Middle School, Sports Science Science Experiments (Page 2)

A Cure for Hooks and Slices? Asymmetric Dimple Patterns and Golf Ball Flight

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered why golf balls have a pattern of dimples on their surface? The dimples are important for determining how air flows around the ball when it is in flight. The dimple pattern, combined with the spin imparted to the ball when hit by the club, greatly influence the ball's flight path. For example, backspin generates lift, prolonging flight. When the ball is not hit squarely with the club, varying degrees of sidespin are imparted to the ball. A clockwise sidespin (viewed from… Read more

Balancing Act: Finding Your Center of Gravity

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Like to have the balance of a tightrope walker? Try the more close–to–the–ground balancing test in this easy experiment to learn a few trade secrets of the high wire experts. In this project, you'll find your center of gravity and explore the physics of balance at the same time. No net required for this balancing act! Read more

Baseball Bat Debate: What's Better, Wood or Aluminum?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

So baseball's your game? Well, slugger, science and math abound in baseball. Just look at the zillions of "stats." In this project, you can produce some interesting baseball statistics of your own and perhaps settle a long-standing debate. You'll set up experiments at your local playing field to find out which type of bat is better, wood or aluminum. Play ball, and batter up! Read more

Basketball: Will You Bank the Shot?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You are right next to the basket and someone passes you the ball. Will you go for a direct shot or will you use the backboard and take a bank shot at the basket? Would different positions on the court give you a higher chance of making a shot using the backboard than others, even when keeping the distance from the hoop the same? In this science project, you will build a scale model and test different positions on the court to determine if one results in a better chance of making a bank shot… Read more

Can Exercise Really Make Our Brains Work Better?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

"Use it or lose it!" Sure, we all know physical exercise is important to keeping our bodies fit. But how important is physical exercise to your brain? In other words, is there any connection between an active body and increased brain power? This is an easy project where you can test the effect of exercise on a critical brain function: memory. Read more

Can Visualization Improve Your Sports Performance?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Did you know that athletes use visualization of sports tasks to score the winning shot in sporting games? Check out how much visualization impacts your precision in sports with this science project idea. Read more

Crossed Up: Does Crossed Hand/Eye Dominance Affect Basketball Shooting Percentage?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Everyone's used to the idea that people are either right-handed or left-handed for particular tasks. That is, one hand is preferred (or dominant) over the other for a particular task. Did you know that people also have a dominant eye? This project is designed to look for consequences of having the dominant hand and eye on the same side of the body (uncrossed) vs. having the dominant hand and eye on opposite sides of the body (crossed). Read more

Football Field Goals: Going the Distance

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

When watching a football game, have you ever wondered why some kicks lead to a successful field goal and others do not? There are a lot of variables at play in a game of football, and many of them are related to physics. One variable that can affect whether a field goal is successful is distance. In this science project, you will explore how field goal success rate is affected by distance from the goalposts. What will be the best distance for you to kick some field goals? Grab a football, head… Read more

How Fatigue Changes Balance

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Balance is one of the most important parts of how our bodies work. Even standing still requires the brain, muscles, eyes, and inner ears to coordinate perfectly. But what happens when you get tired—even just a little bit—from something like dancing, running, jumping in place, or doing step-ups for a short period of time? Many scientific studies show that fatigue—both mental and physical—can make balance worse. For example, after short bursts of physical activity, people… Read more

Nothing But Net: The Science of Shooting Hoops

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Swish! What a great sound when you hit the perfect shot and get nothing but net. Here's a project to get you thinking about how you can make that perfect shot more often. Read more

Middle School, Sports Science Science Experiments (71 results)

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