Research for your Science Project

There are any number of sources that you can use to research your science project subject. The best place to start is the school library. You can ask your librarian to help you get a few related books and then browse through them to see what you need to use for the project. Maintain a record of all the books that you use so that you can get them out to refer to again.

If you still need more help get on to the information highway on the internet. There are some great websites related to science on the internet. These sites can probably answer all your questions twice over. The only danger here is that you may end up with a headache trying to sort out which sites information you need to use and which is superfluous.

You must also set a limit to the time that you have for research or else you will keep reading up on the project and never get started out on it. Now remember that your science projects do not always have to be about serious stuff. Even ones which are funny or can bring about some interaction with your viewers can do well in a science fair competition. How about a project on blowing the largest bubble possible?

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How to find an interesting idea for a Science Fair Project

Many times the most difficult thing about a science fair project is getting the one that you want to do. After you pick out one the rest is fairly routine and easy to implement. However the sheer number of options that you have to base your science fair project on can actually be a daunting thing causing a number of students to procrastinate about making the actual choice.

So here is how you can simplify that decision making process and find an interesting idea to make a science fair project as well. The trick is simple, keep asking questions. If you think of a particular idea and ask how will I do that? What will be needed to construct that? Will it be easy to build? Who will be able to help me with that project?

Suddenly you will find that the ideas that are not viable will fall by the way and the ones that remain become stronger contenders to become a project idea. You will eventually be able to narrow down the field to a particular one which interests you and is easy to do something with. Now you need to ask even more specific questions.

Eventually you will have a problem statement and a possible solution which will become your science fair project. The simple elimination system works best in this case. Why don’t you give it a try. You may find that its easier than running concrete ideas through your head.

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How well organized are you?

Being a scientist means that you will organize yourself in a particular manner. You will do things in a preset pattern. Most science fair projects have a series of steps to go through in an organized manner. So does that mean if you are not organized you are not in step with the nature of things? Based on new research it just might be!

Bioengineers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science what they term as self assembly in particles and molecules. They claim that everything from atomic crystals to spiral galaxies have a tendency to self assemble themselves in a preset pattern. This is exactly what they are studying on a micro particle level.

As per the researchers there is a tendency of micro particles of different materials to align themselves in a specific pattern if they are randomly thrown together. This self assembly behavior was definitely not what the scientists expected. It was found that self-assembly at the molecular level is particularly prevalent in biological processes.

The unique phenomenon whereby randomly dispersed micro particles self-assembled into a highly organized structure as they flowed through micro scale channels has fascinated the researchers. So guess what you may be predisposed on a molecular level to be well organized.  Still don’t think being so organized is your cup of tea? Try organizing this.

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Can you really build an invisibility device?

For as long as story tellers have existed there has been a magical invisibility device in stories that would make the person wearing it disappear. In ancient Greek mythology goddess Athena wore an invisibility cap during the Trojan War.  In another classic by J.R.R. Tolkein, Bilbo Baggins found a ring that could make him invisible. This he passed on to his nephew Frodo.

In more recent memory Harry Potter was presented with his father’s invisibility cloak. He put it to good use spying on enemies, getting into places unseen and avoiding spells of people out to harm him. The thing is that the so called invisibility device may no longer be a figment of an author’s imagination.

Thanks to science projects in nano technology there are now experiments with materials that can actually make you invisible. Of course what it really uses is special reflecting surfaces to shield the objects placed inside the cloaking device from light. The first working prototype however is nothing like Harry Potter’s cloak. It is rather like a small CD which hides whatever object is placed in the centre.

It may be early days yet for the invisibility device, but now that science is catching up with science fiction you can rest assured that some momentous day in the not so distant future you will be able to make yourself invisible. In the meanwhile why not try out this different science fair project.

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Does Playing Love Songs Work for Romance?

Was there any scientific proof to the fact that men feel they will get lucky with a girl if they play romantic songs? Not till psychologists at the South Brittany University got it. The science project involved playing either romantic songs or some neutral music while a guy asked a girl for her phone number.

In the room where the romantic music was playing the guy was able to get the phone number 52 per cent of the time. While in the room where the neutral music played the guy got lucky only 28 per cent of the time. The researchers were led to the conclusion that playing a romantic song in the background would actually double the guys chance of getting romantic with a girl.

Of course this over simplifies matters somewhat. And naturally there would be other factors to consider for the guys. After all even with the music being romantic a huge 48 per cent of them did not have much luck did they? So while you can say that the music lessens the odds of getting romantic it is by no means the only element in play.

It would probably increase the chances of a romantic interlude if the couple already knew each other instead of being total strangers. Also there would be less resistance if both knew they were not part of an experiment. So don’t take it literally but try out this science project instead.

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Are fat people better singers?

While it would not be conclusive to say so in case of human beings, it seems that fat male penguins are better singers than their thinner peers. In a study conducted by researchers in the University of Auckland in New Zealand it was found that female penguins preferred the songs of fatter male penguins.

The body fat seems to lend a distinct quality to the voice. When a female approaches a male in the mating season they emit a squawking sound. The fat provided support to the sound with the females going for the penguins who did not sound quavery. The female Adelie penguins headed for the well padded mates on a regular basis.

Perhaps one of the reasons why the female prefers fatter males is the fact that nesting and rearing are traditionally the male penguins job. So if the male has enough fat reserves he is less likely to give up on the egg in the freezing polar cold. Point in case you might think of the penguin father in Happy Feet who dropped the egg!

So does the same apply to humans? Is the fatter a human male make him a better singer? That might be tougher to answer. For at one end your have a tenor like Pavorotti and at the other end of the same spectrum Justin Timberlake.  As with all things humans are a bit more complicated to figure out. Try out this science project instead.

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What do butterfly wings have in common with holograms?

On the surface butterfly wings and holograms on products seem to have nothing in common, but this new science project has managed to link the two rather well.  A team of scientific researchers at Cambridge University have been using nano material to imitate the iridescent wing scales of a butterfly.

They plan to use the final product to create holograms that will be made using a complicated manufacturing process. These holograms are likely to help combat forgery. So there you go the unlikely connection between the butterflies in nature and the bank note that may contain the iridescent signature very soon.

The scope of science is never limited except by the human imagination. This is yet another study which proves that nature can be used to provide practical solutions in an urban environment far removed from it. So next time you see the colourful designs in the flutter of a butterfly’s wings think how it helped your government to fight forgeries.

Plus remember there are a multitude of uses that you can come up with from any thing that you find in nature. All it needs is a keen eye and a good imagination. Perhaps you would like to try your hand out at some of these science fair projects. All the best with your experiments.

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Electric hybrid cars – A sign of things to come

One of the main drawbacks with electric cars has been the short duration that a battery can handle the load. The powerful batteries that have been developed have helped the cause of the electric car to a great extent, but it is the hybrid cars which can run on both the electrical power and regular fuel which have proved the most popular.

The main reason why electrical cars are not too popular with the buyers is the low speed that they offer. Most of them run with a top speed ranging between 30 to 40 miles per hour. Not exactly what you would call speed oriented. So there is now an ongoing effort to improve on this feature for electrical vehicles.

In fact now Volvo is out to develop the world’s faster hybrid truck. The project has been dubbed “Mean Green”. The diesel and electric hybrid truck is literally the fastest one around as there is no competition in its specific category. However Volvo is now out to improve its top speed and will be racing it for an official record.

In times to come we should have faster electrical cars and longer lasting batteries. The cost of the cars will also come down, to be more affordable to regular families. The breakthroughs that have taken place in the last decade show us the possible future of this industry. It is all down to the development of the clean tech that drives this science project.

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From Italy to China in a Van without a Driver

In what it is being seen as a major leap for unmanned vehicles a group of researchers drove orange colored vans from Italy to China. Only they did not actually drive the vans at all. These vehicles were programmed to drive the route all by themselves. No drivers guided them and they covered the large distance on their own.

They had GPS systems which showed them the route and they literally drove themselves through countries and continents to arrive from Italy to China. There is also a special automated system which keeps track of the traffic situation on the road and guides the van accordingly.

So what exactly was the purpose of this huge exercise? The researchers said that it has been recorded time and again that the majority of road accidents take place due to human error. In fact the percentage is as high as 90%. These vehicles hope to reduce the number of accidents which occur on the roads by simply removing the human driver and replacing him or her with an automated system.

Sounds futuristic and impractical? It is not, as they have already developed the prototypes. These just need to be fine tuned and soon you may see driver-less vehicles being sold in the car markets. How’s that for an interesting science project?

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A gaint leap for Robots

This is one science project which all humans will watch with bated breath. In groundbreaking technology scientists in NASA have finally decided to send up a humanoid robot into outer space at the International Space Station. The robot in question is being called Robonaut 2 or R2.

The robot is expected to make a one way trip to the International Space Station on the Discovery Space Shuttle. The R2 is expected to assist the scientists and astronauts in the space station in simple chores to start with. There are lofty visions of the robot taking over all kinds of dangerous work from humans in the future.

This would include handling toxic spills, and repairs outside the space station. Of course other less dangerous but eagerly waited tasks such as cleaning the toilet are also being looked forward to by its co-inhabiting humans. It is currently only built with half a body. The torso and upper body exists for the humanoid robot but legs do not.

Made out of aluminum and nickel plated carbon fiber and standing about a meter tall R2 weighs 150 kg. The light weight robot is expected to lead to even more helpful robots in the future. The prototype is here and things can only improve. Learn more about the stars with this science project.

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