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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Did you know that the most likely time to be struck and killed by a car in the United States is at dusk, dawn, or at night? In 2014, 3 out of every 4 pedestrian fatalities happened in these types of poor light conditions. Is there something you could do to decrease the chances you, your friends, and your family members are safer when walking or biking at night? Do you think the types of clothes that you wear could make a difference in how visible you are to drivers? Explore the science of…
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Phys_p104
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult supervision is required when performing the test after dark.
Practice makes you better at most things, and knowledge makes practice so much easier! Can you swirl a circular toy called a hula hoop around your waist or arm? Is it hard? What knowledge can you apply to find ways that make hula-hooping easier? Physics! Yes, physics will help you determine what makes one hula hoop a winner and another a flop. In this project, you will create your own hula hoops, spin them, and draw conclusions. The road will then be open to your becoming a hula hoop expert. If…
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Phys_p088
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
You should know how to (or be willing to learn to) hula hoop around your waist or arm. Note: Hula-hooping is fairly easy if you have the right hula hoop for your body. This science project provides guidelines to make such a hula hoop.
Material Availability
Readily available.
Cost
Average ($40 - $80)
Safety
Adult help is required to cut the tubing to make your own hula hoop.
Did you know that sunlight can actually be separated into the colors of the rainbow? And the light of different colors can be added together to make white light or new colors. This is an area of study where art and science overlap. In this science fair project, you will explore this area by drawing or painting "pie slices" onto a white circle and then combining them to make a new color by spinning the wheel using an electric drill.
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Phys_p076
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
You will need a cordless electric drill and a sanding disk for this science fair project.
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Adult supervision is required, particularly to help with the power tools. Always wear safety goggles when working with power tools.
Did you know that you can use magnets to build a train that floats above its tracks? In this project, you will also use magnets to make the train stop, preventing it from crashing into the end of the track. Will adding more magnets help the train stop sooner?
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Phys_p105
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
Attention to detail and patience are needed for this project. After building, you will need to make adjustments to get it working perfectly. The train floats above the tracks well once everything is lined up carefully.
Material Availability
Specialty materials required. See Materials section.
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Keep magnets away from small children and pets who might swallow them.
Standing on a balcony near the top of the Tower of Pisa in Italy, a young scientist dropped two balls into the crowd below. The scientist, young Galileo, was not trying to knock his fellow professors on the head, but was trying to prove his theory that all objects fall to earth at the same rate, regardless of their mass. Was Galileo's theory correct? In this science project, you will get to test it out for yourself! Look out below!
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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.
