Last Minute Science Fair Ideas: Vol 4 – Due In a Week or More

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 50 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 science 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 make a simple astrolabe to measure the altitude of objects in the night sky, make dirty water pure and drinkable to understand how evaporation & condensation works, make beautiful patterns on a wall to experiment with sound waves, and build a ‘Franklin bells’ device for detecting high voltage lightning storms and learn about static electricity!
Other fun experiments include: growing your own crystals along a piece of string, making your own homemade perfume, measuring the extend of creeping soil on hillsides, making a water barometer to measure the air pressure, checking the wind speed with your own anemometer, building your own rain alarm, building your own foxhole radio, sending Morse code signals with your own telegraph, mummifying an orange, growing plants in your own hydroponic garden, testing the effects of acid rain on ocean life, studying the complete life cycle of a meal worm 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: 9781370083206

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: DUE IN A WEEK OR MORE…

VOLUME 4 | 50 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 - Crystal Clear

Grow your own crystals along a piece of string

Project 02 - Stalactites and Stalagmites

Make your own stalactites

Project 03 - And Now the Weather Forecast

Use cobalt chloride as a humidity detector to predict the possibility of rain

Project 04 - Stop, And Smell the Roses!

Use chemistry to make your own homemade perfume

Project 05 - Once The Balloon Has Gone Up

Demonstrate how molecule size affects its ability to escape from a balloon

Project 06 - The ‘C’ In Citrus Chemistry

Test how oxygen affects the amount of vitamin C contained in orange juice

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: EARTH SCIENCE & ASTRONOMY]

Introduction to Earth Science & Astronomy

What is Earth Science & Astronomy About?

Project 07 - Star Struck

Study how the positions of stars in the sky change

Project 08 - Due North

Learn how to find the north star in the night skies

Project 09 - Disappearing Act

Investigate how water evaporation work with this science experiment

Project 10 - Are You Going to Drink That?

Make dirty water pure and drinkable with evaporation and condensation

Project 11 - Astro’ordinary

Make a simple astrolabe to measure the altitude of objects in the sky

Project 12 - This Is Creepy!

Measure the extend of creeping soil on hillsides

Project 13 - I’m Singing in The Rain

Measure the amount of rainfall with your own rain gauge

Project 14 - Can You Take More Pressure?

Make a water barometer to measure the air pressure

Project 15 - Blowing in The Wind

Check the wind speed with your own anemometer

Project 16 - Snow White

See how much water is contained in snow

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM]

Introduction to Electricity & Magnetism

What is Electricity & Magnetism About?

Project 17 - Lightning Crashes

Build a Franklin bells device for detecting high voltage lightning storms

Project 18 - In The Spirit of X-Mas

Use LED lights to decorate a paper X-mas tree

Project 19 - Best of The Best

Test and compare popular brands of batteries with each other

Project 20 - Clever Circuits

Make a quiz board with an electrical circuit connected in series

Project 21 - Steady Hands Only

Test your friends’ coordination with this electrical device

Project 22 - Rapid Radio Waves

Listen to the news by building your own foxhole radio

Project 23 - I’m Singing in The Rain

Build your own rain alarm in this simple experiment

Project 24 - [S]Ave [O]Ur [S]Ouls

Learn about sending Morse code signals with your own telegraph

Project 25 - Blink, Blink

Build an integrated circuit oscillator

Project 26 - On or Off

Build and learn about an ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ computer logic circuit

[SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: LIFE SCIENCE]

Introduction to Life Science

What is Life Science About?

Project 27 - Light for Life

Prove that green plants need light to survive

Project 28 - Pharaohs and Pyramids

Mummify an orange

Project 29 - Fountain of Youth

Test if ‘Vitamin E’ can slow down the aging process

Project 30 - Multi-Colour a Flower

Colour a white flower with food colorant

Project 31 - Into The Light

Test the difference of plants growing in the dark versus in the light

Project 32 - Watching The Leaves Turn

Dissolve leaves in baking soda to study their vein structures

Project 33 - All in A Day’s Graft

Graft two separate types of plants together

Project 34 - One Bad Apple Ruins the Whole Barrel

Study if a spoiled fruit causes other fruits to ripen faster

Project 35 - Healthy Hydroponic Garden

Grow plants in your own hydroponic garden

Project 36 - Seed Sprouting

Test in which liquids do seeds grow best

Project 37 - Temperature and Seeds

Study how temperature can affect how fast seeds germinate

Project 38 - It’s A Plant’s Life!

Test the damaging effects of phosphate on freshwater plant life

Project 39 - Whatever The Weather

Study how plants are affected by temperature and environment

Project 40 - Leave My Leaves

Study how the amount of leaves affects the growth of a plant

Project 41 - Spoiled Rotten!

Test if ordinary household items can be used as food preservatives

Project 42 - Bio-Jar

Build your own biosphere

Project 43 - Chill Out!

Study if moth cocoons can survive freezing temperatures

Project 44 - The Order of Ants

Study the social organization of ants by making an ant farm

Project 45 - Spit It Out

Compare the rate of bacterial growth in dog versus human saliva

Project 46 - Milk Microbes

Test what affects the growth of microbes in milk

Project 47 - Food Fungus

Create a colourful fungus garden

Project 48 - It Never Rains but It Pours

Test the effects of acid rain on ocean life

Project 49 - The Magic of Membranes

Study the flow of materials through living membranes such as an egg

Project 50 - Every Worm Has Its Hole

Study the complete life cycle of a mealworm

[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