Computer Science Science Projects (53 results)

If you've ever watched an adult pay for something by simply touching their credit card to a machine at a store, or you've done the same with a bus pass, you've seen an RFID tag in action. An RFID (Radio-Frequency IDentification) tag allows a card to be read by a computer from a short distance away. This is very convenient, but it also allows criminals to steal information about you. For instance, on the subway or the bus, someone standing next to you can use an RFID reader to access the data on… Read more

This project is a follow-up to the Science Buddies project Explore Optical Illusions: Build an Infinity Mirror, which shows you how to build a basic infinity mirror using light emitting diodes (LEDs) and arts and crafts materials. What if you wanted to build an infinity mirror that could change colors, like the one in Figure 1? Figure 1. A color-changing infinity mirror. You can do this by using special RGB (red, green, and blue) LEDs. Just like the… Read more

People with limited mobility, especially in their hands, may not be able to use traditional video game controllers. Adaptive game controllers use a variety of peripherals, like larger buttons, foot pedals, or specialized joysticks, to let people with limited mobility play video games. This video shows how to build a very simple adaptive controller that works with Scratch games on a Raspberry Pi. Can you build an adaptive game controller for a hardware platform and game of your choice? … Read more

Have you ever wished you could create an alarm system to guard your stuff? Or what about throwing a surprise party for someone and automatically playing music and flashing lights when they walk in the door? You can do either of these things using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit. The kit includes a motion sensor, which can detect when people move in front of it. Check out the video to see what this simple, but fun, project looks like: … Read more

How can you motivate students and teachers to make positive changes in their school? Why not try using what is in everyone's pocket—a smartphone! With this project you'll try your hand at harnessing the power of crowdsourcing and mobile technology by creating an app that motivates users to change their school for the better. Do not worry about the app creation, the MIT App Inventor tool makes that part easy; the instructions provided here will lead you through it step-by-step. Will… Read more

Have you ever seen night lights that automatically turn on when it gets dark? What about art projects, like paintings or sculptures, with embedded lights? This project will let you combine the two, by adding lights to an art project of your choice. You can make the lights automatically turn on when it gets dark using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit. Check out the video to see what this simple, but fun, project looks like: … Read more

Have you ever played a game that tested the steadiness of your hands? Operation® is a popular board game that requires you to perform "surgery" without bumping a tool against the edges of the game. There are also popular amusement park or carnival games where you try to move a metal loop along a wavy metal wire without letting the two touch. You can build your own version of these games using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit. Check out the video to see what this simple, but fun, project… Read more

Have you ever used a toy like a Spirograph® to draw precise, repeatable patterns on a piece of paper? What if you could use a computer to automatically draw the patterns for you? This project will show you how to do just that using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit. Check out the video to see what this simple, but fun, project looks like: … Read more

How fast are computers? How quickly do you think they can do 100 million arithmetic problems? Try this science project to discover an easy way to measure how fast computers have become and whether or not your computer is a math whiz. Read more

Did you ever have a favorite toy like an action figure or doll that could light up, make noise, or move? This project will show you how to make your own interactive toy using the Raspberry Pi Projects Kit. Check out the video to see what this simple, but fun, project looks like. The version you make does not have to be a robot; it can be any shape and have any sound effects you want. … Read more