Physics · Fluid Mechanics
Build a hydraulic lift with syringes
Connect two syringes of different sizes and show how a small push lifts a large load.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
606 projects · 13 streams · every class
Science projects 29
Experiments, working models and investigations in physics, chemistry, biology, earth and space. Most can be done at home or in a school lab, and each one says what it costs and how long it takes.
29 Science projects
Chemistry · Electrochemistry
Build a lemon battery and compare fruits
Make cells from fruit, zinc and copper, measure their voltage and light an LED with several in series.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Physics · Optics
Measure the speed of light with a chocolate bar
Find the wavelength of microwaves from melt spots on chocolate, then calculate the speed of light.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Biology · Botany
Compare the stomata of different leaves
Take nail-polish peels of leaves and count stomata on upper and lower surfaces.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Biology · Cell Biology
Observe osmosis in potato strips
Soak potato strips in salt solutions and find the concentration at which they neither gain nor lose mass.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Chemistry · Physical Chemistry
Find how temperature changes reaction rate with antacid tablets
Time how long an effervescent tablet takes to dissolve at different water temperatures.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Biology + Sports and Exercise Science
Measure how exercise changes pulse rate and recovery
Record pulse before, during and after exercise for several volunteers and compare recovery times.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Free
Physics · Waves
Measure the speed of sound with two phones
Use two phones with an acoustic stopwatch app to time a clap over a known distance.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Free
Physics · Current Electricity
Verify Ohm's law and find where it fails
Plot current against voltage for a resistor and a bulb and explain the difference.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Physics · Electromagnetism
Build a homopolar motor and measure what changes its speed
Make the simplest electric motor from a cell, a magnet and wire, then test how magnets change its speed.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Environmental Science + Physics
Compare the energy use of bulbs
Measure the brightness and heat of LED, CFL and filament bulbs and calculate the yearly cost of each.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- 250–500
Physics + Environmental Science
Build a solar oven and measure its efficiency
Make a box cooker from cardboard and foil and track how hot it gets compared with open air.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Physics · Oscillations
Find g with a simple pendulum and a phone
Time pendulums of different lengths and get the acceleration due to gravity from a straight-line graph.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Physics · Optics
Build a spectroscope from a CD and analyse light sources
Split light with a CD and compare the spectra of the Sun, LEDs, CFLs and flames.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Physics · Magnetism
Map the magnetic field of bar magnets with a phone
Use the phone's magnetometer to measure how field strength falls with distance from a magnet.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Environmental Science · Water
Build a solar still to purify water
Make drinking-quality water from salty water with sunlight and measure how much you get.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Biology · Evolution
Model natural selection with coloured beads
Play predator on beads scattered on patterned cloth and watch the population shift over generations.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Chemistry + Environmental Science
Test the hardness of water from different sources
Compare tap, well, bottled and rain water by how much soap each needs to form lather.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Astronomy and Space · Rocketry
Build and launch a paper rocket with a stomp launcher
Launch paper rockets with compressed air and test how fins and nose shape change the distance.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Biology · Biotechnology
Culture yeast and measure fermentation
Use balloons on bottles to measure how sugar type and temperature change the gas yeast produces.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Physics + Environmental Science
Model the greenhouse effect in two bottles
Compare how fast air and carbon-dioxide-rich air warm under the same lamp.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Physics · Waves
Build a ripple tank from a baking tray
Show reflection, diffraction and interference of water waves with a tray, a torch and a phone camera.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Biology + Nutrition and Food
Test for starch, sugar, protein and fat in foods
Use four standard tests to find which nutrients are present in ten common foods.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Physics · Mechanics
Investigate how temperature affects the bounce of a ball
Chill and warm identical balls and measure how bounce height changes with temperature.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
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