Fifth Grade, Physics Science Experiments (Page 20)

Turn Soot into Silver

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

3 reviews

You might have heard the saying “not everything is as it seems.” Something might look great from far away, but when you take a closer look, it might not turn out to be as beautiful as you thought! In this activity, you will create the opposite experience—you will turn a spoon blackened with soot into shiny silver. Even though it is only an illusion, you will not know it when you see it. Try it out for yourself! Read more

Use Surface Tension to Make Your Pepper Dance

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

6 reviews

You are probably used to seeing things float, be it a boat on the water, or a rubber duck in your bathtub. But did you ever wonder how the same water that you drink, splash, and dive into – how can that support the weight of giant boats? In this activity we’ll learn about surface tension and how it helps us keep afloat! Read more

Water Striders & Surface Tension

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Water striders (also called water bugs, pond skippers, etc.) are insects that can hop around on the surface of water (Figure 1). Unlike boats or other floating objects that are partially submerged and held up by the resulting buoyant force, water striders are held up by surface tension. Figure 1. Water striders (image credit Isaka Yoji). You can build your own water striders using thin wire (Figure 2 and summary video). Do some background research about… Read more

X Marks the Spot: Finding the Center of Mass

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

15 reviews

You can probably find the center of simple shapes, like circles and squares, pretty easily. But, how do you find the "middle" of an irregular shape, like a drawing of a dog or a cat? This project will show you how to do it using nothing but string and paper clips! Read more

Baking Soda Weight Loss

STEM Activity

Baking soda is not only great for cooking; it is also a useful chemical for science projects. You have probably heard about and maybe even used the baking soda/vinegar reaction to make volcanos erupt, shoot bottle rockets up in the air, or to detect acids and bases. However, there are many more chemical reactions that you can explore with the help of baking soda. One of them is called a decomposition reaction, which makes baking soda lose weight! Want to find out how it works? Then try this… Read more

Balancing Act

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

18 reviews

What makes an object balanced? Look around you—most of the objects in the room are probably balanced and not on the verge of tipping over. If someone hands you an object and asks you to put it down, you probably know, without thinking about it too much, how to place it so it won't fall over. But what's the science behind how an object balances? Why do certain objects only balance on some sides and not others? Try this project to find out! Read more

Be Seen In the Dark

STEM Activity

Being outside in the evening can be relaxing as well as exciting and fun, but it could also be dangerous. Did you know that in 2014, on average, 13 pedestrians died on American roads every day and three out of every four pedestrian fatalities happened in poor light conditions, such as dusk, dawn, or at night? When considering these worrisome numbers, do you think the types of clothes worn could make a difference in how visible pedestrians are to drivers? If so, what should you wear: bright… Read more

Collide Head On with this Toy

STEM Activity

Did it ever occur to you that tennis, bowling, Newton’s cradle, and cars bumping into each other all revolve around collisions? It is fascinating how a few rules of physics can predict the outcome of these collisions. You can discover these rules yourself with a fun homemade toy. Do the activity, play with the toys you make and be one step closer to understanding what happens when you shoot a marble into another! Read more

Crashing Sounds

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

3 reviews

Have you ever thought about the sheer number of words that exist in the English language to describe sounds? A noise can be a thud, a clang, a bang, a pop, a crash, a splash, a clatter, a buzz, a tinkle, and many more! You can probably think of an example for each of these—but if you heard the sound, could you say what produced it? Read more

Create a Marshmallow Map of Your Microwave Oven!

STEM Activity

Have you ever bitten into a microwave burrito, and the first bite is scalding hot, whereas the second bite is still frozen? If you’ve experienced this, then you know that microwaves have hot and cold spots, which is why they usually have a rotating tray to ensure that your food is evening cooked. In this activity, you’ll use marshmallows to map out where the hot and cold spots are in your microwave. Get ready to heat things up! Read more

Fifth Grade, Physics Science Experiments (223 results)

Explore Our Science Videos