Science Buddies
Science Buddies: M&m Math
By using a simple bag of M&Ms, you can conduct an experiment in statistics to determine the frequency of colors in the package. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Wild About Wildcards
The idea of a wildcard allows you to satisfy any condition. The same concept is behind using a wildcard when searching for something with your computer. Do this experiment to find out if using wildcards to conduct a search can help you...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Frequency of Outcomes in a Small Number of Trials
People often draw conclusions from a small number of observations, but how easy is it to draw the wrong conclusion? Here is a simple project that shows the importance of making enough observations before making a prediction.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Birthday Paradox
This project shows how mathematical probability sometimes contradicts our intuition. Despite the fact that there are 365 days in a year, if you survey a random group of just 23 people there is a 50:50 chance that two of them will have...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Divide and Conquer: Proving Pick's Theorem for Lattice Polygons
If you like to play Tetris then you might like this project. You'll learn something interesting about the mathematics of complex shapes.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Getting More Out of Less : Google Hits and Search Terms
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.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Estimation and Population Size
Have you ever wanted to take a short cut? How about when doing your math homework? In this experiment you can learn how estimation can save you time doing math calculations. But beware, some estimations are better than others. Can you...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Measuring Up
Measurements are very important for scientists. It is especially important that the measurements be accurate. Think about how important accuracy is when you want to know if you are taller than a friend of yours, every inch counts. In...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: A Matter of Time
Do you wake up at the crack of dawn, or do you need an alarm clock to wake you up each morning? It may surprise you that the two are not always in synch. Nowadays, we use Standard Time to set our watches instead of Solar Time. Which...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Pick a Card, Any Card
No matter what your favorite card game is, we all wish we could use psychic powers to draw the card we want on our turn. You may not have psychic powers, but you might have the power of probability on your side. Do this experiment and...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Play Doh Math
One piece of Play-Doh can make many different shapes. Even though you can change the shape by squishing or stretching the Play-Doh, it is still the same size unless you add or take away some of the dough. Try this experiment to test how...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Juice Box Geometry
Juice boxes are so convenient, just poke the straw in and sip away. It might surprise you how much thought goes into the design and manufacturing of a juice box. Each manufacturer has carefully calculated how big each side should be to...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: M&m Geometry
Geometry is the study of how to use math to describe and investigate different points, lines and shapes. The way that a shape is described in geometry is with a formula, which is simply a mathematical way to calculate different...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Golden Rules of Photography
What is it that famous photographers do to make their images so pleasing to the eye? Find out if simple rules of geometry and symmetry can make you a better photographer.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Shape Changing With the Cyber Squad
In this project, you will make 2-dimensional templates, called nets, that fold up into 3-dimensional (3-D) shapes. By making shapes of different sizes, you will be able to see how 3-D shapes change with size. In your findings you will...