FreedomGUNDAM
Platinum Member
Looking for a cool science project for a 5th grader. Any suggestions, recommendations?
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Science Project (5th Grader) suggestions
- Thread starter FreedomGUNDAM
- Start date
Born2bwire
Diamond Member
Tesla coil?
"Controlled" Thermite Combustion?
"Controlled" Thermite Combustion?
tranceport
Diamond Member
Volcano!!!!!
DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
How much time is your 5th grader planning on putting into the project?
An electro-magnet would be a decent very easy fast 10 minutes of work into it type of project. From there, he could expand the project to be able to mechanically switch the polarity on the power source & show that it reverses the poles on the magnet (have a 2nd, fixed magnet with its north and south poles labeled in front of it mounted on some sort of pivot) He could also include a compass to show the direction of the magnetic field (or several compasses.)
He could demonstrate the concept of a complete circuit. First disect a lightbulb & show how a lightbulb works. As simple as this sounds, and especially since there are so many EE's in here, it almost seems trivial. However, I saw plenty of physics education research that showed that most people, including many who have taken physics, think they understand, but don't actually understand the concept of complete circuit. Pretty good chance (I'd give it better than 50/50) that his 5th grade teacher doesn't understand how a light bulb works either. If asked to draw a wiring diagram for a lightbulb, the majority of people think that both wires from the filament end at the same point - the little metal contact at the bottom of the bulb. It certainly looks like this until you smash the bulbs apart. This is the perfect time of year (next weekend I also make my annual trip to stock up on bulbs to be disected) - right after Christmas, get a bunch of the larger clear Christmas bulbs. If interested in more information for a project like this, I could send you a bunch of diagrams I use with this as a lab - it shows about a dozen different configurations with lightbulbs and wires & students have to determine which of the bulbs will turn on. I've never had a physics student get them all right prior to taking apart a light bulb, and these are typically smarter students. And, for what it's worth, I had the pleasure of seeing a video taken of students graduating from one of the Ivy League schools (Harvard? Princeton? Yale? I can't remember which) - right after their graduation, out in the courtyard (while still wearing their cap and gown), they were asked by researchers if they could get a lightbulb to light given one battery, one 1.5v lightbulb, and 1 wire. I loved the facepalm picture-in-picture of professors watching and seeing that their students couldn't do this.
An electro-magnet would be a decent very easy fast 10 minutes of work into it type of project. From there, he could expand the project to be able to mechanically switch the polarity on the power source & show that it reverses the poles on the magnet (have a 2nd, fixed magnet with its north and south poles labeled in front of it mounted on some sort of pivot) He could also include a compass to show the direction of the magnetic field (or several compasses.)
He could demonstrate the concept of a complete circuit. First disect a lightbulb & show how a lightbulb works. As simple as this sounds, and especially since there are so many EE's in here, it almost seems trivial. However, I saw plenty of physics education research that showed that most people, including many who have taken physics, think they understand, but don't actually understand the concept of complete circuit. Pretty good chance (I'd give it better than 50/50) that his 5th grade teacher doesn't understand how a light bulb works either. If asked to draw a wiring diagram for a lightbulb, the majority of people think that both wires from the filament end at the same point - the little metal contact at the bottom of the bulb. It certainly looks like this until you smash the bulbs apart. This is the perfect time of year (next weekend I also make my annual trip to stock up on bulbs to be disected) - right after Christmas, get a bunch of the larger clear Christmas bulbs. If interested in more information for a project like this, I could send you a bunch of diagrams I use with this as a lab - it shows about a dozen different configurations with lightbulbs and wires & students have to determine which of the bulbs will turn on. I've never had a physics student get them all right prior to taking apart a light bulb, and these are typically smarter students. And, for what it's worth, I had the pleasure of seeing a video taken of students graduating from one of the Ivy League schools (Harvard? Princeton? Yale? I can't remember which) - right after their graduation, out in the courtyard (while still wearing their cap and gown), they were asked by researchers if they could get a lightbulb to light given one battery, one 1.5v lightbulb, and 1 wire. I loved the facepalm picture-in-picture of professors watching and seeing that their students couldn't do this.
yankeesfan
Diamond Member
I made an electric motor. Look it up on google. easy.
If you're going to make an electromagnet, how about going the extra mile and making a "juice table." It's one of those crooked gambling tools. You need dice with magnets in them. You mount the electromagnet under the table. Then turn it on and roll the dice. The electromagnet will cause the loaded side of the dice to stick to the table giving you a certain number. If you turn off the electromagnet you can play it relatively normally. Reversing the polarity will give you different results.
RapidSnail
Diamond Member
Have him make a single-shot wooden rifle powered by magnetic propulsion.
Cerpin Taxt
Lifer
Step 1. Model airplane
Step 2. Treadmill
Step 3. Profit
Step 2. Treadmill
Step 3. Profit
I have no real electronics background, but frankly, to me, it is commonsense that for the standard screw thread lightbulb, the metal threads act as one electrode while the base acts as the other. People just need to think for a moment.
Edit: I realize that I probably take my commonsense for granted. If someone is not exposed daily to thinking on their own to solve problems, they would not have built up the sense to solve everyday things.
DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
That's pretty much my response to a couple of college profs who were teaching a grad course to physics teachers. I believe I said something like, "come on, seriously, how many people don't realize this." They just smiled and grinned. A day later, I saw the video of the college graduates who didn't think that the right picture in my image would light a bulb. IIRC, some of those graduates were engineering students. The lesson to me was that common sense isn't so common & when you're teaching, never take for granted what knowledge students have beforehand. Especially in science, their pre-knowledge is often flawed or completely wrong. i.e. all kids know that "for every force, there's an equal and opposite force" - but, they're simply parroting that line with no concept of what it actually means. "A 2000 pound Geo Metro has its engine stall while on the highway. After it comes to a stop in the middle of the lane, a 40,000 pound, fully loaded semi runs into it. Which exerts the greater force on the other? The semi hitting the car? The car getting in the way of the semi, causing it to slow down slightly when it hits it? Or the forces are equal?" Very few people choose the latter.
OP, if you ask JohnCU, he might have some stuff. I sent him a huge pile of ideas a few months ago; for about the same age level IIRC. He may still have a copy of the PM. I'd make an extensive list, but I have to paint the living room before my wife gets home.
When I was still a physics major and I was talking to the head of the physics department she asked me that to see if she would allow me to test out. Her question was the same except she said "which will be damaged more?" instead of "which exerts the greater force?" I looked confused and told her I didn't know anything regarding the structural integrity of the geo metro or the semi but I was pretty sure that there both exerting the same force on the other. She still wouldn't let me test out. There were some other questions too, mainly force diagram type of things.
theflyingpig
Banned
An interesting project would be the study of G forces on cats. The study would qualitatively find a cats survivability threshold to G forces.
The testing apparatus would be a bucket (with lid) attached to a rope (two meters in length tied to the bucket with a figure 8 pass through knot).
Procedure:
1. Place living cat in bucket.
2. Cover lid.
3. Grab hold of rope end opposite of bucket.
4. Begin swinging bucket in a large circular orbit above head.
5. Stop swinging, and lower bucket.
6. Open bucket lid slightly and check for signs of life.
7. If cat is still alive, repeat steps 4-6. Be sure to increase velocity of orbit.
This can also be an interactive project, as you can encourage the judges to participate.
The testing apparatus would be a bucket (with lid) attached to a rope (two meters in length tied to the bucket with a figure 8 pass through knot).
Procedure:
1. Place living cat in bucket.
2. Cover lid.
3. Grab hold of rope end opposite of bucket.
4. Begin swinging bucket in a large circular orbit above head.
5. Stop swinging, and lower bucket.
6. Open bucket lid slightly and check for signs of life.
7. If cat is still alive, repeat steps 4-6. Be sure to increase velocity of orbit.
This can also be an interactive project, as you can encourage the judges to participate.
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