Middle School, Pure Mathematics Science Experiments (Page 3)

Origami

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

How do you turn a 2-dimensional piece of paper into a 3-dimensional work of art? Origami, the classical art of Japanese paper folding, is loaded with mathematical themes and concepts. What are the common folds in origami, and how do they combine to create 3-dimensional structure? Can you classify different types of origami into classes based upon the types of folds they use? Can you show Kawasaki's Theorem, that if you add up the angle measurements of every other angle around a point, the sum… Read more

Play-Doh Math

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever had fun making different figures or colorful creations using some Play-Doh? You can squish and stretch a single piece of Play-Doh® to make all sorts of shapes. How does changing the shape of a piece of Play-Doh affect its volume? In this science project, you will find out by testing how changing a piece of dough's shape affects its dimensions (length, width, and height), and how these changes are related to the dough's volume. Read more

What Are the Chances?

STEM Activity

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Have you ever heard anyone say the chance of something happening is "50-50"? What does that actually mean? This phrase has something to do with probability. Probability tells you how likely it is that an event will occur. This means that for certain events you can actually calculate how likely it is that they will happen. In this activity, you will do these calculations and then test if your calculations hold true for reality! Read more

Balancing Challenges

STEM Activity

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Did you ever come across a challenge that looked almost too straightforward to try, but turned out to be shockingly tricky, if not impossible? This activity challenges you in a fun way. Something as simple as picking up a piece of candy can be way harder than it looks. Find out why some movements are harder than you’d expect, then trick your friends into trying them. Astonish them with your stunning knowledge of the laws of physics; and most of all, have fun! Read more

Chain Reaction: Inversion and the Pappus Chain Theorem

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Here is a challenging problem for anyone with an interest in geometry. This project requires background research to solve it, but it is an excellent illustration of visual thinking in mathematics. Figure 1 below shows a series of circles (iC₁, iC₂, iC₃, ..., iC₃₀), inscribed inside an arbelos. What is an arbelos? The arbelos is the white region in the figure, bounded by three semicircles. The diameters of the three semicircles are all on the same line segment, AC,… Read more

Circular Reasoning: Finding Pi

STEM Activity

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Mathematicians look at the world around them in terms of numbers and formulas, and now, you can discover the formula for Pi too! In this science activity you will examine circular objects and see what you can discover about their sizes. As you explore, you might be surprised at how useful the results can be—maybe it will inspire you to save up for a bike with bigger wheels! Read more

Geometry of Goal-Scoring

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Block off one-third of a soccer net with a cone, 5-gallon bucket or some other suitable object. Shoot into the smaller side from a set distance, but systematically varying the angle to the goal line. Take enough shots at each angle to get a reliable sample. How does success vary with angle? For a basic project: How do you think your success rate will vary with angle? Draw a conclusion from your experimental results. A bar graph showing success rate at different angles can help to… Read more

Half-Life with Coins

STEM Activity

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You may have read about nuclear disasters at sites like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima in the news or in a history lesson. Disasters like these can take years or even decades to clean up, and make it unsafe for humans to live nearby for even longer. Why does the contamination last so long? In this (perfectly safe!) activity, you will learn about radioactive decay using coins. Read more

Is There Such a Thing as Streakiness in Baseball?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Here's a project that will teach you about math as you follow some of your favorite players or teams. You'll be comparing day-to-day performance with long-term averages, and trying to determine if the "streaks" and "slumps" over shorter time periods are due to random chance or something else. When you've finished, you'll have a better understanding of some important concepts in statistical analysis and baseball. If a player goes 0-for-20, does that mean anything? Using probability theory,… Read more

Money Problems

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Math can make you money! If you understand some basic math, you can make good decisions about how to keep, spend, and use your hard earned dollars. Try an experiment comparing the same balance in different types of bank accounts. How much better is a savings account than a checking account? What difference does the interest rate make? Which is better, an account that earns compound or simple interest? Can you compare the short and long term costs of borrowing money compared to saving the cash… Read more

Middle School, Pure Mathematics Science Experiments (55 results)

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