Science Fair Questions

Fernwood Questions: 

 Does a seed require light to germinate?
 How many tablespoons of sugar dissolve in 1cup (8fl ounces) of water?
 What does it take to sink a Cheerio?
 Does talking to your plant make it grow faster?
 What kind of rock is the easiest to break?
 What hot wheels car gets to the bottom of the slide first?
 Will a toy car released from the top of a spiral slide exit at the inside or outside of the
slide?
 What factors make a paper airplane fly the farthest (wing length, width, paper, weight)?
 What material slows a toy car on a slide the most?
 How much did it rain over spring break 2010?
 What items from your kitchen are acidic (have a low pH)? Which ones are basic (have a
high pH)?
 What brand of toilet paper disintegrates the fastest?
 Can suntan lotion protect colored construction paper from fading?
 What is the best method to clean your hands?
 How many colors of ink are there in one black pen?
 How many colors are there in candy coatings?
 What additive will keep soap bubbles from popping?
 Observe the moon. From which side does it grow (wax) or shrink (wane)? Does moon
rise and moon set correlate with the tides at Elliot Bay?
 What cereal gets soggy fastest?
 How much salt does it take to float an egg?
 How can you change the color of a white flower?
 Which falls faster, a ping-pong or golf ball?
 What ingredient can you leave out and still have tasty cookies?
 What’s the easiest way to get a big box of books to the top of a landing (lift and carry,
slide uphill, or pulley system)?
 What pitch of sound travels the farthest?
 At what distance is it optimal to start a slide into home base?
 What kind of ball bounces the highest?
 What brand of paper towel is the strongest?
 Are night insects attracted to lamps because of heat or light?
 Does the shape of an ice cube affect how quickly it melts?

Science Questions from Chemistry.com                          

How does the material from which a baseball bat is made affect performance? How
does a wood bat compare with an aluminum bat?
Does altitude affect the height of a ball bounce (for example, a golf ball)? If an effect
is seen, can you attribute it to the effect of gravity or atmospheric pressure?
What is the effect of using a corked baseball bat compared with a normal one?
Are there really streaks in baseball? Or is it simply chance?
Which sports drink contains the most electrolytes?
How is ball diameter related to the time it takes the ball to fall?
Does the length of a golf club affect the distance you can hit the ball?
Does a swim cap really reduce a swimmer's drag and increase speed?
At what slope angle is the mechanical advantage of a bicycle lost, as compared with
running?
Compare different brands of balls for a sport (like baseball or golf) for cost versus
performance.
What is the best air pressure for a soccer ball?
Does the presence or absence of a net affect freethrow accuracy?
Does magnetism travel through all materials? Put different materials between a
magnet and metal. Do they affect how strongly the magnet is attracted to the metal?
If so, do they all affect the magnetic field the same amount?
Will seeds germinate if you soak them in a liquid other than water? You can try milk,
juice, vinegar, and other common household liquids. Alternatively, you could see if
plants will grow if they are 'watered' with liquids other than water.
How much salt (or sugar) can a plant tolerate? Water plants with different solution of
salt or sugar. How high of a concentration can the plant tolerate? A related question
would be to see if plants can survive if they are watered with soapy water, like
leftover dishwater.
Do birds have a preference for birdhouse material? In other words, do they seem to
care if the birdhouse is made from wood or plastic or metal?
Do worms react when exposed to light? Do worms react differently to different colors
of light?
Do ants prefer different types of sugar? Different types of sugar are found in table
sugar, honey, maple syrup, and molasses.
Do cut flowers last longer if you put them in warm water or in cold water? You can
test how effectively flowers are drinking water by adding food coloring to it and using
white cut flowers, such as carnations. Do flowers drink warm water faster, slower, or
at the same rate as cold water?
Are waterproof mascaras really waterproof? Put some mascara on a sheet of paper
and rinse it with water. What happens? Do 8-hour lipsticks really keep their color that
long?
Do clothes take the same length of time to dry if you add a dryer sheet or fabric
softener to the load?
Do frozen candles burn at the same rate as candles that were stored at room
temperature?
Do all types of bread grow the same types of mold?
Do raw eggs and hard-boiled eggs spin the same length of time/number of times?
What type of liquid will rust a nail the quickest? You could try water, orange juice,
milk, vinegar, peroxide, and other common household liquids.
Does light affect how fast foods spoil?
Can you tell from today's clouds what tomorrow's weather will be?

Experimental Questions:


1. Which melts faster, butter or margarine? How about the same brand of margarine, but one
“soft serve” and one in sticks?
2. Which expands more when frozen: water, soda, milk, or vinegar?
3. Do batteries stored in the refrigerator really outlast ones stored at room temperature?
4. Which brand of diaper absorbs the most liquid?
5. Are insects attracted to porch lamps because of heat, or light?
6. Does storage temperature affect the pH of juice?
7. Which brand of microwave popcorn pops with the fewest un-popped kernels?
8. What materials would best insulate a jar of hot water like a home-made “thermos?”
9. Which type of vinegar: (white, cider, balsamic, rice) reacts more with baking soda?
10. Do white candles burn at a different rate than colored candles?
11. In identical sealed glass jars, would a tall candle burn out at a different rate than a short
candle?
12. Which type of adhesive tape (masking, duct, transparent book tape, electrical) will support
the most free-hanging weight?
13. Does water heated in the microwave stay hot as long as water heated on a stove?
14. Does the size of rubber “poppers” affect the rate or height at which they pop up?
15. Teeth in trouble: explore the effects of soda, H2O, and lemon juice on teeth. (This creates
more qualitative than quantitative data.)
16. Moldy bread experiments: put three pieces each in its own ziploc. One rubbed on a
countertop, one rubbed on floor, and the third is control. All three moistened, which grows
the most mold?
17. Does elimination of light for one ivy leaf hurt the leaf or the plant?

Experiments you can do at school:


1. Does the color of tempera paint affect the rate at which it dries?
2. Do different colors of popsicle melt faster?
3. Which type of soil (sandy, potting soil, clay, mixed with pea gravel) erodes more in a floodtype
simulation?
4. Would hot water erode more dirt than cold water? (How does water temperature affect the rate
of soil erosion?)
5. Which two liter pop bottle (full or half full), will travel the furthest on an inclined plane?
(How does the weight of a cylinder affect its travel distance?)
6. Which two liter pop bottle (full or half full), will travel faster on an inclined plane? (How does
the weight of a cylinder affect its travel speed?)
7. Which type of pulley set-up (fixed or moveable) would require less effort to lift a load?
8. On a pendulum, do heavy items swing faster than light items?
9. Is it easier to pull a nail out with a hammer if the effort is higher or lower on the handle? (Not
sure how they measured this)
10. Would drops of water evaporate more quickly from a piece of waxed paper or from a paper
towel?
11. Do beans grow better in dark or light?
12. Which evaporates more quickly: drops of water, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, or fingernail
polish remover?
13. How much water is in a slice of apple, compared to a slice of orange