You've seen for yourself, or in videos, planes flying, rockets hurdling towards space, boats racing through the water and submarines exploring the depths of the ocean. Have you ever stopped and thought about the aerodynamics and hydrodynamics involved in their operation? There is a lot of interesting science that goes into how they work! Check out these science and engineering projects to explore movement through air and water.
Have you ever ridden on a hovercraft? It is like gliding on a cushion of air! In this science project, you will make your own mini hovercraft using a CD or DVD and a balloon and investigate how the amount of air in the balloon affects how long the hovercraft hovers.
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Aero_p033
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
If using epoxy, adult assistance is required, use caution, and follow all of the instructions and safety warnings on the packaging.
Do you wish that you had duck feet? Aside from being a fun Dr. Seuss story, there is a lot you can learn about hydrodynamics by looking at the feet of birds. How are the feet of birds that swim unique? Find out in this experiment.
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Just one sheet of paper can lead to a whole lot of fun. How? Paper planes! All you have to know is how to fold and you can have a simple plane in a matter of minutes! But what design should you use to build the best plane? In this aerodynamics science project, you will change the basic design of a paper plane and see how this affects its flight. Specifically, you will increase how much drag the plane experiences and see if this changes how far the paper plane flies. There is a lot of cool…
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Aero_p046
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Fly your planes in a large area, away from foot and vehicle traffic.
Kites have been a source of entertainment for centuries for kids from cultures around the world. In this science project you will have a chance to build your very own kite, a simple sled kite. Then you will use it to investigate how kites fly. Will you find out the best way to fly your kite?
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Have you ever seen a helicopter flying through the sky? It can be difficult to do a science project with a real helicopter, so in this project we will show you how to make a miniature paper helicopter called a whirly bird. Will your whirly bird be able to stay in the air as you add paper clips as weights? Try this project to find out!
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Aero_p015
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Adult supervision is required when dropping your whirly bird from a high place (like a second story window).
Naval fighter pilots seem to defy physics each time they fly their jets off of an aircraft carrier. Normal runways are thousands of feet long so that airplanes can develop enough lift to fly. But a runway on an aircraft is much shorter. How can naval pilots get their fighter jets into the air without falling off the carrier into the ocean? Well, because they get a boost from a catapult! Sounds unbelievable? It's not, and you can find out more about catapult-assisted takeoff in this aerodynamics…
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Ok, well you will not be making real monkeys fly, so what is this science project all about? You might think that flying, screaming monkeys and science project do not belong in the same sentence, but you will be working with toy monkeys, and toys can sometimes be great tools for exploring science. In this science project, you will launch flying, screaming toy monkeys and determine how far they fly with the stretch of a rubber band. The distance they will go can be graphed to see how distance…
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Aero_p045
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
A large open space to launch the monkey is required.
Material Availability
You will need to purchase the Flying Screaming Monkey toy. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Who'd have thought that drinking milk can lead to a pretty cool boat? Boat design is an important and active area of engineering. In this science fair project, which was inspired by a PBS DragonflyTV episode, you will design and build different kinds of model boats out of milk cartons. Examples of the types of designs you might test include a raft, a catamaran, and a V-shaped hull. Once the model boats are built, you will test key features, such as stability, maneuverability, and their ability…
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Aero_p037
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
For this science project, you will need access to a shallow beach or pool where the boats can be safely tested.
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult supervision is required when the boats are tested in the water.
Wear life jackets if you plan to get into the water. Don't go too far away from shore.
Have you ever looked up into the sky and seen not a bird, not a plane, but a hot-air balloon? They are definitely amazing and fun to watch! Do you think they are all the same size? Does size affect how long the hot-air balloon can fly? In this science fair project, you will launch hot-air balloons, powered by a toaster, and see how the size of the balloon affects its flight.
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Aero_p041
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
You will need access to a room with a high ceiling, like a gym or an auditorium. Or you can perform the experiment outdoors, if there is no wind.
Material Availability
Readily available.
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult supervision is required. Use caution with the hot toaster. A hot toaster is a potential fire hazard.
Where do you get your best ideas? At school with your friends? When you are out for a bike ride? Over 2,200 years ago, a scientist named Archimedes got one of his best ideas when he sat down in his bath. Eureka! He went running through the streets without even bothering with his clothes. What was he so excited about? He had discovered that when objects, like his body, are placed in water, water is pushed out of the way. Have you noticed that, too? The weight of the water that is pushed out of…
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Aero_p044
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- Less Details
Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Adult supervision is required when using the hammer.
