Archive for April, 2009

Used Science Fair Projects Can be Useful

In the true spirit of scientific exploration you will do a number of experiments before you get to the ideal idea for your project. The trouble is that each experiment that you do will need some material specific to it. This material may be expensive at times. And your parents might not be willing to spend too much on these experiments.

The trick to cutting costs on your science fair projects is to keep all the  old ones with you. That way when you decide on making some thing in particular you will find that part of the required material is already available with you. There will be no need for you to get everything together from scratch.

This will help you as you will reuse the material of old projects and save some money in the bargain. Many LEDs and some circuits and almost all the wiring can be reused in a new project. This is a great way to practice recycling as well. By reusing the material you are ensuring that the old projects come in handy.

Your parents will also appreciate the fact that you are economizing. It will also save you time as you will have so much ready material at hand. There will be no need to wait till you shop for new material to begin your science fair project.

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Generating Interesting Science Fair Ideas

By the time you get to high school the magic of science has begun to fade. The gadgets that fascinated you as a child have become matter of fact. The excitement over how things work has dulled. Other things matter more than generating science fair ideas.

Our schooling system is partly to blame for this apathy. There is little scope for you as students to expand your knowledge and understanding of science. Plus no one wants to seek these answers and be considered a geek in high school.

It does not matter that the geek is far more likely to succeed in life. This is because he is focused on his passion. In high school it’s the sports heroes who rule not the science fair award winners.

So the trick to being popular in high school is to participate in many and varied activities. Try out for sports teams, appear for quizzes, become a reporter for the school newspaper, and then put up a smashing entry for the science fair.

Science experiments which are interactive in nature are less likely to be considered geeky so consider such science fair ideas. In fact a working model may even be considered cool. So if you are a closet geek in high school, don’t give up on your passion for science. Just camouflage it and you will be just fine.

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Pay Attention to the Details on Your Display Board

The first impression your science project makes is hugely based on what your display board looks like. Even before you say a word or the judges have been able to figure out what scientific principle your project is based on. Or what science experiments you have been indulging in. That is the power vested in your display board.

Now consider how much thought you have given to it. Have you handwritten it or taken neat print outs? Is it all in black and white or have you added color and pictures to it?

By now you must have figured out exactly what I am trying to get at. You need to have a great display board to show case your science experiment. And in order to have a great display board you need to pay attention to all the details on the board. Plus you need to put in some extra effort to make it look stunning.

It will make sense to plan out exactly what you want your board to say. Is it going to give all the details, or just summarize a few well picked points? Especially true if you are making a project based on something like Electrical Conductivity. The writing style on the board, is it going to be formal or funky? How much of the project must it explain and how much should it leave to the actual presentation.

Think all the details through before you write a single word. That way you won’t waste time rewriting or reformatting the material. Once you are done with the writing, proof read the draft for any spelling mistakes or syntax errors. Then take the fair print out. That’s how you will end up with a display board worthy of your science project.

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Computers can Aid You with your Project

When the first numerical calculator was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642, I am sure he never knew the chain of events he had started. From the calculator we got the Charles Babbage Difference Engine and Analytical Engine in the 1830s. The constant innovation of hundreds of people has brought us the laptop today.

The best thing about the computer as we know it today is the vast amounts of knowledge it can share with us. The entire set of Britannica encyclopedias can fit into half a dozen compact discs. Any information you need is at your finger tips if you get on to the internet. In short you have all the help that you could ever need with your project.

What is now important is how you use this knowledge available to you. Do you utilize this wonderful resource to come up with a fantastic science fair project? Or do you just go with some old idea that has been used for a dozen years at the fair before you.

Not only can the computer provide you with information to help you out with your science fair project, it can also help you with your display board presentation. The choice to use this wonderful resource is all yours. Exploit its potential and emerge a winner.

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Science Fair Projects for Seniors Need Depth

The scope of science is so vast that picking up ideas for science fair projects should seem really simple. Unfortunately not everyone is too creative at coming up with new ideas for the science fair. Why else would we be seeing the baking soda volcano, the solar system model, the litmus paper test and the conductivity tester every year?

It is true that it is much simpler to do what has been done before. Yet it is also true that these repetitive projects are not the ones that win the awards. What wins the award is something new and innovative. Where the involvement of the student is clearly seen by the judges of the competition.

By the time you reach high school you are expected to have a sound science background for the basic principles. You are supposed to know that acids are corrosive. That beyond the seven visible colors of the rainbow you have X-rays and gamma rays at one end of the spectrum and radio waves and microwaves at the other end.

You know about sound being measured in decibels. About the temperatures measured in Celsius and also in Fahrenheit. Now that you know all these things, you are expected to base your science fair projects on some such principle. Preferably with a working model which proves your hypothesis. Only then will you end up with an award winning project.

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Getting Enthusiastic about your High School Science Project

After years of enjoying the science fair and coming up with new ideas for science projects you might feel that your enthusiasm is no longer what it used to be. This is natural in high school as there are so many more interesting things happening on campus. The ideal science project is about as far from you as mars.

The truth is that by the time you get to high school there are way too many distractions. There is sports, and contests, and quizzes, and the opposite sex besides studies all vying for your attention. So in all this commotion, who has time for designing a science project?

While you might not be too keen on completing this task, it is still part of your academic activities. So you need to get a bit more enthusiastic about the science fair and complete a winning project.

Think of ways to make it more interesting. If you want to take on a partner of the opposite sex to help you get more enthusiastic about the project, do it. Spending time with your partner on the project will be legitimate and you will actually get some school work done as well.

If you want just pick your best friend as your partner. Whatever ideas you come up with will be all the more fun to work out in practice. Just make sure that you don’t lose your enthusiasm for your science project midway.

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Check list to Write a Great Science Fair Report

There are many ways to go about writing a good report. What system may work for another person may not work for you. Yet there are a few basic steps that you will follow no matter how you write your report.

Step one will involve making the science projects. Till you have a project you cannot write a report about it. So deciding what to work on and making the project is the logical beginning.

Step two will be collecting the data that you want to add to the report. The scientific principles and theory that you are making use of in your science projects must be reflected here. If the project is based on principles of aerodynamic you will want to project some of the details.

Step three is to organize the data that you have in a logical sequence. Get the serial order right as you represent your facts. Make sure you cover all the relevant points in the report.

Step four is purely cosmetic. This consists of prettying up the report. You get the right font, best pictures and ideal page layout done here.

That’s how simple writing your report on science projects can be. Just follow these basic steps and you’ll be done in no time.

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Writing a Great Science Fair Report Needs Preparation

Getting your project ready for the science fair is usually fun. This is because you are having a good time experimenting with what works and what does not. At the same time most students don’t want to write the science fair report. This is because they find it boring.

Any task you under take can become interesting. Yes, even if it is a dull task like writing a report. The key to making it fun is to be well prepared. Do you go out skating without wearing your helmet and knee pads? No, that would be foolish.

In the same way, you need to be prepared when you sit down to write your science fair report. Get your writing material in order. Place all the reference books you will need in front of you. Think up of an orderly process in which you must proceed.

Half the time when you have collected your thoughts you will find that the report just flows from you. If the project is about Rocket Science you need to get the theory in. Then the exact process you followed to get your working model.

Add a few illustrations. The internet is a great resource for pictures to download. And suddenly you will find that your report has written itself.

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Ideas for Science Projects can come from anywhere

Perhaps because of my extra finely tuned interest in all things related to science I tend to see possible scientific experiments in a lot of day to day things. For instance if I take out a bottle of water from the refrigerator, what do I think? The first thought is about the temperature difference that the water will face. The second is about how it will get warmer in this heat. Then I think about how long it will take to reach room temperature.

Next I wonder what the exact temperature is at that instance. That’s not all, as the droplets of water form on the surface of the bottle I think about condensation. It is the easiest way to prove the existence of water vapor in the air. Then I start thinking about the presence of other gases in the air that we breathe. Maybe even the experiment to prove that oxygen is required for a candle flame to keep burning.

I might go out for a walk and see a science project waiting to be done along the way. I see an empty jar which can be converted into a fountain with the help of a small motor pump. I hear a wind chime and wonder about the resonance of the sounds. Then I think about how that musical sound can be converted into an experiment.

What I am trying to say is that great ideas for a science project can come from extremely mundane every day activities. All you have to do is to keep your eyes and ears open. Explore the world around you in a different light. Once you do have an idea you might want to consider some other aspects of the project. So have fun as you learn more about your world.

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Make the Right Choice

While there are a large number of options to choose from for your science fair project, you need to ensure that you make the right choice. It is okay to be confused about this for a while. There is so much data available these days. On the internet itself you will have hundreds of sites booming with ideas. To filter down to a single one can take some time. Here’s a simple method that you can try out.

It is natural that you have some vague idea about the field of science you want to use. Next try and figure out what you would like the project to do. If you want to make a working model get the theory and read up on it. Is it something that you will be comfortable handling? If it is, you have to see how practical it will be to construct.

There is no point in making a huge model that takes up half the room. It can’t be shipped out to school for the science fair with ease. Plus the larger it is the more the chances of something breaking off and making it useless. Ideally the project size should be something that you can personally carry in your arms. If it has to be larger try and make it into two pieces that you can assemble together.

Don’t forget about the display board and the report. Make sure that you finish it well in advance of the date of the science fair. Also try and get part of the project to school the previous day so that you don’t have too much to do on the final day. And whatever else you do make sure that you have fun.

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