Middle School Science Projects (Page 73)

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Do you have trouble remembering when to stop playing and clean up? Have you ever had little kids throw a tantrum about cleaning up while you were babysitting? If so, this project is for you! You will convert a stuffed animal into a light-up activity timer. You can use the timer for different activities like play, exercise, or doing homework. What you use it for is up to you! Read more

Digital Photos and Dynamic Range

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Digital cameras can be a great way to learn about photography. Most digital cameras today have LCD screens, so you get instant feedback on your photo. If you make a mistake, no problem, you just delete the picture. It's nice that you don't have to worry about the expense and bother of developing film! This project can help you learn to take better pictures. Read more

Fun or Frustrating?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Is winning correlated with fun? Pick a video game which has different difficulty settings, for example easy versus hard mode. Ask volunteers who have never played the game before to try it out. Some of them should use the easy mode and others should use the hard mode, this will ensure that you have a range in the amount of winning and losing among your volunteers. Keep track of how much each player is winning. Survey the volunteers to find out if they like the game. Do people who win more like… Read more

Batteries: The Shocking Truth

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You probably use batteries to power different devices every day, ranging from toys to TV remotes, without giving it much thought. Figure 1, below, shows some common types of batteries. Eventually the batteries will die and you have to replace them with new ones (or recharge them if they are rechargeable batteries). How much do you actually know about how batteries work? This abbreviated project idea will give you some suggestions to investigate how batteries perform in common household… Read more

Solid Ground? Measuring Soil Bearing Capacity

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Foundations for many types of structures rest on soil. This project shows how you can investigate the bearing capacity of different types of soil. Read more

Ring of Fire 2: What Earthquakes Tell Us About Plate Tectonics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Today it is widely accepted that the Earth's crust consists of a series of huge plates that slowly move. The low parts of the plates are beneath the world's oceans, and the high parts of the plates are landmasses. New plate material is generated at deep sea ocean ridges in a process called sea-floor spreading. Material from plates is also recycled at trenches, where dense, oceanic crust dives back (subducts) underneath an adjacent plate towards the upper mantle. Figure 1 shows a map of the… Read more

Write Your Own Calculator Program

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

When you need a calculator, what do you use? A physical calculator? An app on your phone? A web browser? What features does the calculator have? Does it just do basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division)? Can it do other mathematical functions, like square roots or exponents? Can you use parenthesis? Does it have a backspace button? That is a lot to consider for a seemingly very simple device or program! For a computer science project, can you write your own… Read more

Gamers: Myth or Man?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Male or female? Fat or skinny? Outgoing or quiet? What is your stereotype of a "gamer"? Do your friends have the same mental picture of gamers? How about your parents? This science fair project will help you examine whether the stereotypes of "gamers" actually matches the reality of who plays video games. Read more

How Far Can Sparks Jump?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Piezoelectric barbecue fire starters work by creating a spark that ignites the volatile lighter fluid, which then starts the charcoal burning. They are low current, high voltage devices. How high does the voltage have to get to make a spark in air? This project shows you a way to find out by with an inexpensive experimental setup to measure the distance that the spark can travel between two spherical electrodes. Read more

Are There Dangerous Levels of Lead in Local Soil?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The element lead is a neurotoxin that is particularly dangerous to young children. Among other uses, lead compounds were common paint additives until being phased out for safer titanium-based additives beginning in the 1960's. Lead compounds were also added to gasoline to prevent engine knocking, until being phased out beginning in the 1970's. Although paint and gasoline sold today no longer contain lead, soil can have contamination from older sources of lead, such as paint from old buildings.… Read more

Middle School Science Projects (985 results)

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