We all recognize what friction is, but do you really understand what causes it? This project focuses on friction, its causes and forces and specifically how it affects how fast you can slip down slides.

The funny thing about friction is that you couldn't get anywhere without it, yet it still acts to slow you down as you're getting there. Here is an easy project to measure the effects of friction.

A trebuchet is a catapult that uses a counterweight to supply the energy for throwing. They were used in the Middle Ages for attacking castle walls. In this project, you build your own model trebuchet and investigate how design changes...

Strike a key on the piano, and you hear the string vibrating. Just about any object vibrates when it's knocked, but how much and how fast? This project helps you find out. You'll build a simple light-sensing circuit for measuring the...

If you've ever been shot with a rubber band then you know it has energy in it, enough energy to smack you in the arm and cause a sting. How can the energy of a rubber band be put to work? In this experiment you will find out how the...

When you think of a machine, you probably think of computers or robots. Try this experiment to see how simple machines are used everyday around your house.

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...

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?

Examples of the effect of bending stresses on flexible rods could include a large tree bending over to the ground, or a fishing pole bending till it snaps. Scientists actually study this phenomenon and discover ways to prevent breakage,...

Want to do a project with a toy your parents, or even grandparents, might have played with? Slinkies are fun toys that also make great science fair projects. In this experiment you can build an inclined plane to compare the walking speed...

Major Resource Kits link academic majors to career alternatives by providing information on career paths, sample job titles, and a short bibliography of Career Resource Center materials available to students in a particular major....

Explore NOVA Online's interactive steam engine and discover how this machine can convert heat to mechanical energy.

A robotics curriculum using LEGO robotics that includes projects, tools, and resources. The unit allows students to investigate the use of robotics, mechanical systems, electronics, and programming.

Evolution through natural selection governs the "design" of flying creatures. Engineers design flying machines. But flying is about physics, and physics is the ultimate arbiter of both processes, and that produces parallels in mechanical...

Tossing a Frisbee with your friends is a great way to have fun in the sun. As you practice your throws and become more accurate, you're learning about the aerodynamics of Frisbee flight intuitively. You're learning the body mechanics...

Do you think you can design a wind turbine that supplies energy to 400 homes at the highest efficiency and lowest cost? Try your hand at turbine design in this interactive activity that allows you design, build, and test a device to...

An MIT engineering professor offers a fun presentation on simple machines, specifically the geometry involved in building them. Students will learn about kinematics ("geometry in motion") and build their own simple machines with a...

Students explore building a pyramid, learning about the simple machine called an inclined plane. They also learn about another simple machine, the screw, and how it is used as a lifting or fastening device. During a hands-on activity,...

On this site, there is a challenge for students to engineer a machine that converts wind power into mechanical energy. This site also includes a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.

Make a robot that moves like a living creature using a microcontroller, motors, and mechanisms with this challenge. Also, on this challenge find a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.

Can you build a crane that uses simple machines and mechanical advantage to move heavy objects? This website contains a challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.

This App has reference information for mechanical engineering students and professionals. The information is organized into sections titled Analysis, Equations, Polygons, and Reference.

In this science fair project, design and build a mechanical sunflower device that faces the Sun as the sun moves through the sky. By harnessing solar energy, your sun tracker should follow the movement of the sun.

A large complete authoritative biography of Coulomb. Five large pictures, over a dozen links to contemporaries, references, a poster, other mathematicians. A fine source.