High School, Physics Science Experiments (Page 17)

Stretch It! How does temperature affect a rubber band?

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23 reviews

Have you ever noticed that some objects tend to expand when they get hot, and contract when they cool down? For example, you might run hot water over the lid of a jar that's stuck - this causes the lid to expand, making it easier to twist off. Does this effect work the same way for all materials? Try this fun activity to find out! Read more

Swing Low: Investigate the Motion of a Pendulum

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Did you know that playground swings can provide a good lesson in physics—as well as lots of fun? The back-and-forth motion of a swing is an example of a pendulum. We see pendulums in other areas of our lives as well, such as in grandfather (also known as longcase) clocks. But pendulums can do more than provide fun at recess and help tell the time—among other scientific applications, they can show that the earth is huge! This is because the swinging motion of a pendulum is due to… Read more

The Buoyancy of Balloons

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Balloons are a festive addition to many celebrations. You've probably noticed, though, that over a short period of time, helium-filled latex balloons start to lose their buoyancy. So when you're planning your next party, how soon can you buy the balloons in advance before they start deflating? In this science fair project, you will use a simple scale to measure the lift supplied by a set of balloons, and determine the rate of lift decay. Read more

The See-Saw as a Simple Machine

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever tried to pull out a nail out of wood with your bare hands? Or have you tried to shove a staple through a stack of papers without a stapler? A hammer's claw, a stapler, a pair of pliers and a shovel are each examples of everyday tools that use levers to make our work easier. Read more

VOILa! Experimenting with Light Refraction

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If you pour water into a clear glass, what color is it? It’s clear, right? But what happens if you try to look through it to see the world on the other side of the glass? It looks a little distorted, maybe a little fuzzier and uneven. If water is clear, why can’t we see through it clearly? The answer has to do with how light moves through water, glass, and other transparent materials. Just like when you try to run in a swimming pool, when light tries to move through water or glass,… Read more

What is the Cheapest Way to Launch Payloads into Space?

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

A mass driver is a proposed device that could launch payloads into space using a long tube lined with electromagnets (Figure 1). Some scientists argue that such a launch system would offer long-term cost savings over the use of chemical rockets. Scientists have proposed theoretical electromagnetic launcher designs as far back as the 1970s (O'Neill 1979). More recently, some have proposed the use of railguns originally developed for the U.S. Navy (McNab and McGlasson 2022). Other types of… Read more

A Candle Seesaw Balancing Act

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Do you love playing on a seesaw? Why is it that depending on where you sit on the beam, and the weight of the person on the other side, you either fly up into the air or fall down to the ground? And why is it so difficult to perfectly balance the seesaw? It can all be explained with physics! In this activity, you will investigate the balancing forces of a seesaw—with a seesaw made of candles! Read more

A Magnifying Discovery

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Have you ever looked through a magnifying lens? Why does an object look different when you look at it through the magnifying lens? Even though the object appears to get larger or smaller, it really stays the same size. Each lens has its own unique power of magnification; how powerful is your lens? Read more

A Simple Machine to Make Potato Holes

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If you want a cool project that you can show to your friends, this activity is for you! Take a potato and a straw—maybe a pencil as well—and challenge your friends to drill holes into the potato with the least amount of effort. Chances are, they will not find a method that gets the job done with ease. The best method—the method that requires the least effort from you—will surprise them all! Experiment, investigate and have fun! Can you find a reliable way to get the job… Read more

An Infinite Number of Reflections? Really?

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Can you imagine a bouncy ball bouncing back and forth between two walls, infinitely? Wouldn’t that be amazing? What if, instead of a ball, light was bouncing between two mirror walls; would it bounce back and forth forever? Imagine each light bounce added one reflection of you in the mirror; would it look like there were an infinite number of “you’s” in there? Can we create an infinite number of reflections? Try this activity and be amazed by the many… Read more

High School, Physics Science Experiments (223 results)

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