thing to do on the hottest day of the year? Dip your toes in an icy river? Hang out by the pool? Retreat to a cool basement? Lie motionless in the shade? You're probably not too eager to move around and put out a lot of energy, like mowing the lawn in the mid-afternoon sun. Well, you're not the only one. In this electronics science fair project, you'll find out that some semiconductor devices, like light-emitting diodes (or LEDs), act the same way. As their internal… Read more

With a Little Bread as Bait, Can You Make a Bird Migrate?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You might like to play in the autumn leaves and winter snow, but have you noticed that many birds don't like to stick around for the cold weather? And instead of the birds you're used to seeing in the warm months, your new feathered friends might be Canada geese. Why is that? Various types of birds and other animals travel from one place to another either in search of food, warmer temperatures, or other things they need to survive. This type of traveling is called migration. Try starting your… Read more

Wood vs. Alternative and Recycled Materials

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Our forests are a very important natural resource that need to be managed wisely. We use wood products for many different purposes: building materials, paper, cardboard, furniture, fuel, etc. How can we use wood products in a sustainable manner? You can do experiments that examine the growth time of different tree species to see which are good candidates for tree farming. Which types of lumber are most sustainable? You can also compare the effects of clear cutting vs. thinning a forested… Read more

Worm Hunt: Isolating Soil Nematodes from Your Backyard

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Do you know what is living in your backyard? How about at the playground, or in your compost pile? Nematodes, also called roundworms, are the most abundant animal on Earth and they might be living in any of these places. In this science project you'll isolate nematodes from several soil samples to discover the best nematode habitats. Read more

Write a Program to Analyze Text and Guess the Author

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Do you think you could figure out if two different anonymous messages were written by the same person? What about telling the difference between text written by a human and something written by artificial intelligence (AI)? How about identifying the author of a historical text? Each individual author may have their own personal style, and analyzing text mathematically can help you identify that style. Can you write a computer program that takes a passage of text as input, and calculates the… Read more

Write Your Own Calculator Program

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

When you need a calculator, what do you use? A physical calculator? An app on your phone? A web browser? What features does the calculator have? Does it just do basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division)? Can it do other mathematical functions, like square roots or exponents? Can you use parenthesis? Does it have a backspace button? That is a lot to consider for a seemingly very simple device or program! For a computer science project, can you write your own… Read more

X Marks the Spot: Build a Robot to Protect Your Treasures

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You have secret treasure that you need to keep safe from thieves. How do you keep guard 24 hours a day without skipping school and the rest of your important activities? You build a guard robot and have it do the hard work! You can build a guard robot using a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® set and the instructions in this project to guide your efforts. And do not worry: your secret is safe with your robot. Read more

You've Got Permission to Be a Backseat Driver!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Do you like to tell adults where to go and how to get there? Well, here's your chance to do it in the name of science! In this science fair project, you will see what happens to your car's fuel efficiency when it takes you downtown to see a movie, up a hill for a great view, or out for a cruise on a flat country road. Read more

2022 Paper Ball Run Challenge for Grades 3-5

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

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Add a twist to a classic activity with this fun lesson plan. Your students will design and build a ball run for a ping pong ball using nothing but paper and tape. Their goal is to make the slowest ball run possible. How long can they make it take for the ball to go through their ball run? The 2022 competition is over, but you can see what students built and learn about the winners on the 2022 Engineering Challenge summary page. Teachers, note that middle school and high school … Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Projects, Lessons, Activities (top 2,000 results)

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