Speed is of the essence in the morning when you have to leave the house for work. It makes sense to use the fastest means possible to make your cup of morning tea. There is more than one way to boil water and while some are more convenient, others may be faster. In this science project we use three methods of heating to see which is the fastest way to boil water to brew a cup of tea.

The three methods that we will boil water include in a pan on the hob, in a cup in the microwave and in an electric kettle. For the sake of the experiment you will need an adult around as boiling water on your own can be dangerous. You will also need a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water and a measuring cup to measure out the exact same amount of water to heat in all three methods.

Heat water individually in each method mentioned above. Set a time limit of five minutes after which measure the temperature of the water. Make notes of all methods and temperatures. Next time round allow the water to boil well and record the time it took. Using this science experiment you will be able to prove which is the best method to make a fast cup of tea.

“Jal Tarang” is a simple musical instrument which consists of seven glass bowls filled with varying degrees of water. Each sound corresponds with a musical scale allowing the musician to produce melodies. The scientific theory behind the tinkling music it produces is that the amount of water in the glass bowl affects the frequency of the resonance of the glass.

Here we are going to make our own “Jal Tarang” at home and check if the sounds produced by the seven glass bowls is indeed different. In case we practice hard enough we may just be able to play a simple tune with the home made, water based, musical instrument.

What you will need include seven glass bowls of the same kind. You can use any glass container but all seven must be the same size and shape. Water, a pencil or cocktail stirrer, and a measuring cup will also be needed.

Now measure out and add 20 ml water to the first bowl. Add 30 ml to the second, 40 ml to the third, and so on increasing the water content by 10 ml till all seven are done. Use the pencil or cocktail stirrer to gently strike the first glass container on the side. Proceed to heard the different sounds produced by each bowl in the scientific experiment.

Some people can remember things almost effortlessly, while others struggle to keep in mind the most basic things. In this science experiment we are going test the memory of your friends and family. The optimum number of people to test is between 5 to 10. So make a list of all the people whom you can get to participate.

Next make a random sequence of all number from 0 to 9. Note it down. Then repeat this step till you have 10 random number sequences with you. Write down or print out each number sequence to an index card. On the back of the first index card write 1, the second write 2 and so on.   You will now have 10 index cards with a random string of numbers on them.

These will be used to test your volunteer’s memory. Give the friend the first card to read and memorize. Repeat with all ten cards. Now read back a string of numbers from a particular card and ask him which number index card it was written on. Go through all the index cards in random order and mark the right or wrong answers given by your friend.

After you have the answers of your friend you can calculate the percentage of how often he was right. The higher the percentage the better his memory. Repeat this science experiment with all your other volunteers. You can change the test by asking them to recite the number string on a particular index card to make it tougher.

One of the most difficult fields of scientific research is social behavior. Every year a large number of scientific studies are undertaken to try and understand the human nature better. Some of them come up with conflicting results, other defy common sense and logic, but all of them are immensely entertaining.

Most of the studies are based on the volatile area of relationships, while courtship rituals and dating behavior tend to dominate the scene. So it isn’t surprising that at the University of South Brittany a study was conducted to see how the weather could affect social behavior.

In specific, an attractive 20 year old male approached women in the 18-25 age bracket walking alone down the road and asked for their phone number. The solitication took place on cloudy days and sunny days but not on rainy days. The data collected indicated that the women were more receptive and open to flirtations when it was sunny as compared to when it was cloudy.

So if you are looking to get the phone number of that special girl, just wait till its sunny. Why not give yourself the boost of knowledge from a scientific research project to up your chances of getting that phone number?!

You think of a lake and its  usually pictures of still open waters on which you can float a boat that come to your mind. Not so with the lakes buried under Antartica. These lakes are hidden below many layers of ice, but they do exist as the US scientists who drilled into Lake Whilliam recently proved.

This lake which is buried almost under a kilometer of Antarctic ice was sensed by the drilling equipement. The breakthrough was then verified by sending down a remotely controlled camera. The scientific exploration project at Lake Whilliam is not th eonly one of its kind.

There have been ongoing efforts to shed light on the buried lakes of Antartica by a number of different nations. Last December a team of British investigators were unfortunate and had to leave their study of Lake Ellsworth incomplete as they faced technical problems.

The Russians were sucessful in obtaining samples from Lake Vostok, another buried lake in Antartica. They have not yet announced any major discoveries based on the tests conducted on the water sample as yet. There are more than 300 identified bodies of water under the Antartic ice and the scientific exploration project will be a long one.