Curated OER
Designing the Perfect Science Fair Project Webquest
Sixth graders examine the Scientific Method and define their topic of interest. Students familiarize themselves with how to utilize their resources and create note cards. Students create their written report and display of their...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Weathering the Windchill: How Does Wind Speed Affect Objects?
With this science fair project measure the effect of wind speed on how quickly an object cools. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a section on...
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: Dice Probabilities
You're playing Monopoly with a friend, and you've already got Park Place and you really, really want to get Boardwalk. If you're on Pacific Avenue, what are the chances you'll reach your goal? Here's an easy project that will show you...
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: Throwing You Some Curves: Is Red or Blue Longer?
This a straightforward, but interesting, project in geometry. It is a good first proof to try on your own. You should be able to figure it out by yourself, and you'll gain insight into a basic property of circles.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Exploring Fractals
Although fractal images can be intriguingly complex, fractals are more than just pretty pictures. In this project, you'll explore the mathematical properties of the famous Mandelbrot and Julia sets. You'll learn about how these images...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Dome Sweet Dome
Geodesic domes are made of interconnected triangles that approximate the shape of a sphere. This project shows you how to build a geodesic dome using rolled-up newspapers and tape and then test how much weight your dome can support.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Making Patterns With Rubik's Cube
This project challenges you to figure out how to make geometric patterns with Rubik's Cube. Leaving your cube in one of these positions makes it much more tempting to pick it up and 'fix' it. See if you can determine how different...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Devising an Algorithm for Solving Rubik's Cube
If you're the kind of person who has taken apart your Rubik's cube in order to grease the inside parts so it will move more smoothly, this could be a great project for you. This will show you three sets of move sequences that accomplish...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Spending Habits: Tightwads vs. Spendthrifts
Do you have a hard time hanging on to your money or do you have a harder time letting it go? This project shows you how to conduct a simple survey to measure how people manage their money. Find out what percentage of your classmates are...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Gigantic Triangles: Measuring Altitude (Inclinometer)
If you've ever wondered how tall that bridge is, or how high your kite was, then this could be a good project for you. You'll learn how you can use the mathematics of right triangles to measure the height of an object with two...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Tiling With Spidrons
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...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Effects of Card Counting on a Simple Card Game
If you enjoy playing cards, this project will get you thinking about strategy in card games and help you become a better card player. Explore probability using computer simulations and the practice of counting cards.
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: Chain Reaction: Inversion and the Pappus Chain Theorem
Here is a challenging problem for anyone with an interest in geometry. This project requires background research to solve it, but it is an excellent illustration of visual thinking in mathematics.
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...