Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am a high school student looking to participate in a state science fair so I can enter ISEF. I have a pet ball python and I thought it would be great to do my project using him.

Here's my project idea:

Transposing the mechanic nature of a snake's swimming pattern into a modelled vehicle, creating a hydro-vehicle.

I thought about this because I know snakes can swim while keeping their entire body above water.

Welcome to the Forum Amrator. This sounds like a terrific idea. I'm glad to see that you are starting early -- that's smart, because a mechanical water snake won't be easy to make. But it's so original, that you will end up with a project that really stands out. With the query "MIT mechanical snake" I found

http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/38709

and several other hits. I'm sure you can find many others.

If you can find someone with mechanical engineering or other relevant experience who would be willing to serve as a mentor, that would be a huge plus IMHO. Well worth the effort.

Note that this is an engineering project; check out the top-level of our web site for advice on the proper methodology for engineering versus the more familiar science projects.

Best of luck. Come back and tell us how you are doing. We'll be happy to help if we can.