Science and Engineering Fair

Science and Engineering Fair8th Grade

Thursday, Feb. 4th 2021

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Science and Engineering Fair

Science ProjectYou will investigate a scientific question, design, and conduct and experiment to answer the question.

Engineering ProjectYou will design a product to solve a real-world problem. You will revise the prototype to improve upon your design.

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Project Steps

✘ Topic selection✘ Background Research✘ Background Research Paper✘ Plan and Carry Out Experiment/Plan and

Construct Prototype(s)✘ Present your findings

✗ Presentation, Lab Report, and Poster

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How to Choose a Project

What are your interests?

What have you always wondered about?

What observations have you made about the world you want to know more about?

What type(s) of science interest you: biology, chemistry, astronomy, psychology, physics, etc.

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Sample Science Fair Questions

● Does exercise in the morning or the evening cause a higher heart rate?

● How does the diameter of an aluminum boat affect its buoyancy?

● Are fingerprint patterns inherited?● How does friction affect the motion of an object?● How does air pressure of a basketball affect bounce

height?

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Sample Engineering Fair Questions

● Make a bristlebot robot.

● Build a solar-powered hot dog cooker.

● Create a device that attaches to a light switch so that younger siblings can turn lights on and off without getting a chair.

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Projects to Avoid

● Any topic that boils down to a preference. (Is Coke or Pepsi better?)

● Consumer product testing (Which paper towel is best?)

● Any topic that requires people to recall what they did in the past.

● Any project that is a demonstration but not an investigation. (Building a volcano)8

Projects to Avoid cntd.

● Any topic that will require measurements that will be difficult to make or repeat.

● Any topic that requires dangerous, illegal, expensive, or hard to find equipment.

● Animal testing

● Astrology or ESP (not scientifically valid)9

Keep in Mind

● To design a fair test you will need multiple trials. (At least 3!)

● Change just one variable at a time.

● Your question should be testable and about the natural world.

● Parents must approve project. 10