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Experiment in Mechanical Engineering Science Projects (26 results)

Explore mechanical things (like a roller coaster as you ride along), how they break, and the parts and materials they are made from. Build objects that move and test how well your designs work.

Can Cell Phones Survive a Drop Test?
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
Why do so many people use cell phone cases? Do cell phones really need the extra protection, or is it just because cases look fancy? In this engineering science project, you will test the durability of calculators instead of cell phones, find out if cases increase the durability of the device, and build some of your own cases that do! Read more
Marble Machine
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
Put your engineering skills to the test to see if you can build a machine—powered by nothing but gravity—that will automatically sort out two different sizes of plastic spheres. That might seem like a strange task, but have you ever used a coin sorter to separate pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters? How about using a sifter in the kitchen to separate fine grains of flour or sugar from bigger lumps? Machines that can automatically sort objects or particles of different sizes are… Read more
Lift a Load Using Hydraulics
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Can you lift a car? No? You say you are not strong enough? True, our bodies are not built to lift heavy loads like cars. Fortunately, our brains are smart enough to harness the power of fluids, like water and oil, to create hydraulic lifts. By pushing a button on a hydraulic lift, a mechanic can easily raise a car with one finger. Lifts can also be used to raise lots of other heavy loads - even such massive things as steel girders to construct a skyscraper! In this mechanical engineering… Read more
Bombs Away! A Ping Pong Catapult
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
If you were in a raiding army in the Middle Ages, a catapult would come in mighty handy for taking down castle walls. But only if you could aim it reliably! With this science project, you will try your hand at catapult technology. Using a rubber-band-powered catapult you will send ping pong balls flying through the air. The catapult's design makes it easy to measure and repeat how hard the ball is launched and its direction, so you can find the right catapult settings to hit the target reliably. Read more
Effect of Trebuchet Arm Length or Counterweight Mass on Projectile Distance
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
Before cannons widely replaced them, siege engines were often used by armies to throw large stones and other projectiles to break down castle walls. One of the most advanced siege engines used in the Middle Ages was the trebuchet, which used a large counterweight to store energy to launch a payload, or projectile. The horizontal distance the payload would travel is called the trebuchet's range. Figure 1, below, shows a modern reconstruction of a trebuchet. The range of a trebuchet has… Read more
Effect of Friction on Objects in Motion
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
The funny thing about friction is that you couldn't get anywhere without it, yet it still acts to slow you down as you're getting there. Here is an easy project to measure the effects of friction. Read more
Moving Water with the Archimedes Screw Pump
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Amaze your friends and family by moving water with just a few turns of your wrist! Nope, it's not a magic trick. It's simply an Archimedes screw. In this science project, you will build a very simple pump, called an Archimedes screw, to transfer water from a low-lying location to a higher location. Read more
Rubber Bands for Energy
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
If you have ever been shot with a rubber band then you know it has energy in it, enough energy to smack you in the arm and cause a sting! But just how much energy does a rubber band have? In this experiment you will find out how the stretching of a rubber band affects the amount of energy that springs out of it. Read more
Give Yourself a Lift: Lightening the Load with Pulleys
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Before the Industrial Age, people relied on muscle power for moving and lifting heavy objects. Here's a project that shows you how you can use your head to make heavy lifting easier on your muscles–and your back! Read more
Mix It Up: Transferring Heat by Convection in a Tank
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Big, puffy, cotton-like clouds, and the bubbles in a pot of boiling water may not seem like they have much in common, but they do—both are formed by a heat-transfer process called convection. Warmed gases and liquids rise, while cooler ones fall, creating currents and mixing things up. Whether making processed foods in a factory or making plastic or metal parts, knowing how to mix up a big tank of hot and cold liquids or gases quickly is important. Engineers must rely on experimentation… Read more
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