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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Correlation of Coronal Mass Ejections With Solar Sunspot Cycle

For Students 9th - 10th
Scientists have known for hundreds of years that sunspot activity waxes and wanes over a cycle that lasts approximately 11 years. In the 1970's, scientists discovered that the sun periodically blasts electrified gases into space, in huge...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Buoyancy of Floating Cylinders

For Students 6th - 8th
This project presents an interesting puzzle. A disk of wood will float face-up, that is, with its circular cross-section parallel to the surface of the water. A long log of wood, however, floats with the circular cross-section...
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Lesson Plan
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Locating the Epicenter of an Earthquake

For Teachers 9th - 10th
When an earthquake happens, how are scientists able to determine the original location of the quake? In this project, you'll use archived data from a network of seismometers to find out for yourself. You'll create your own seismograms...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Does Chemical Lightening Affect the Structure of Human Hair?

For Students 9th - 10th
Hair strands can be used as the basis for a hygrometer, a device which measures the humidity level in the air. The goal of this project is to determine whether chemical lightening treatments affect the natural elasticity of human hair.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Make a Hygrometer With Strands of Hair

For Students 6th - 8th
Does your hair go crazy when the weather turns damp? Did you know that strands of hair can relax and lengthen when the humidity increases and then contract again when the humidity decreases? In fact, hair strands can be used as the basis...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Spending Habits: Tightwads vs. Spendthrifts

For Students 9th - 10th
Do you have a hard time hanging on to your money or do you have a harder time letting it go? This project shows you how to conduct a simple survey to measure how people manage their money. Find out what percentage of your classmates are...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Measuring Surface Tension of Water With a Penny

For Students 6th - 8th
Have you ever wondered what makes water 'bead' up on a freshly waxed car? In this project you'll investigate the chemistry of surface tension by measuring how many drops of water a penny can hold.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: How Does Color Affect Heating by Absorption of Light?

For Students 9th - 10th
Light is an example of an electromagnetic wave. Electromagnetic waves can travel through the vacuum of interstellar space. They do not depend on an external medium-unlike a mechanical wave such as a sound wave which must travel through...
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Lesson Plan
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Gigantic Triangles: Measuring Altitude (Inclinometer)

For Teachers 6th - 8th
If you've ever wondered how tall that bridge is, or how high your kite was, then this could be a good project for you. You'll learn how you can use the mathematics of right triangles to measure the height of an object with two...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies:brain Body Connection: Can Exercise Make Our Brains Work Better?

For Students 3rd - 6th
We all know physical exercise is important to keeping our bodies fit. But how important is physical exercise to your brain? In other words, is there any connection between an active body and increased brain power? This is an easy project...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Measuring Light Intensity Using the Inverse Square Law

For Students 9th - 10th
You've probably heard that compact fluorescent light bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs. More of the electricity they use goes into producing light, and less into producing heat than with incandescent bulbs. How much more...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: How Atmospheric Temperature Affects the Water Content of Snow?

For Students 9th - 10th
If you're lucky enough to live in a place that gets snow in winter, you know that the feel of the snow can vary a lot. Sometimes it can be light and fluffy, and other times heavy and wet. This project shows you how to use data from daily...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Investigate Mpemba Effect Can Hot Water Freeze Faster Than Cold

For Students 9th - 10th
This physics project seems like it should have an easy answer. Instead, it turns out to be a great illustration of why it is important to base scientific conclusions on the outcome of controlled experiments. Things don't always turn out...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Supercooling Water and Snap Freezing

For Students 6th - 8th
Can water remain liquid below its normal freezing point? If it does, that water is supercool(-ed). This project shows you a method for supercooling water. You can test water from different sources to see whether or not it can be...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Using Weather Balloon Data to Map Atmospheric Temperature

For Students 9th - 10th
Snow-capped mountains make a picturesque scene, especially in summertime when the peaks are in such contrast to the warmth below. This project shows you a way to see how temperature changes with altitude using data collected twice daily...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Ring of Fire 2: What Earthquakes Tell Us About Plate Tectonics

For Students 6th - 8th
The theory of plate tectonics revolutionized geology in the 1960's. In this project you can explore the connection between plate tectonics and earthquakes by mapping historical seismic data.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Are More Expensive Golf Balls Worth It?

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Asymmetric Dimple Patterns and Golf Ball Flight

For Students 9th - 10th
Have you ever wondered why golf balls have a pattern of dimples on their surface? The dimples are important for determining how air flows around the ball when it is in flight. The dimple pattern, combined with the spin imparted to the...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Tee Time: How Does Tee Height Affect Driving Distance?

For Students 9th - 10th
If you're an avid golfer, this might be a fun project for you. When you're setting up to tee off out on the course, how much attention do you pay to putting the tee in the ground? The height of the tee can affect both where in the swing...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Fear Factor: Using Pulse Rate to Measure Emotion

For Students 6th - 8th
Do you remember a situation when you heart pounded, your breath rate shot up, and your palms got cold and clammy? Fear does that to us. Here's a science project based on roller coaster rides to see if heart rate is an accurate...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Extreme Sounds: Lessons in a Noisy World

For Students 9th - 10th
Just how loud does a sound have to be for us to hear it? And how loud is too loud for our ears? Learn to measure levels of sound in this project, and discover the amazing auditory range your ears can detect in the noisy world around you.
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Where Do Lizards Go for Lunch?

For Students 9th - 10th
You've probably heard about differences between the left brain and the right brain in people. One hypothesis has it that brain lateralization evolved as a survival mechanism in animals with eyes on the sides of their heads. One eye could...
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Tail Wagging and Brain Lateralization

For Students 9th - 10th
The left brain is supposed to be better at language, and organizing sequential actions, the right brain is supposed to be better at visualizing orientations in space, making and listening to music, and deciphering the emotions of others....
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Technicolor Shadows: Lessons in Light and Color

For Students 9th - 10th
Is that right side of your brain yearning to express its artistic side? This is a project that blends art with science. Learn about light and colorful shadows in these experiments where you mix and match various colors of light to create...