Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Applying Hooke's Law: Make Your Own Spring Scale
Hooke's law says that the opposing force of a spring is directly proportional to the amount by which the spring is stretched. How accurately Hooke's law describe the behavior of real springs? Can springs be used to make accurate scales...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature
Many materials expand when heated and contract when cooled. What do you think will happen to the elasticity (stretchiness) of a rubber band when it is heated or cooled to various temperatures?
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Beach Bum Science: Compression of Wet Sand
Did you ever notice the cool patterns around your footprints when you take a walk in the wet sand at the beach? The pressure of your feet has effects far outside your footprints. Here's a project that uses a simple experimental apparatus...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Under Pressure: Sand Under Lateral Compression
Here's a project that involves a different kind of sandbox than the ones you usually think of. This one has a moving wall inside, acting like a piston, to compress the sand. You can make layers using two different colors of sand, and...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Sand Structure: Measuring Density and Porosity of Sand
For many kids, a day at the beach would not be complete without building a sandcastle. Have you ever wondered how it is that you can pack sand into a mold for a sandcastle? Do some kinds of sand pack better than others? This project will...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Catching Stardust
How do astronomers collect stardust? They design and build satellites that are launched into space to collect particles on specially designed panels. Satellites can be sent to orbit around an object of interest: a planet, moon, or comet....
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: How Much Do Different Pet Species Eat?
How much food do you think your pet eats compared to other kinds of pets? In this experiment you will compare the food intake of your family pets to find out which pet eats more for its body weight.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Brains Behind 'Where's Waldo?'
What makes you notice someone in a crowd? Why do some things stand out, while others melt into the background? In this experiment you can investigate the psychology of how things get noticed, by studying how our brains perform a visual...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Puppy Proportions: Growth Spurts & Weight Gain in a Dog
Puppies prove to be a fun and useful aid in this adorable experiment! By having access to, and measuring a puppy's body dimensions over a period of weeks or months, you can discover if segments of canine anatomy develop at different...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Recycling Greywater: Can Plants Tolerate It?
Water is a valuable resource many often take for granted. This exercise however gives you the opportunity to learn about and discover how greywater (water that has been used for washing or bathing) can be used for watering ornamental...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Solar Powered Water Desalination
Here is a cool project about making fresh water from salt water using solar power, also known as water desalination. The apparatus is made from readily available materials, and the power source is free. As an inventive thinker, you will...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Perfect Marriage of Computer Science & Medicine
Find out the real explanation for why your parents are so weird. Here is a project that lets you explore the internet to find out why your "DNA blueprint" is so important to health and disease. In this project you will use methods that...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Make Your Own P H Paper
In this "kitchen chemistry" project about acid/base chemistry, you will measure the acidity or alkalinity of a solution using a logarithmic scale called the pH scale. As you learn about the pH scale, you will have the chance to make your...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Measuring the Amount of Acid in Vinegar by Titration
There are many different types of vinegar that you can buy to use around the kitchen for cooking and pickling. The chemical compound that gives vinegar its tart taste and pungent smell is acetic acid. In this experiment you will work to...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: What Is the Maximum Intermediate Height for a Siphon?
If you have ever had a fish tank, you have owned an operating siphon. A siphon is a handy device for emptying out a liquid reservoir that has no drain. As a result, they are great for cleaning fish tanks. Liquid in a siphon flows...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Measuring the Speed of 'Light' With a Microwave Oven
In this experiment, you will measure the speed of light using a microwave oven, some egg white, and a ruler. This short project proves to be an extremely interesting choice for a science lab, with pictures for illustration, and thorough...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: What's the Fastest Way to Cool a Soda?
When you are craving an ice cold drink of soda, the last thing you want is to be stuck with a bunch of soda cans at room temperature. This fun science experiment sends you on a discovery to find the fastest way to cool soda with...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Tiling With Spidrons
If art and math are both passions of yours, this project is meant for you! Spidrons are geometric forms made from alternating sequences of equilateral and isosceles (30 degrees, 30 degrees, 120 degrees) triangles. Spidrons were...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Honesty: How Prevalent Is It?
This project explores how well the honor system works for a bake sale-type charity donation. Find out if people are actually capable of honesty, or if they are only honest when they think someone is watching.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Effects of Card Counting on a Simple Card Game
If you enjoy playing cards, this project will get you thinking about strategy in card games and help you become a better card player. Explore probability using computer simulations and the practice of counting cards.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: What Makes Ice Melt Fastest?
If you live in a place that gets cold in the winter, you have most likely seen trucks spreading a mixture of sand and salt on the streets after a snowfall to help de-ice roads. This basic chemistry project gives you clues to discover how...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Saturated Solutions: Measuring Solubility
Many essential chemical reactions and natural biochemical processes occur in liquid solutions, so understanding the chemical properties of liquid solutions is fundamentally important. This project will challenge you to discover how much...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Wave Blockers
What do the radio, TV, radio controlled cars, and cell phones all have in common? They all use invisible waves to transmit information. Find out which materials block radio waves, and which materials allow radio waves to pass through in...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: How Diets Affect Earthworms and the Soil They Enrich
In this environment-oriented experiment, you will mix it up with earthworms, soil, and various types of organic kitchen scraps. The basic idea is to set up small earthworm colonies to compost different types of food waste. You test the...