Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: A Juicy Project: Extracting Apple Juice With Pectinase

For Students 6th - 8th
This is a basic project on the effect of enzymes on apple slices. The goal of the project is to monitor enzyme activity by measuring the amount of apple juice released by pectinase.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Distance and Speed of Rolling Objects

For Students 9th - 10th
This project is an experiment in classical physics. You'll be following in Galileo's footsteps, and investigating Newton's laws of motion, but you'll be taking advantage of modern video recording technology to make your measurements. The...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Frequency Dependent Sound Absorption

For Students 9th - 10th
Want to start a garage band, but Mom or Dad won't let you because it will make too much noise? This is a good project for someone who is interested in acoustics and likes to build things. The objective of this project is to determine if...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Testing Sunscreen Effectiveness

For Students 3rd - 8th
The goal of this project is to measure the effectiveness of different sunscreen products for blocking ultraviolet-A (UVB) and ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight. This project shows you how to use a UV detector to measure rays of light.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Bacterial Resistant Materials and the Best Disinfectant

For Students 9th - 10th
If you'd rate yourself high on the bacteriophobia scale, just keep on scrolling down to the next project. Bacteria are all around us, and normally our body's defenses keep us blissfully unaware of them. If you don't mind finding out...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Which Metal Is the Most Resistant to Corrosion?

For Students 3rd - 8th
Here's a practical engineering challenge: you need to build an enclosure for your dogs, using material that they can't chew through. It's going to be a lot of work to build, so you want to do it right. What material should you choose for...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Effect of Trebuchet Arm Length or Counterweight Mass on Project

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

Science Buddies: Focusing Your Flash for 'Freezing' Motion

For Students 9th - 10th
Here's an interesting flash photography project. With an inexpensive Fresnel lens, you can concentrate the light from your flash. You'll be able to shoot with a smaller aperture and a shorter flash duration. This will give you a greater...
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.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Using a Digital Camera to Measure Skyglow

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a great project for someone that is interested in both stargazing and photography. Bright city lights and even the light of the full moon obscure the dimmest stars, which can make identifying constellations more difficult. This...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Balancing Act: Finding Your Center of Gravity

For Students 9th - 10th
Like to have the balance of a tightrope walker? Try the more close - to - the - ground balancing test in this easy experiment to learn a few trade secrets of the high wire experts. In this project, you'll find your center of gravity and...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies:skateboard Extremes:which Wheels Are Best for Speed & Turns?

For Students 9th - 10th
You can cruise and carve while you investigate which skateboard wheels produce the fastest (and slowest) rides on your terrain in these experiments. You pick the wheels and design the tests you think will produce the most extreme results...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: How Does Packaging Affect the Ripening of Fruit?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Why do different types of fruits come packaged in different ways? In this project, you will experiment with different ways of packaging fruit to see if it has an effect on the freshness of the fruit. Will a different kind of packaging...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Power Kicks: The Physics of Martial Arts

For Students 9th - 10th
If the discipline, precision, and power of martial arts is your bag, try this project out for size. You won't be sparring with any opponent other than a swinging kick bag, but you'll learn a few powerful lessons about the physics of...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Under Pressure: Sand Under Lateral Compression

For Students 9th - 10th
Here's a project that involves a different kind of sandbox than the ones you usually think of. This one has a moving wall inside, acting like a piston, to compress the sand. You can make layers using two different colors of sand, and...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Solar Powered Water Desalination

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is a cool project about making fresh water from salt water using solar power, also known as water desalination. The apparatus is made from readily available materials, and the power source is free. As an inventive thinker, you will...
Lesson Plan
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Tiling With Spidrons

For Teachers 9th - 10th
If art and math are both passions of yours, this project is meant for you! Spidrons are geometric forms made from alternating sequences of equilateral and isosceles (30 degrees, 30 degrees, 120 degrees) triangles. Spidrons were...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Don't You Fret! Standing Waves on a Guitar

For Students 9th - 10th
In this project, you will investigate the physics of standing waves on guitar strings. You will learn about the different modes (i.e., patterns) of vibration that can be produced on a string, and you will figure out how to produce the...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Now You're Cooking!

For Students 6th - 8th
Here is a project that uses direct solar power, gathering the sun's rays for heating and sterilizing water or cooking. It's a low-cost technology that seems to have everything going for it. Use this project to find out if it works, and...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Make Your Own Electric Guitar Pickup

For Students 9th - 10th
If you like playing electric guitar, this could be a cool project for you. In this project you'll wind one or more of your own electric guitar pickups and test them out in an inexpensive electric guitar to understand just how electric...