Science Buddies'
ninth grade science projects are the perfect way for
ninth grade students to have fun exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our
ninth grade projects are written and tested by scientists and are specifically created for use by students in the
ninth 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,
ninth 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.
What color is grape soda? If you pour it into a clear glass you can easily see it is purple, but that is usually not its natural color. Manufacturers add red and blue dye to the soda. The dyes mix together and you get purple soda. What if you wanted to un-mix the dyes, could you? Yes! In a chemistry laboratory, using a technique called column chromatography, you could separate the two dyes again. But what about at home, can you use low-tech supplies to do the same thing? In this science…
Read more
BioChem_p045
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Syringes (without needles) and Space Sand need to be specially ordered. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Use caution and follow all safety warnings when handling and using the 70% isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol is highly flammable. Do not swallow, and wear safety goggles to avoid any contact with eyes.
Make your own fertile soil using kitchen scraps, manure, leaves, grass clippings, and other compostable materials. Which materials make the best compost? How does the amount of nitrogen change the rate at which the compost forms? How does a 'hot' compost pile compare to a 'cold' compost pile, or how does traditional composting compare to worm composting, or vermiculture?
Figure 1. Different composting methods yield different soils. In this picture, the soil on the left is vermicompost (the…
Read more
Here's a project where you can try your hand at being a detective with your computer. In this project you'll write a program to do some basic analysis of features of written text (for example, counting the length of each word in the text, or the number of words in each sentence). Then you'll see if you can use the information from your text analysis program to find measurements that can distinguish one author from another. After analyzing known samples of several authors' writings, can your…
Read more
CompSci_p022
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
An understanding of the material covered in "[# ProjectIdea Name="CompSci_p003" Value="HtmlAnchor" #]"
Here's an interesting way to get some music into your science fair project. What predictions would you make about people with relative pitch?
Read more
Scientists have known for hundreds of years that sunspot activity waxes and wanes over a cycle that lasts approximately 11 years. In the 1970's, scientists discovered that the sun periodically blasts electrified gases into space, in huge outbursts called 'coronal mass ejections,' or CMEs. This project asks the question: do CMEs follow the solar sunspot cycle?
Read more
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
Sports_p021
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
[# Fragment Name="ProjectIdeas.Human.Subjects" Value="Html" #]
Ultraviolet light can damage DNA molecules. If a cell's DNA repair mechanisms can't keep up with the damage, mutations are the result. As harmful mutations accumulate, the cell eventually dies. How much ultraviolet light is too much for a bacterial cell?
Read more
MicroBio_p017
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
To do this project, you will need access to a laboratory with facilities for culturing bacteria. You should be familiar with sterile technique and proper handling of bacterial cultures.
Material Availability
Specialty items
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Adult supervision required. Read and follow the safety note below on ultraviolet light. Follow standard precautions for handling bacterial cultures.
This project challenges you to think like a politician (and a scientist!), and try to ascertain what factors are most important as individuals make their decision on how to vote. For example, is it what is being said, or who is saying it?
Read more
Soc_p010
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
You must be willing to conduct and analyze a large number of surveys.
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Adult supervision recommended when conducting surveys.
Are you interested in things like prosthetic limbs and artificial joints that can help people with disease or injury to lead a normal life? Or maybe you're interested in sports medicine or physical therapy? Either way, this project could be a good match for you. Find out how the tension on the knee joint changes as a function of angle by building a simple mechanical model.
Read more
HumBio_p006
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
To do this project, you should be handy with basic woodworking tools
Material Availability
Specialty item (guitar string tuning mechanism)
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Adult supervision required (power tools used for assembly)
The conversion of forested to unforested areas has been occurring since humans began to impact and change their environments during the agricultural revolution. Recently deforestation has become a global problem, particularly for developing industrial countries and countries with very large populations. You can use satellite mapping resources to investigate the connection between urbanization, population growth and deforestation. You can also investigate the connection between deforestation…
Read more
