Last Minute Science Fair Ideas: Vol 3 – A Day or Two Remains

By JB Concepts Media

Have you ever wondered how a telescope brings objects closer or how cameras take pictures? How boats float or aeroplanes fly? All of these seemingly complicated things can be explained by basic science. With the help of this book, you will construct many weird, wonderful and wacky experiments that you can have hours of fun with!
Is the deadline for your science fair project quickly approaching? Not to worry, the 'Last Minute Science Fair Ideas’ series is written in an easy to follow format that will guide you to create an exciting science project for the upcoming fair. The science projects in each of the books of this 4-volume series are conveniently sorted according to the approximate time required to complete each experiment.
The 100 projects contained in this science experiment e-book cover a wide range of scientific topics; from Chemistry and Electricity to Life Sciences and Physics... there are even experiments on earth science, astronomy and geology all designed for young students from grade 1 to 8! With this book, you are sure to find a project that interests you. When you are interested in a certain science topic, you will have more fun, and learn more, too!
Amongst many others, you will use the shadows of the sun to tell the time to understand how the earth rotates, construct a simple water turbine to see how hydro power is generated, make beautiful patterns on a wall to experiment with sound waves, and let a light bulb shine using a lemon as a battery to learn about electricity! Other fun experiments include making a kaleidoscope, periscope, telescope, intruder detector, doorbell, relay, fruit powered battery, recycled paper, cold pack, smoke bomb, water turbine, air pressure rocket, camera obscura, insect trap, water clock, water purifier, light bulb, inclinometer, sun dial, moon box and many, many more! When making these gadgets, you’ll discover that science is a part of every object in our daily lives, and who knows, maybe someday you will become a famous inventor too!
Designed with safety in mind, most of the items you will need for the experiments, such as jars, aluminium foil, scissors and sticky tape, you can find around your home. Others, such as magnets, lenses or a compass, you will be able to buy quite cheaply at a hobby shop or hardware store.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JB Concepts Media
• Release date: Feb 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370814206

JB Concepts Media

Experiland was founded in 2010 as one of JBC Media Group's subsidiaries. It started out as an on-line science experiment e-book store, dedicated to young science students, their parents and teachers and other young at heart science enthusiasts.Written by retired grade K-8 science teachers, great care has been put into each of our science projects to provide the science student of today with the basic knowledge of the scientific principles of our world.Even though the World Wide Web might be overflowing with an abundance of science project information, we realized that a need for well written and categorized science project books exist to help young students create high quality science fair projects or just have fun while learning about science hands-on.Try not to have fun – We dare you!

Book preview

LAST MINUTE SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS: A DAY OR TWO REMAINS…

VOLUME 3 | 100 science projects for gradeS 1 TO 8

Revision 1.42

This edition was first internationally published in Dec 2010 by JBC Media Group (Pty) Ltd for www.experiland.com. Original fixed layouts remastered in .epub & .mobi formats (Jan 2017)

ISBN: XXXXXXXXXXX

© WWW.EXPERILAND.COM

COPYRIGHT: No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections certain sections of the International Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Centre. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to: Experiland Permissions Department, part of JB Concepts Media group, Pty (Ltd) online at http://www.experiland.com/

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Editing, Publishing & Cover Designer by: JB Concepts Media group, Inc. Int. Copyright © 2010. For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department at [e-mail] | JB Concepts Media | Experiland publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Several of the content that appears in this book is not available on our website.

TRADEMARKS: JB Concepts Media Group (Pty) Ltd, and the Experiland logo is trademarks or registered companies of JB Concepts group Pty (Ltd), and/or its affiliates, worldwide, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. JB Concepts Media Group, Pty (Ltd) is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[PREFACE]

Preface

Introduction

Let’s Begin!

A Word about Safety

How to…

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: CHEMISTRY]

Introduction to Chemistry

What is Chemistry About?

Project 01 - The Iron Man Can

Use tea to test for the presence of iron in foods

Project 02 - Testing One, Two

Use turmeric and alcohol as an indicator to test if a substance is a base

Project 03 - Colour Spreading

Drawing colours from black ink using basic ‘chromatography’

Project 04 - Dropped Like a Hot Potato!

Extract the starch from raw potatoes and break it up into sugar

Project 05 - ‘Fall’ing Leaves

Use chromatography to predict the ‘fall’ colour of a green leaf tree

Project 06 - Testing One, Two, Three

Use red cabbage as an indicator to test if a substance is an acid or base

Project 07 - High Protein Food for Thought

Test and compare the protein content in various everyday foods

Project 08 - Chemical Cannon

Propel a toy car with the power of a simple chemical reaction

Project 09 - I Am Rubber, You’re Glue!

Use glue to make rubber

Project 10 - How Is Water Made?

Use electrolysis to find out what substances water is made of

Project 11 - Up in A Cloud of Smoke

Make a slow burning smoke bomb

Project 12 - Elephant Toothpaste

Produce a huge heap of foam in this exothermic reaction

Project 13 - Liquid Assets

Find out what happens to liquid matter when it is heated

Project 14 - Fatty Foods Keep Me in Shape. A Round Shape!

Test and compare fat and oil content in everyday foods

Project 15 - Writing Is Thinking On Paper

Make your own recycled paper

Project 16 - Don’t Burn Your Fingers to Snuff a Candle

Snuff out a candle by ‘pouring’ carbon dioxide gas over it

Project 17 - Cool Cat

Make your own cold pack with this endothermic chemical reaction

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: EARTH SCIENCE & ASTRONOMY]

Introduction to Earth Science & Astronomy

What is Earth Science & Astronomy About?

Project 18 - Time Goes By

Use the shadows of the sun to tell the time

Project 19 - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!

Find out why the stars in the sky are twinkling with this experiment

Project 20 - Solar Study

Use binoculars to safely view a detailed image of the sun

Project 21 - Once in A Blue Moon

Learn about the phases of the moon with your own moon box

Project 22 - Starry, Starry Night

Simulate the refraction patterns of stars in the sky

Project 23 - Time Flies When You Are Having Fun!

Make a sundial to tell the time

Project 24 - Solar Eclipse in Totality

Demonstrate how a total solar eclipse works

Project 25 - Inclined Towards North

Make an inclinometer or dipping compass

Project 26 - Need More Space?

Test if ice takes up less or more space than water

Project 27 - Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth

Use the sun's infra-red rays to cook a potato

Project 28 - High On Helium

Measure the height of your school hall ceiling with a helium balloon

Project 29 - Seismic Seizure

Make a simple seismograph

Project 30 - Shake It!

Make your own rock tumbler

Project 31 - Snap, Crackle & Pop

Crack open a stone with the power of ice crystals

Project 32 - Rubber Rock

Use corn starch to make a substance that behaves like a solid and a liquid

Project 33 - Puzzle of Pangaea

Use the continents of today as puzzle pieces to reconstruct the past

Project 34 - Finding Magnetic Metals

Find some rare earth metals in ordinary garden soil

Project 35 - The Law of Gravity

Study the effect your location in a tall building have on gravitational pull

Project 36 - Gone with The Wind

Know from which direction the wind is blowing with a wind vane

Project 37 - Can You Take the Pressure?

Make your own barometer to measure the air pressure

Project 38 - Tornado in A Bottle

Make a tornado in a bottle

Project 39 - Keeping Your Cool

Make your own refrigerator powered by evaporation

Project 40 - It’s Not the Heat, It’s The Humidity

Measure the humidity level with your own hygrometer

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM]

Introduction to Electricity & Magnetism

What is Electricity & Magnetism About?

Project 41 - Tea Anyone?

Make static electricity using a Van de Graaff generator

Project 42 - Knock, Knock

Make an electrical doorbell for your room

Project 43 - Fruit Power

Make a light bulb shine using a lemon as a battery

Project 44 - He Has a Short Fuse!

Demonstrate how a fuse protect an appliance from excess current flow

Project 45 - Volts Vs Amps

Learn about the concepts of voltage compared to amperage

Project 46 - Who’s There?

Build your own intruder detector in this simple experiment

Project 47 - Induction Current

Learn how to generate electricity by means of induction

Project 48 - Magnetic Faces

Make a face with an electro-magnetic wire

Project 49 - Magnetic Power

Have fun picking up metal objects with your own electromagnet

Project 50 - Electro-Magnetic Bouncer

Make a wire spring jump up and down with electro-magnetism

Project 51 - Magnetic Field Arrest

Test and compare electrical insulators opposed to magnetic insulators

Project 52 - The Magic of Magnetism

Propel a small ‘boat’ with magnetic power

Project 53 - From South to North

Compare current induction using a south vs a north pole of a magnet

Project 54 - Magnetic Detector

Build a device that can detect a small amount of magnetism

Project 55 - Eddy Are You Okay?

Make an Eddy-current motor

Project 56 - Dim The Lights, Que The Music

Make a working rheostat to control the flow of electrical current

Project 57 - Hot Wired

Demonstrate how resistance in an electrical conduit can produce heat

Project 58 - Resist The Urge

Compare how a circuit is affected by resistors in series versus parallel

Project 59 - Voltage Divider Circuit

Use Ohms law to determine a rheostat’s resistance by measuring voltage

Project 60 - Glow in The Dark

Make your own electrical light bulb

Project 61 - Relay Replay!

Build a relay to remotely control other electrical circuits

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: LIFE SCIENCE]

Introduction to Life Science

What is Life Science About?

Project 62 - Perspiring Potato

Learn how osmosis work with salt water and a potato

Project 63 - An Apple a Day

Prevent the inside of an apple from oxidizing with lemon juice

Project 64 - Coming Up for Oxygen

Study if green plants produce oxygen faster in stronger sunlight

Project 65 - Dyeing to See the Result

Make coloured dyes from various plant substances

Project 66 - Leafy Green Solar Machine

Trees act as large solar panels - Calculate the area of the leaves

Project 67 - Comparing Apples & Oranges

Test how much Vitamin C is in fruit juice

Project 68 - Pedestals and Plateaus

Make a sheet erosion landscape to study soil erosion

Project 69 - Fly in The Ointment

Study what happens to a house fly in cold weather

Project 70 - Ant Army Rations

Study how ants communicate to find their food

Project 71 - Soil Bugs Bugging You?

Make a ‘Berlese’ funnel to catch soil-burrowing insects

Project 72 - Fly by Night!

Make a box trap to capture nocturnal insects

Project 73 - Insect Repellent

Study what effect low or high pitched sounds have on nocturnal insects

Project 74 - A Matter of Balance

Study which factors affect a person's sense of balance

Project 75 - More Than One Way to Skin a Cat

Make a Von Frey device to test where your body are most touch sensitive

Project 76 - Stick and Stones May Break My Bones

Study what happens to a bone when it loses its proteins

Project 77 - Eat Like a Bird

Study if birds prefer one type of food over another

Project 78 - Floating On Water

Study the effect of pollution on fresh water birds’ ability to float

Project 79 - See for Your’cell’f

Build a model of an animal cell

Project 80 - Sweet Toothed Bird

Make a simple Hummingbird feeder

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: PHYSICS]

Introduction to Physics

What is Physics About?

Project 81 - The Guitar Hero

Make your own guitar out of an ordinary shoebox

Project 82 - Good Vibrations

Study how sound vibrations can transfer from one wine glass to another

Project 83 - A Reflection of Sound Patterns

Use sound waves to make beautiful patterns on a wall

Project 84 - Siphon Suction

Find out how a simple siphon works

Project 85 - Dog-Friendly Water Feeder

Make a self-filling water bowl for pets using air pressure

Project 86 - Rocket Science Under Pressure

Launch your own horizontal rocket with the power of air pressure

Project 87 - Fountain Fun!

Make a water fountain in a jar with air pressure

Project 88 - Two-Stage Rocket Science

Make a two-stage rocket powered by air pressure

Project 89 - Love Many, Trust Few, Paddle Your Own Canoe

Drive a paddle boat with the energy stored in an elastic band

Project 90 - The Power of Falling Water

Make a simple water turbine to produce ‘hydro’ power

Project 91 - The Comeback Can

Make a tin can that will comeback like a boomerang

Project 92 - Blast Off!

Launch a powerful rocket using water pressure

Project 93 - Bursting Your Bubble

Blow soap bubbles to investigate the strength of surface tension

Project 94 - Still Waters Run Deep!

Make a depth indicator similar to the gauges used on ships

Project 95 - Need A Lift?

Design & build you own kite

Project 96 - Welcome to The House of Fun!

Have fun with a curvy fun house mirror

Project 97 - Say Cheese!

Build your own camera out of a shoe box

Project 98 - Eyes in The Back of Your Head

Make your own homemade periscope

Project 99 - Can You See That?

Make your own homemade telescope

Project 100 - Colour of A Kaleidoscope

Make a kaleidoscope to view beautiful coloured shapes

[EPILOGUE]

Unit Conversions

Acknowledgements

Thank you

INTRODUCTION

FOREWORD

Thank you for purchasing a science experiment e-book from Experiland.com! Whether you are a parent or a student trying to find an idea for a science project, a teacher looking for ideas for the classroom, or a science enthusiast who enjoys the delight of experimentation, we trust you will find what you're looking for in this book. This book is a fascinating collection of both old and new science projects & experiments covering the whole basic spectrum of the astonishing field of science, and at the same time avoiding repetitions and similarities so often found in science project literature.

This book is not intended for serious scientists, we will not be discussing quantum physics, Astrophysical equations, or Human stem cell cyto-kinesis. Rather is it written and compiled as fun educational entertainment for the young scientist who enjoys putting their mental agility to test and curiosity to rest!

Enjoy the content and may you have many hours of fun with the experiments!

LET’S BEGIN!

GREETINGS!

Greetings fellow scientists! Welcome to the exciting exploration of the world around us...the world of science. This is a book full of fun & though-provoking science projects and experiments that will teach you, step-by-step, how to create an exciting project that not only demonstrates good scientific practice but provides a safe and fun educational experience too! With this book you will discover that science is a part of every object in our daily lives. Who knows? Maybe someday you'll create your own fascinating inventions—or even grow up to be a rocket scientist!

You can read all the books on music and guitars in the world, but that won't make you a great guitar player. You have to actually practise with a guitar to get it right! It is easiest to figure things out by getting your hands 'dirty' by doing! Science works exactly the same way. Yes, you can learn a lot in science class or by doing homework, but there's nothing quite as much fun as learning by getting your hands dirty doing some science experiments.

Science can be really simple and is actually only about understanding the world you live in! Science certainly does not need to be complicated formulas, heavy text books and geeky guys in white lab coats with thick glasses. Doing science experiments are all about testing and getting results, even if you get a surprising result than you might not have expected. But remember, even if things don't work out as you would have hoped, a good scientist is constantly asking: Why? Science is in fact only an organized system created by people to gather and store information. We use it as a way to define and understand the world we live in!

Science experiments are an awesome part of science that allows you to engage in cool and exciting hands on learning experiences that you are sure to enjoy and remember! A short introduction to each project will help raise questions in your mind, followed by step-by-step instructions for creating your project. Finally, our conclusion and learn more sections will help you understand what your project demonstrates and how this information can answer broader questions about science.

Most of the items you will need for the experiments, such as jars, aluminium foil, scissors and sticky tape, you can find around your home. Others, such as magnets, lenses or a compass, you will be able to buy quite cheaply at a hobby shop or hardware store.

When you carry out experiments, always keep notes about the things you use (materials / apparatus), what you do (method), and what happens (observations, results and conclusion). All scientists do this. If an experiment does not work first time, don’t be discouraged. Try again. You may find there is something simple you have not done. Surprisingly, by doing things wrong, you sometimes learn more than when you do things right!

Have fun experimenting!

A WORD ABOUT SAFETY

RATHER BE A SAFE THAN SORRY SCIENTIST!

Science experiments should be enjoyable, interesting, and thought-provoking, but most importantly, they should be safe to do! Some science experiments can however be dangerous. Always ask an adult to help you with experiments that call for adult help, such as those that involve matches or flames, hammers, or other dangerous materials. Don't forget to ask your parents' permission to use household items, and put away your equipment and clean up your work area when you have finished experimenting. Good scientists are careful and avoid accidents.

Before you start, remember a few do’s:

• DO ask permission from your parents or another adult before trying any of the projects.

• DO ask their advice if you do not understand what to do.

• DO make sure you have all the equipment you need before you start.

• DO carry out experiments with water over the sink or outside.

• DO wear an apron to protect your clothes and wash your hands after every experiment.

…and don’ts:

• DON’T touch anything hot with your bare hands

• DON’T use tins with jagged edges

• DON’T leave everything in a mess when you have finished

ASK AN ADULT

ADULT SUPERVISION

While this book contains a collection of tried and tested science experiment and project ideas that are safe and fun for children to do. It is nonetheless, every parent or teacher's responsibility to supervise their children whilst performing our science experiments and to choose only the experiments that they deem to be safe to do in and around their own homes or classrooms. Each of our experiments clearly indicates whether it can be done by kids alone or if it should be done under a parent's supervision.

DISCLAIMER:

While Experiland.com makes every effort to provide science experiment & project ideas that are safe and fun for kids, it is every parent’s own responsibility to supervise their kids whilst performing these experiments and to choose only the experiments that they deem to be safe in their own homes. Experiland.com will not take any responsibility with regard to injuries, losses, damages, claims or any expenses arising out of or resulting from using our science experiments & project ideas.

HOW TO…

HOW TO USE EXPERILAND’S BOOKS

Experiland’s science project e-books are divided into chapters based on the most general subjects of science including: Chemistry, Earth science and Astronomy, Electricity and magnetism, Life sciences and Physics with explanations of each subject at the start of each chapter. Only ‘The Mad scientist’ series of e-books are categorized by subject and therefore contain only one subject per book.

In each chapter there are groups of projects that teach you about a specific scientific idea within the general subject. Each experiment answers a particular question about science and includes a list of the materials you need, easy-to-follow steps, and an explanation of what the experiment demonstrates.

There is no need to buy special materials, but you may want to visit the library for additional information on the topic. Most of the projects have a 'Learn more' section with relevant information and fun science facts that are sure to surprise and amaze you. Explanations and the conclusion are given at the end of each project. Some terms are displayed in inverted commas and are defined in text and in the Glossary at the end of each project in the book.

Before you start any of the projects in this book, you should know a couple of things. Each project has a difficulty level ranging from one to three. Simple projects are rated as one, medium projects two and challenging projects get a three. Some projects also contain a red ‘caution’ sign. These projects involve things such as flames, hazardous chemicals, or sharp objects. These projects should only be done with the help of an adult.

It might be possible that some projects may turn out differently than expected. Do not worry, that happens to all scientists! If it does happen to