Physics is the study of matter — what is it made of? How does it behave? What laws or equations describe it? From subatomic particles, to the Big Bang, modern physicists study matter at a tremendous range of scales. There's a whole lot of interesting physics at the human scale, too. If physics interests you our wide collection of physics projects is sure to have an experiment that excites you.
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Physicists sometimes study matter under extreme conditions. For example, think of the emptiness of interstellar space vs. the unimaginable crush of pressure at the center of a neutron star, or an object dipped in liquid nitrogen vs. the tiles on the space shuttle during re-entry. Here's an experiment on permanent magnets in "extreme kitchen" conditions that you can try at home.
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Phys_p025
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
A kit is available from our partner
.
See the Materials section for details.
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult supervision highly recommended. Use proper caution when transferring or holding magnets at extreme temperatures. See the Procedure for details.
Try your hand at this engineering challenge. Can you build a "launcher" device to launch a ball as far as possible and a "receiver" to catch it? Building a receiver provides an extra twist to a traditional catapult project. Add to the challenge by using a limited set of materials to build your machine and calculate a score based on your throw distance and materials used.
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Do you think you could build a car powered by nothing but air? A balloon-powered car is pushed forward by air escaping from a balloon, and it is fun and easy to build with materials you already have around your house. Can you imagine how you would want your own balloon-powered car to look? Can you design a car that will travel as far as possible? You can even measure your car's speed using your smartphone and Google's
Science Journal app. Get ready to grab some simple supplies to bring your…
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Phys_p099
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Cutting some materials, like plastic bottles, can create sharp edges. Young children should have supervision when using scissors or hobby knives.
3... 2... 1... 0— blastoff! In this science project, you will use a bottle rocket launcher to launch your own bottle rocket. You will load it with water and pressurized air, make several launches, and find out what makes your rocket soar the highest.
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Phys_p096
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Average ($40 - $80)
Safety
Adult supervision is required at all times. See the safety note at the beginning of the Procedure for details.
Have you ever wondered what sounds you can hear in space? The answer is simple: none! In outer space there is utter silence. There are no sounds of traffic jams or thunderstorms or crashing waves. No buzzing bees or babies crying. Just silence. In this experiment, you will discover why empty space is void of sound and prove it with the help of Google's Science Journal app.
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Phys_p017
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Use adult supervision when using the stove. To prevent burning yourself, always protect your hands when touching the hot flask and make sure to avoid direct contact with hot surfaces and liquids. Be especially careful when closing the flask with the stopper as it might pop out again.
Ever wonder why it is harder to keep your balance with a heavy backpack on? Or why it is difficult to
make a toddler's sippy cup tip over? Maybe you are the kind of person who wonders about circus balancing acts and would like to learn how to ride a bike on a rope. Or perhaps you want to know how to make your toy car less prone to toppling over when racing through a sharp curve. In this science project you can learn about balance using marshmallows, skewers, and toothpicks. Sticky, yummy…
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Did you know that you can lift an object that's heavier than you are? Just use a lever! In this science project you'll build a tabletop lever and measure how much effort it takes to lift an object using it.
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What do sand, Skittles, and cereal have in common? They are all granular materials, which means they are made up of solid particles, but they can actually flow like liquid! Imagine pouring the sand out of a bucket or pouring the cereal out of a box— a lot like pouring water, right? In this physics science project, you will investigate how the size of granular materials affect how they flow.
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Phys_p091
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult assistance is needed with cutting cardboard. If you use material that you plan on eating later, like cereal or candy, be sure to wash your funnel with soap and water before you start the experiment.
Jumping discs can be a fun toy to play with, and with their sudden POP!, they can even be a good way to startle people who have never heard them before. Jumping discs use a neat trick to jump. They are made of two different types of metal, and these metals expand when they heat up (or shrink when they cool down), but not by exactly the same amount. In this science project you will explore how temperature affects the reactions of your jumping discs— and how to get the timing right if you…
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Phys_p094
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
This project requires buying bimetallic jumping discs. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Adult supervision is required during use of a hair dryer as a heat source. Hair dryers can cause burns or fires if used improperly and should not be operated by small children alone.
Do not use the jumping discs on surfaces that are fragile or can be easily scratched.
Can you imagine designing and building a space telescope the size of a tennis court? Believe it or not, that is someone's job! Engineers are hard at work on the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST. This telescope has the potential to enable astronomers to see light from when the Universe was first formed. No one knows what amazing discoveries this might lead to. However, to make the telescope work properly, engineers have to overcome a lot of challenges. In this science project, you can…
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Phys_p082
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Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Most of the materials are available in hardware or craft stores.
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Adult supervision is required. Use caution when using the box cutter, heat lamp, and laser pointer.
