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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Liver Stinks!

For Students 3rd - 5th
Sometimes science can be really messy or use pretty disgusting ingredients. That is what it takes to understand how the world works, even if the experiment isn't pretty. If you like chemical reactions that stink and ooze foamy bubbles...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Air Particles and Air Quality

For Students 3rd - 5th
What does the phrase, "Like a breath of fresh air," mean to you? This common phrase can have different meanings: calming, relaxing, invigorating, energizing or clean. In this experiment you will test the quality of air by measuring the...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: The Big Dig

For Students 3rd - 5th
Even though many cities have recycling programs, a lot of trash still ends up in the dump. Find out which materials will break down and which materials won't. Will the results of this experiment change which products you often buy?
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Font and File Size

For Students 3rd - 5th
What is your favorite font? In this experiment, you will test how the font style of the letters (or characters) in a file might change the size of the file.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: How Many Letters?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Can you remember all of your ABC's? Computers need to "remember" letters too. Every time we use a computer to write a story, the computer needs to "remember" the letters in the story by saving them to the computer's memory as a file. In...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Getting More Out of Less : Google Hits and Search Terms

For Students 3rd - 5th
Google is the name of the most often used search engine on the Internet. "Googol" is the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros. It's a very large number. This experiment will help you test different search terms and find out.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Cd Burning: Take It to the Edge

For Students 3rd - 5th
Did you know that you can tell how much information is on a CD-R without even using a computer? Find out how in this "reflective" experiment.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Image File Types and Size

For Students 3rd - 5th
There are so many different ways to save an image file it can be mind boggling. If you want to know whether to save your favorite photo as a jpeg, bmp, gif, or tiff then try this simple experiment.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Acid Rain and Aquatic Life

For Students 2nd - 5th
Chemicals from the Earth's atmosphere are making their way down to the planet. Not in spaceships, but in rain. The acid rain can infiltrate ground water, lakes, and streams. How does acid rain affect aquatic ecosystems?
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Something's Fishy About That Fertilizer

For Students 3rd - 5th
Did you know that when you use fertilizer in your garden, it can eventually reach a lake, stream, or pond? There are many different chemicals present in fertilizers. Learn how they affect the aquatic organisms in the ecosystem within...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Heavy Metals and Aquatic Environments

For Students 3rd - 8th
You might know that lead can be toxic, and that you can get lead poisoning from eating or inhaling old paint dust. Lead is called a heavy metal, and there are other sources of heavy metals that can be toxic, too. Silver, copper, mercury,...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Tough Beans: Which Cooking Liquids Slow Softening the Most?

For Students 3rd - 8th
Beans are important to the diets of many people, that is why you always find it cooked a specific way or in a specific dish in different cultures. Here you will learn how the liquid that beans are cooked in affects how quickly or slowly...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Too Much of a Good Thing? Effects of Fertilizer on Algal Growth

For Students 3rd - 8th
Algae is a good thing, but too much is a bad thing. In this environmental science fair project, grow algae in several concentrations of fertilizer and observe its effect on algal growth.
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Handout
Science Bob Pflugfelder

Science Bob: The Scientific Method

For Students 3rd - 8th
Gives an overview of the scientific method as it relates to a science fair project.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: When Science Is Sweet: Growing Rock Candy Crystals

For Students 3rd - 5th
Though rock candy seems to be a simple enough treat, it is also pretty interesting to make. Crystallized sugar that can be grown from a sugar-water solution is just how rock candy is made. In this experiment, you will learn to make your...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Tee Time: How Fast Is Your Golf Swing?

For Students 3rd - 8th
Determine how golf club head velocity affects shot distance. Make your next trip to the driving range educational by conducting this experiment.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: The Pixel Puzzle: Why Video Game Characters Look Better Today

For Students 3rd - 5th
Video games today look better than video games from the 80's, this is because now the number of pixels, or dots on the screen, used to represent video game objects has greatly increased. In the 80's, Mario was no more than 16 pixels tall...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: A Battery That Makes Cents

For Students 3rd - 5th
Batteries are expensive to purchase in a store, but you can make one your self for exactly 24 cents. In this experiment, you will make your own voltaic pile using pennies and nickels and determine how many coins in a pile will make the...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Riprap: It's Not Hip Hop but Erosion Stop

For Students 3rd - 5th
The Grand Canyon serves as an excellent example of just what water can do over a period of millions of years. This week long lab will help you understand how erosion works, how engineers work to help prevent erosion.
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Lesson Plan
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Set Your Table for a Sweet and Sticky Earthquake Shake

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Earthquakes can have different affects depending on their location. This week long exercise asks you to build a model house and a special table to shake it on, and see how different soil types can amplify shaking.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Think Fast!

For Students 3rd - 5th
Are you a piano player or a video gamer? Then you might have a quick reaction time that can come in handy while playing sports. Find out how to measure your reaction time and compare it to your friends and family with this fun experiment.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Are Laminates Stronger?

For Students 3rd - 5th
If you love to hit the half pipe with your snowboard or skateboard, then you have tested the strength and durability of laminates. Laminates are sandwiches of different materials that are glued together in layers to give strength and...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Keeping Up

For Students 3rd - 5th
Do you ever feel like you need to walk faster than your parents just to keep up with them? This is because of the difference in leg length between you and your parents. In this experiment you will test if the height of a person is...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Getting Critical Over Colloids

For Students 3rd - 5th
What is a colloid? If you have made Oobleck out of corn starch and water, then you know that a colloid is a mixture that acts like a solid and a liquid at the same time. This activity helps you determine the critical factors that...