Science Buddies'
eighth grade science projects are the perfect way for
eighth grade students to have fun exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our
eighth grade projects are written and tested by scientists and are specifically created for use by students in the
eighth grade. Students can choose to follow the science experiment as written or put their own spin on the project.
For a personalized list of science projects,
eighth graders can use the Science Buddies Topic Selection Wizard.
The wizard asks students to respond to a series of simple statements and then uses their answers to recommend
age-appropriate projects that fit their interests.
In the United States, lighting for homes accounts for about 14% of all residential electricity usage (EIA, 2014). That's billions of dollars worth of electricity per year. The U.S. has passed legislation to phase out older, more inefficient incandescent light bulbs, and they are being replaced with newer, more-efficient bulb types like compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs). How much energy (measured in kilowatt-hours [kWh]) and how much money could be saved by…
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Why do the planets orbit the sun without flying off into space? Do they move in perfect circles or do their orbits take a different shape? And how could you possibly do a science project about any of this—you can't do an experiment with the planets! However, you can build a model of our solar system that demonstrates the concept of gravity, using balls of different sizes to represent the sun and planets. Watch this video for an excellent introduction to the model:
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Have you ever wondered why a plant that grows well in one environment may not survive in a different environment? For example, plants that grow well in a wet jungle would probably not do so well in a dry desert, lacking enough water. This is because plants have adapted to their specific environment. Some plants have even adapted to tolerate chemicals that would usually be toxic, such as various heavy metals. In this plant biology science project, you will investigate whether different…
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PlantBio_p047
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Time Required
Very Long (1+ months)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
The Arabidopsis thaliana seeds for this science project need to be specially ordered in advance with the help of a parent or teacher. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
High ($100 - $150)
Safety
Take all proper safety precautions when working with the heavy metals. Wear gloves. You may need additional protection, such as goggles.
If you have an air hockey table, you know that the puck floats on a thin cushion of air when the table is turned on. With little friction, the puck can travel very fast. How much lift force is created by the air? Add small amounts of weight to the puck and see when it no longer floats to measure the lift force. How many air holes (on average) support the puck? How much force is generated by each air hole? Will a puck with a larger surface area, supported by more air holes (on average),…
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Balloons are a festive addition to many celebrations. You've probably noticed, though, that over a short period of time, helium-filled latex balloons start to lose their buoyancy. So when you're planning your next party, how soon can you buy the balloons in advance before they start deflating? In this science fair project, you will use a simple scale to measure the lift supplied by a set of balloons, and determine the rate of lift decay.
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Antioxidants have become very popular in the news lately for their potential health and anti-aging properties. Antioxidants work by preventing oxidation reactions that produce free-radicals which can cause harm to the body. Try testing different vitamins for antioxidant activity. How do vitamins A, B, C, and E compare? Do some vitamins have more antioxidant activity than others? What are some other sources of antioxidants? Try testing extracts from proposed sources of antioxidants like coffee,…
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HumBio_p001
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult supervision is recommended. Use caution when using sharp knives and do not eat any of your experiments.
Hooke's law says that the opposing force of a spring is directly proportional to the amount by which the spring is stretched. How accurately Hooke's law describe the behavior of real springs? Can springs be used to make accurate scales for weighing objects? Spring into action and find out for yourself with this project.
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Have you ever looked at two girls and thought they looked so similar that they must be sisters? What about a father and his son — have you ever seen a boy who looked just like how his father did when he was younger? We can often tell that two people are related because they appear to have several similar physical traits. This is because children receive half of their DNA — their genetic blueprints — from each parent. What about fingerprints — are they an inherited trait?…
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Genom_p009
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of genetic inheritance
Consent forms must be signed for each person participating in this experiment. You should inform people that although fingerprints can be used as forms of identification, you will assign their fingerprints a code and not use their name so that the fingerprints remain anonymous. For children under the age of 18, parents must grant consent. In addition, the fair's Scientific Review Committee (SRC) must approve the experimental design (including consent forms).
Soil may look like a bunch of dirt, but good quality soil is actually a complex mixture of dirt, nutrients, microorganisms, insects and worms. What type of benefit do these microorganisms offer a growing plant? You can test this by baking soil in the oven to sterilize and kill the microorganisms. Do plants grown in sterile soil do better than plants in unsterilized soil? What about adding worms to one plant, but not to the other. Will the plant with worms grow better? Some insects are bad…
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PlantBio_p031
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Time Required
Very Long (1+ months)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Adult supervision is required when using the oven. Use caution when handling and disposing of mold. Treat molds according to the same safety rules as outlined for bacteria in the .
This is a more challenging JavaScript project: can you write a program that can play Tic-Tac-Toe? You'll have to figure out a way to translate the game strategy into a computer algorithm. The project will show you how to create a working Tic-Tac-Toe board on a webpage. Your challenge will be to show the computer how to play. Just think: you'll be creating artificial intelligence!
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Games_p014
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
To do this project, you should already be comfortable with creating basic HTML files using a text editor. You should also be familiar with creating HTML form elements, and having them interact with JavaScript functions.
