Middle School, Electricity & Electronics Science Projects (Page 7)

Testing a Parabolic Reflector with Light from an LED

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You can see examples of parabolic reflectors in flashlights, car headlights, satellite TV antennas, and even on the sidelines at football games. How do these "dish" antennas work to gather signals? What is the best position for placing the detector for these antennas? In this project, you can use an LED and a simple photodetector to find out for yourself. Read more

Design Clothing with Built-In Sensors

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever worn a costume that lit up or played sound? Have you ever wished you had a suit of armor with built-in moving parts like a superhero? What if you could make your costume or suit react to your own movements or even other people who bump into you? The Science Buddies activity Weaving a Wearable Touch Sensor shows you how to make a capacitive sensor that responds to touch and can be woven directly into fabric (Figure 1). Can you design a piece of clothing that includes one… Read more

Wire Wilt: How Light-Emitting Diodes Fade As Temperature Increases

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What's your favorite thing to do on the hottest day of the year? Dip your toes in an icy river? Hang out by the pool? Retreat to a cool basement? Lie motionless in the shade? You're probably not too eager to move around and put out a lot of energy, like mowing the lawn in the mid-afternoon sun. Well, you're not the only one. In this electronics science fair project, you'll find out that some semiconductor devices, like light-emitting diodes (or LEDs), act the same way. As their internal… Read more

Invent an Interactive Toy with a Raspberry Pi

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

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 a Raspberry Pi. 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. IMPORTANT: The instructions for this project were originally written using Scratch 2 on a Raspberry Pi 3B+. If you are using a… Read more

Create Light Up Artwork with a Raspberry Pi

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

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 a Raspberry Pi. Check out the video to see what this simple, but fun, project looks like. IMPORTANT: The instructions for this project were originally written using Scratch 2 on a… Read more

How Long Does It Take to Fry a Diode?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If you have ever built an electronic circuit with a soldering iron, you know that the component leads get hot. How much of that heat gets into the device you're soldering? This project shows you how you can use a silicon diode as a temperature sensor to find out. Read more

Using a Magnet as an Electrical Current Detector

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

An electric current produces a magnetic field. You can take advantage of this fact to make a simple apparatus to test the electrical conductivity of various materials, including both solids and liquids. The detector consists of a coil of wire, with a magnetic compass inside it. You connect one end of the coil to a D-cell battery. The other end of the coil is connected to whatever material you are testing, and the material, in turn, is connected to the other end of the D-cell. In other… Read more

Mapping Magnetic Fields

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You probably know that you can use iron filings to reveal the magnetic field produced by a strong magnet. If you sandwich the iron filings between pieces of waxed paper, you can make a permanent record of your magnetic experiments (Gardner, 2004, 66). Cover the wax paper sandwich with a layer of brown paper (from a roll, or cut open a paper shopping bag), and then (with an adult's help) use a hot, dry iron to seal the waxed paper together. You will have to experiment a little with your iron… Read more

Middle School, Electricity & Electronics Science Projects (68 results)

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