Middle School, Sports Science Science Projects (Page 4)

How Protective is Your Helmet?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Every time you hop on your bike or gear up for football or baseball practice, your helmet is your first line of defense. Whether you’re coasting downhill or tackling on the gridiron, impacts happen — and they can cause more than just bumps and bruises. Scientists tell us that forceful hits to the head can lead to concussions or even more serious brain injury over time. Correct helmet design, proper fit, and good cushioning all help reduce those risks. For example, bicycling is one… Read more

Measuring Concussion Risk in Football and Other Contact Sports

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Playing sports can be a lot of fun, but some sports pose higher risks of concussions, or brain injuries resulting from collisions, especially in contact sports like football. Some coaches, teams, and players use new warning devices mounted on helmets that sound an alarm after the head receives a serious impact. This gives an advanced warning of concussion risk (possibly before any of the medical symptoms might appear), signaling that the player should stop playing and see a medical… Read more

Paintball Ballistics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever played paintball with your friends? Wonder how you can improve your game? Paintball guns use compressed gas to shoot paint-filled pellets at high speed, and with good accuracy. The flight path of the ball is determined by its speed and the angle at which it is shot, relative to the ground. In this sports science fair project, you will explore the ballistics of paintballs, focusing on how drag and other factors affect the results. Read more

The Biomechanics of Pitching

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What do Nolan Ryan, Mark Wohlers, Armando Benitez, and Roger Clemens have in common? These men are all major league baseball pitchers who have pitched baseballs at 100 miles per hour or greater! What does it take to throw a baseball this fast? Does it come down to having the biggest muscles? Can a ball thrown this fast also be accurate? In this sports science fair project, you will learn about the biomechanics of pitching. Investigate how body position and physics interact to produce fast… Read more

Football Field Goals: Going the Distance

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

When watching a football game, have you ever wondered why some kicks lead to a successful field goal and others do not? There are a lot of variables at play in a game of football, and many of them are related to physics. One variable that can affect whether a field goal is successful is distance. In this science project, you will explore how field goal success rate is affected by distance from the goalposts. What will be the best distance for you to kick some field goals? Grab a football, head… Read more

Racing to Win That Checkered Flag: How Do Gases Help?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Watching professional racing-car drivers compete can be thrilling. The high speeds that racing cars can reach — up to 200 miles per hour (mph) and more! — put some unique demands on the vehicles. For example, to withstand high temperatures, the tires must be inflated with nitrogen gas, instead of air as with normal car tires. This enables the drivers to have better control over steering their cars as they race around the track. In this sports science project, you will inflate… Read more

Popping an Ollie: How Skateboarders + Physics = A Really Cool Trick

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever seen a skateboarder jump over an obstacle or slide down a railing? It looks like they are defying the laws of physics when they perform these tricks. It looks like it, but that's not the case. Physics describes the motion of objects and it is a skateboarder's best friend! All of these tricks can be explained by physics. In this sports science fair project, you will learn how speed affects "popping an ollie." The ollie is a basic skateboarding trick, and it's the first step to more… Read more

Skateboard Extremes: Which Wheels are Best for Speed & Turns?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Skateboarder alert: Extreme performance needed in this project. You can cruise and carve while you investigate which skateboard wheels produce the fastest (and slowest) rides on your terrain in these experiments. You pick the wheels and design the tests you think will produce the most extreme results for speed and turns. Do this project and you can work on your ride and learn some science about the speed, spin, and design of skateboard wheels. Read more

Are More Expensive Golf Balls Worth It?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

There is a bewildering selection of different golf balls to choose from for playing the game. Some less expensive, some more expensive, all with different claims for the advantages they will bring to your game. This project can help you determine which type of golf ball is right for you. Read more

Tee Time: How Fast is Your Golf Swing?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The goal of every golfer is to hit the golf ball as far as possible down the fairway. A key factor in determining the distance that the ball will travel is the velocity of the club when it strikes the ball. In this sports science fair project, you will determine exactly how distance is related to club velocity. Time to tee off! Read more

Middle School, Sports Science Science Projects (54 results)

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