Science projects
Your Science Exhibition Guide
Choose a project, build it, present it and answer the judges with confidence
Science project idea finder
1028 science project ideas, from class 1 to college.
Find a project by class, subject and type. Every idea explains the science it shows, what you need, how long it takes and how to stay safe, with free ebooks and ready-made kits if you need them. 929 ideas have numbered steps and viva questions on their own page.
Every idea by class: Class 1 to 5, Class 6 to 8, Class 9 and 10, Class 11 and 12, College and diploma.
Want a complete build with diagrams? 16 free detailed project guides
- Class 1 to 5Simple, safe models made with help at home.224 ideas
- Class 6 to 8Working models of the science you learn in class.485 ideas
- Class 9 and 10Energy, electricity, light and first robots.467 ideas
- Class 11 and 12Investigatory projects for the practical exam.331 ideas
- College and diplomaArduino, IoT and sensor projects.119 ideas
Idea finder
Find your project
Choose your class and what interests you, or search for a word such as magnet, solar, heart or robot. Open any card for a summary, or its title for the full page with the science, the steps and the viva questions.
PhysicsMedium
Human eye and its defects
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The eye lens focuses light on the retina. In short sight the image forms in front of the retina and a concave lens corrects it; in long sight it forms behind the retina and a convex lens corrects it.
You will need
- A round-bottomed flask of water, or a ball model of the eye
- Convex and concave lenses
- A screen as the retina
- A torch
PhysicsMedium
Light trapped in a stream of water
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Light inside the water meets the surface at a large angle and is totally internally reflected, so it follows the curved stream. Optical fibres carry internet signals the same way.
You will need
- A clear plastic bottle with a hole near the bottom
- Water
- A low-power laser pointer or a bright torch
- A dark room and a basin
Safety: Never shine a laser into anyone’s eyes. Use a low-power pointer, with an adult.
ChemistryMedium
Electrolysis of water
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An electric current splits water into hydrogen at the negative electrode and oxygen at the positive one. About twice as much hydrogen as oxygen collects, which matches the formula H₂O.
You will need
- A 9 V battery
- Two pencil leads or graphite rods as electrodes
- Water with baking soda dissolved in it
- Two small test tubes
- A plastic tray
Safety: Use baking soda, not common salt, which gives off chlorine gas. Keep flames away and use a battery only.
ChemistryEasy
pH of household substances
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pH measures how acidic or basic a solution is on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 neutral. Universal indicator or pH paper shows the value by its colour.
You will need
- pH paper or universal indicator
- Samples: lemon juice, curd, milk, tea, soap water, baking soda solution, tap water
- Clear cups and droppers
- The colour chart
Safety: Do not taste the samples or test strong cleaners.
EnvironmentMedium
Biogas plant model
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Without air, microbes break down dung and kitchen waste and give off biogas, which is mostly methane. The slurry left behind is good manure.
You will need
- A plastic bottle as the digester
- Cow dung or kitchen waste mixed with water
- A balloon over the mouth to collect the gas
- A model of a dome-type plant to explain the parts
Safety: Biogas burns: never light it. Keep the bottle in an airy place and wash your hands after handling waste.
EnvironmentMedium
Box-type solar cooker
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The black inside absorbs sunlight, a mirror reflector sends more light in, and a glass lid traps the heat, so the box gets hot enough to warm food.
You will need
- A cardboard box inside a bigger box
- Newspaper or thermocol insulation between them
- Black paint
- Aluminium foil on a card reflector
- A glass or clear plastic lid
- A thermometer
Safety: The inside gets very hot: handle it with a cloth, and do not look at the reflected sunlight.
PhysicsMedium
Hydroelectric power plant model
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Water stored high up has potential energy. As it falls it turns a turbine, and a generator on the turbine’s shaft turns that motion into electricity.
You will need
- A raised bottle or tank as the dam
- A pipe
- A turbine made from plastic spoons or a bottle cap
- A small DC motor as the generator
- An LED and wires
Electronics and roboticsMedium
Smart dustbin with Arduino
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An ultrasonic sensor sends out a pulse of sound and times its echo to measure distance. When a hand comes close, the Arduino tells a servo motor to lift the lid.
You will need
- An Arduino Uno and USB cable
- An HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor
- An SG90 servo motor
- A small dustbin
- Jumper wires and a battery pack
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Obstacle-avoiding robot
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The robot measures the distance ahead with an ultrasonic sensor. When something is too close, the program stops, turns and looks for a clear path, driving the motors through a motor driver.
You will need
- An Arduino Uno
- An HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor, with a servo to turn it (optional)
- An L298N motor driver
- A robot chassis with two geared motors and wheels
- A battery pack and a switch
Safety: Use a proper battery holder and never short-circuit lithium cells.
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Line follower robot
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IR sensors shine infrared light at the floor: white reflects it and black absorbs it. The controller reads which sensor sees the line and steers the motors to stay on it.
You will need
- An Arduino or a comparator board
- Two or more IR sensor modules
- A motor driver and two geared motors
- A chassis, wheels and a castor
- Black tape on a white sheet for the track
Electronics and roboticsMedium
Automatic plant watering system
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A soil moisture sensor gives a reading that changes with the water in the soil. When the soil is dry, the Arduino switches on a small pump until it is moist again.
You will need
- An Arduino Uno
- A soil moisture sensor
- A small low-voltage pump with tubing
- A relay or transistor driver module
- A pot plant and a water container
Safety: Keep the electronics away from water, and use only a low-voltage pump.
BiologyMedium
DNA double helix model
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DNA is two strands twisted into a double helix. The sides are sugar and phosphate; the rungs are pairs of bases, with A always joined to T and G to C.
You will need
- Beads or thermocol balls in four colours for the bases
- Pipe cleaners or wire for the two backbones
- A stand
- A colour key
BiologyEasy
Reflex arc model
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In a reflex, such as pulling your hand away from something hot, the message travels from the receptor to the spinal cord and straight back to the muscle, before the brain has time to think.
You will need
- A board with an arm and the spinal cord drawn on it
- Wires or coloured strings for the nerves
- LEDs that light in order (optional)
- Labels
BiologyMedium
Does the colour of light affect plant growth?
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Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light strongly and reflects most green light, so seedlings under green filters usually grow more weakly than those in white light.
You will need
- Six small pots of the same seedlings
- Red, blue, green and clear cellophane
- Boxes or frames to cover each pot
- A ruler and a notebook
Take it further: Keep everything else the same (water, soil, temperature) so the test is fair.
MathsEasy
Probability with coins and dice
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With only a few throws the results are uneven, but as the number of throws grows, the share of heads gets closer to one half and each face of a die to one sixth.
You will need
- Coins and dice
- A tally sheet
- Graph paper or a spreadsheet
MathsEasy
Clinometer for heights and distances
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Measure the angle up to the top of a tree or building and your distance from its base. The height is the distance × tan(angle), plus the height of your eyes above the ground.
You will need
- A protractor
- A straw
- Thread and a small weight
- A measuring tape
- A calculator or tan table
Safety: Never look at the Sun through the straw.
MathsEasy
Fibonacci numbers in nature
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In the sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and so on, each number is the sum of the two before it, and the ratio of neighbours gets closer to about 1.618, the golden ratio. The spirals on sunflower heads and pine cones often come in Fibonacci numbers.
You will need
- Pine cones, sunflower heads or pineapples
- Coloured markers to count the spirals
- Graph paper
- A calculator
PhysicsChallenging
Water bottle rocket
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Pumped-in air pushes the water out of the nozzle downwards, and the rocket is pushed upwards (Newton’s third law). A little water gives far more thrust than an empty bottle.
You will need
- A fizzy-drink PET bottle
- Card fins and a nose cone
- A cork or a launcher with a valve
- A bicycle pump
- Water
Safety: Launch outdoors in an open space with an adult. Wear eye protection, never stand over the rocket, and do not over-pump.
BiologyEasy
Yeast fermentation and temperature
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Yeast feeds on sugar and gives off carbon dioxide gas, which inflates a balloon fastest in warm water. Cold slows the yeast down and very hot water kills it.
You will need
- Dry yeast and sugar
- Three bottles and three balloons
- Cold, warm and hot water
- A thermometer, and a tape to measure the balloons
Safety: An adult should handle the hot water.
ChemistryEasy
Temperature and the rate of a reaction
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An effervescent tablet dissolves faster in warm water, because the particles move faster and collide more often and with more energy. Crushing the tablet speeds it up too, by giving it more surface area.
You will need
- Effervescent antacid or vitamin tablets
- Water at three or four temperatures
- A thermometer and a stopwatch
- Clear cups
ChemistryMedium
Simple food adulteration tests
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Some adulterants show up with simple tests: starch in milk, paneer or khoa turns blue-black with iodine, and sawdust or brick powder in spices floats or settles when the powder is sprinkled on water.
You will need
- Samples of milk, paneer, turmeric and chilli powder
- Iodine solution
- Glasses of water
- A dropper and white tiles
Safety: Do not eat the tested samples. Tests that need strong acids must be done in the lab with your teacher.
BiologyEasy
Osmosis in potato strips
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Water moves through cell membranes from a weaker solution to a stronger one (osmosis). Potato strips in strong salt or sugar water lose water and shrink; strips in plain water take in water and firm up.
You will need
- Potatoes, cut by an adult
- Salt or sugar solutions of different strengths
- Cups and labels
- A kitchen scale and a ruler
BiologyEasy
Extract DNA from a banana
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Washing-up liquid breaks open the cell membranes, salt helps the DNA clump together, and ice-cold alcohol makes the DNA come out of solution as white strands you can see.
You will need
- A ripe banana or strawberries
- Washing-up liquid, salt and water
- A strainer and a tall glass
- Ice-cold rubbing alcohol (isopropyl)
- A wooden skewer
Safety: Rubbing alcohol is flammable and poisonous: keep it away from flames and never drink it.
PhysicsEasy
Ohm’s law checked on a pencil-lead resistor with a V-I graph
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
For a graphite pencil lead at steady temperature, the current through it is directly proportional to the voltage across it. The V against I graph is a straight line through the origin and its slope is the resistance (Ohm’s law, V = IR).
You will need
- A 2B pencil sharpened at both ends, or a bare 4B lead
- Four AA cells and a battery holder (or four separate cells and tape)
- A digital multimeter (about Rs 250, or borrow from the school lab)
- Four jumper wires or wires with crocodile clips
- A 100 ohm resistor from a repair shop as a check
- Graph paper and a pencil
Safety: Use only dry cells, never a mains adaptor. Take readings quickly and let the lead cool between readings, because a warm lead changes its resistance and the graph will bend.
Take it further: Measure the resistance of a 2H and a 6B pencil and explain the difference by the amount of graphite in each.
Before you start
How to choose a good project
Six things to think about before you decide. A project you understand and finish well beats a big one you rush.
Start with a question
Good projects answer a question you are curious about: why does iron rust, which fabric keeps tea hottest, how does a robot follow a line? A question gives your project a purpose.
Check what is asked
Find out whether your teacher wants a working model, a still model or an investigatory project, the size limits, the topic or theme, the date, and whether ready-made models are allowed.
Match your time and class
Each idea here shows a class band, a difficulty and a rough time. Choose something you can finish properly with time to test it, rather than something huge you have to rush.
Pick science you can explain
Judges and examiners ask how it works. Choose an idea whose science you understand, or can learn from your textbook and the free ebooks, and practise explaining it.
List materials and costs
Write down everything you need before you start. Many models use things from home; motors, LEDs, sensors and boards are easy to buy as spare parts or in a kit.
Make it your own
Change one thing and measure what happens, add a chart of your readings, or show a real-life use. Even a well-known model becomes yours when you add your own observations.
Plan your time
A four-week project timeline
Work backwards from the date of your exhibition or submission. Short of time? Do the same steps faster, but never skip testing.
- 4 weeks before
Choose and get it approved
- Shortlist two or three ideas
- Write your aim or question in one sentence
- Show your teacher and agree the idea
- 3 weeks before
Read and collect materials
- Read the science in your textbook and a free ebook
- Sketch the design with measurements
- Collect or buy the materials and spare parts
- 2 weeks before
Build and test
- Build one part at a time and test each part
- For an investigation, repeat each reading at least three times
- Write every observation in a notebook with the date
- 1 week before
Write the report and chart
- Aim, materials, method, observations, result and conclusion
- A neat table or graph of your readings
- A chart or poster with a labelled diagram
- Last 2 days
Rehearse
- Practise a one-minute explanation out loud
- Prepare answers to the questions below
- Pack spares: cells, wires, tape and glue
On the day
Present it with confidence
You will usually have a minute or two to explain your project, then questions. Practise both out loud at home.
A one-minute explanation
- 1Name and question“My project is a … It answers the question …”
- 2What it showsOne sentence of science, in your own words.
- 3How it worksPoint to each part as you explain it.
- 4What you foundYour readings or result, and what they mean.
- 5Real lifeWhere the same science is used every day.
Questions judges often ask
- What does your project show, in one sentence?
- How does it work? Which law or idea of science is behind it?
- What did you change, and what did you measure?
- What went wrong while you were making it, and how did you fix it?
- Where is this idea used in real life?
- What would you improve if you made it again?
What your project file needs
- Title page with your name, class and school
- Aim or question
- Introduction: the science behind it
- Materials list
- Method, step by step, with a diagram
- Observations in a table
- Result and conclusion
- Precautions and safety
- Sources: books and websites you used
Projects and kits
Ready-made projects, kits and spare parts
Need a working model, a kit to build yourself, or a motor, LED, battery or sensor to finish your own? Every idea card links to the matching section of the store.
School Projects, Class 1 to 9
Ready-made working models for class 1 to 9: science, maths, physics, chemistry and biology.Browse
School Projects, Class 10 to 12
Working models and investigatory projects for class 10, 11 and 12.Browse
Best Out of Waste
Models made from bottles, cardboard and old parts, for waste-management themes.Browse
Robotics and Coding
Robot kits, Arduino projects, line followers, obstacle avoiders and smart projects.Browse
DIY Kits
Kits with every part and step-by-step instructions, to build the model yourself.Browse
Components and Spares
Motors, LEDs, batteries, switches, wires, sensors and breadboards to build or repair.Browse
Engineering Projects
Minor and major projects for diploma and BTech students.Browse
Cannot find what you need? Ask the head office on WhatsApp.
Free ebooks
Free books for making projects
Step-by-step project books for every class, plus guides to exhibitions, project files and viva questions. Free to download, read and print.
Science projects
Writing a Science Project File
How to write the report, from the cover page to the bibliography
Science projects
Viva Questions for Science Projects
How to answer examiner questions, with sample questions for popular projects
Science projects
Easy Science Projects for Class 1 to 5
Simple, safe projects young children can make with a little help
Science projects
Science Projects for Class 6 to 8
Working models matched to middle-school science topics
Science projects
Investigatory Projects for Class 11 and 12
Topics, method and report structure for physics, chemistry and biology
Stay safe
Safety rules for every project
Read these with a parent before you start. Ideas that need extra care carry their own safety note on the card.
Never use mains electricity
Power your models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Never connect anything home-made to a wall socket.
Adult help for sharp and hot tools
Cutters, blades, glue guns, soldering irons and drills need an adult beside you. Cut away from your body on a board.
Chemicals with care
Use only safe household materials at home. Acids, stains and other lab chemicals are for the school lab with your teacher. Wear goggles and never taste anything.
Flames only with an adult
Candles and burners only with an adult present and water nearby. Tie back long hair and keep paper away.
Look after batteries
Do not short-circuit a battery, mix old and new cells, or puncture or heat a lithium battery. Remove batteries when the model is stored.
Small parts away from little ones
Magnets, button cells and small parts can be swallowed. Keep them away from younger brothers and sisters, and wash your hands after making.
Questions about science projects
Still have a question?
Chat on WhatsAppWhat is the difference between a working model, a still model and an investigatory project?
A working model moves or works to show a principle, such as a windmill that lights an LED. A still model shows how something is built or arranged, such as the layers of the Earth. An investigatory project asks a question and answers it by experiment: you change one thing, measure the result and draw a conclusion from your readings.
Can I buy a ready-made project?
Check your school’s rules first: some competitions want models made by the student, and some allow ready-made ones. Either way, you must understand how it works and be able to explain it. A good approach is to build from a kit, or to add your own measurements and chart to a ready-made model.
How long does a school project take?
Each idea here shows a rough time for the making. Leave extra time for reading, testing, the report and practice: three to four weeks from choosing to presenting is comfortable for most school projects.
What should go in my project report or file?
A title page, your aim, the science behind it, the materials, the method with a diagram, your observations in a table, the result and conclusion, precautions, and the books and websites you used. The free ebook “Writing a Science Project File” explains each part.
What if my model stops working on the day?
Carry spare cells, wires and tape, and test everything when you arrive. Take a short video or photos of it working at home. If something still fails, explain calmly what should happen and what you would check: judges value understanding as much as a perfect model.
More help
Stuck on a project?
Read the student help pages, try the free calculators for circuits and units, or ask the head office on WhatsApp.