Eighth Grade Science Projects (Page 2)

The Nose Knows Smell but How About Taste?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Ahchoo! Got that stuffy nose and I-can't-breathe kind of cold? Those sniffles and clogged sinuses are bad enough, but why does it also seem everything tastes so bland and flavorless when we are sick? Is there really truth to the idea that smell is a key part of taste? Gather up a few volunteers, hit the kitchen, and try this experiment to find out. Read more

Simple Lie Detector Test

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever watched a great sports player and imitated his or her moves over and over again? Or have you ever felt really bad when someone got hurt or things just weren't going his or her way? If so, you might be surprised to learn that you have been practicing skills closely tied to lying! In this science fair project, you'll discover how your brain gets a workout when it moves from truth-telling to lying, and how you can detect the shift. That's no lie! Read more

Basketball: The Geometry of Banking a Basket

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If you've ever played or watched basketball, you might already know that your chances of successfully banking a shot on the backboard are higher in certain positions on the basketball court, even when keeping the distance from the hoop the same. Ever wondered what would account for this? Do you think you could actually explain this using geometry? This science project will put your knowledge of geometry and algebra to good use. You will calculate and quantify how much more difficult it is to… Read more

Marble Roller Coaster: How Much Height to Loop the Loop?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

This is a really fun project even if you don't like going on roller coasters yourself. You'll build a roller coaster track for marbles using foam pipe insulation and masking tape, and see how much of an initial drop is required to get the marble to "loop the loop." It's a great way to learn about how stored energy (potential energy) is converted into the energy of motion (kinetic energy). Read more

Teaching Machines to Understand Sign Language

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Can AI understand human language? In the future, AI could aid in emergency interpretive service in the hospital when translators aren't available. But can current AI algorithms understand non-verbal languages like sign language? In this science project, you will test whether AI can learn sign language gestures or phrases to see if it can be used for interpretation. Read more

The Science & Reflexes of Dizziness

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Tilt-A-Whirls, Merry-Go-Rounds, Spinning Tea Cups...does just the thought of them make you dizzy? Why should something so fun make our heads spin so long even after the ride has stopped? Learn about spins, turns, and the mixed signals that fire in our brains when the sensation of dizziness takes over. Weak stomachs, beware. This project has tests that will make your head spin! Read more

Why Winglets?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever noticed how some jet planes have small, vertical projections as the tips of the wings? They're called winglets. What are they there for? Read more

Do String Players Have Longer Left Fingers?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Physical activity is needed for maintaining normal bone strength and mass. Can physical stress on finger bones during development lead to an increase in finger length? Check out this project to see how violin players are an example of a "natural experiment" that you can use to answer this question. Read more

Can Humans Recognize AI-Generated Text?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

AI (artificial intelligence)-generated text is a hot topic for many reasons. Computers can now generate convincing paragraphs or even pages of text that look like they were written by a human. How do you know if a news article you are reading was written by a human or an AI? How does a teacher know if a student's essay was written by an AI? How do you know this text was not written by an AI? In this science project, you will conduct an experiment to see if volunteers can correctly identify… Read more

The Wright Stuff: Using Kites to Study Aerodynamics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The Wright brothers used kites extensively to test their design ideas in the years leading up to their first successful airplane flight. With this science project, you'll learn about kite aerodynamics, and then come up with your own hypothesis about building or flying a kite. You can test your hypothesis two ways: with an online kite simulation program from NASA, and outdoors with the real thing! A great feature of this science project is that it has many possible variations, so you can decide… Read more

Eighth Grade Science Projects (221 results)

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