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
Critical angle of water: the vanishing pin under a floating disc
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Rays from an object under water that meet the surface at more than the critical angle are totally reflected and cannot leave. A disc on the surface can hide a pin completely when its radius is large enough, which gives the refractive index.
You will need
- A tall, clear, straight-sided glass or a transparent plastic container
- A circular cork or foam disc about 5 cm across, with a pin pushed through its centre, point down
- Water
- A ruler and a fine pin
- A card with a hole to look through
- A piece of tape to hold the pin steady
Safety: An adult must handle the sharp pins and push them through the disc.
Take it further: Use salt water of a known strength and show that the critical angle becomes smaller because n has increased.
PhysicsMedium
Glass slab pin method: Snell’s law from a sin i against sin r graph
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Light going from air into glass bends toward the normal so that sin i / sin r is a constant, the refractive index. A graph of sin i against sin r for several angles has a slope equal to that index.
You will need
- A rectangular glass or acrylic slab (about 6 cm × 10 cm and 2 cm thick)
- A drawing board and white paper
- Four pins and drawing pins to fix the paper
- A protractor and a sharp pencil
- A ruler
- A calculator or a sine table
Safety: An adult must supervise the sharp pins and help with any tricky cutting.
Take it further: Repeat with a slab of different thickness and show that the lateral shift is greater for the thicker slab at the same angle.
PhysicsMedium
Two-lens compound microscope model with measured magnification
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A short focal length objective makes a magnified real image, and a second lens, the eyepiece, magnifies that image again. The total magnification is the product of the two.
You will need
- A convex lens of about 4 cm focal length as the objective (a strong magnifier or a lens from a broken projector)
- A convex lens of about 5 cm focal length as the eyepiece
- Two cardboard tubes that slide inside each other (rolled paper or kitchen roll tubes)
- A small LED torch and a cardboard stage to hold the slide
- A millimetre ruler or graph paper as the specimen
- Tape and black paper to line the tube
Safety: An adult must make any cuts in the card. Do not use a mirror to point sunlight at the slide or your eye.
Take it further: Change the tube length and plot magnification against tube length to show that a longer tube gives a larger M.
PhysicsMedium
Two-lens astronomical telescope: magnifying power equals f0 divided by fe
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A long focal length objective and a short focal length eyepiece make a refracting telescope. In normal adjustment its angular magnification is f0 / fe.
You will need
- A spectacle lens of +2 dioptre (focal length 50 cm) as the objective
- A strong magnifier or a lens of about 5 cm focal length as the eyepiece
- Two cardboard or PVC tubes that slide into one another, about 50 cm total length
- Black paper, tape and clay
- A brick wall or a building with bricks at a distance for testing
- A ruler
Safety: Never look at the Sun through the telescope, even for a moment; it can blind. An adult must supervise any cutting.
Take it further: Add a third lens of suitable focal length as an erecting lens to make a terrestrial telescope and test it on a distant tree.
PhysicsMedium
Inverse square law of light with an LED and a phone lux meter
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The brightness of a small light source falls with the square of the distance. Doubling the distance cuts the light to a quarter.
You will need
- A small bright LED torch or a single LED on a battery, as a point source
- A smartphone with a lux meter app, or an LDR and a multimeter
- A long table or a floor with a metre tape
- A dark room or a night-time corridor
- Black cloth or paper to cut reflections
- Graph paper
Safety: Do not look directly at a bright LED from close range. An adult should supervise if a phone is held on a tape.
Take it further: Compare a white LED and a red LED of equal brightness and find whether the law holds for each.
PhysicsMedium
Specific heat of metal pieces by the method of mixtures
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Different metals need different amounts of heat to warm by one degree. Dropping hot metal into cool water and measuring the final temperature gives the metal’s specific heat.
You will need
- Equal masses (about 50 g) of iron nuts, aluminium pieces and copper wire coils
- A kitchen scale
- A steel pot of boiling water (an adult heats it)
- A foam or plastic cup as the calorimeter, with 100 mL of water
- A thermometer to 0.5 degrees
- A thread to lower the metal into the water
- A cloth and a notebook
Safety: An adult must heat the water and move the hot metal with tongs or thread; boiling water and hot metal can burn badly.
Take it further: Plot the final temperature against the mass of metal used to show that the rise is proportional to the heat available.
PhysicsMedium
Butter dabs on metal rods: which metal conducts heat best
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
When one end of equal rods is heated, the heat travels along each at a different speed. Dabs of butter melt in order along the rod, showing which metal is the better conductor.
You will need
- Rods or strips of copper, aluminium, brass and iron of the same size (about 20 cm long, from a hardware shop)
- Small dabs of butter or wax at 3 cm spacing along each rod
- A wide steel tray with hot water at about 90 degrees C (an adult heats it)
- A wooden stand or a stack of books to hold the rods level
- A stopwatch
- A ruler and a notebook
Safety: An adult must heat and handle the water and use tongs, never fingers, to move the rods; do not use an open flame.
Take it further: Add a glass rod and a wooden skewer of the same size and see how little their butter dabs melt.
PhysicsEasy
Echo clapping rhythm: speed of sound from a distant wall
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Sound takes time to reach a wall and return. If you clap so that each clap meets the echo of the last, the time between claps is the echo time, so speed = 2 × distance ÷ time.
You will need
- A tall flat wall or building at least 50 m away across an empty ground
- A measuring tape or a long rope marked in metres (or a trundle wheel)
- A phone stopwatch
- Two flat wooden blocks or a pair of cymbals to clap
- A helper
- A notebook
Safety: Choose a quiet open ground away from traffic. An adult must supervise.
Take it further: Use a phone voice recorder and a free sound editor to measure the delay between a clap and its echo directly.
PhysicsMedium
Newton’s second law: trolley pulled by a falling weight
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The acceleration of a trolley is proportional to the force on it and inversely proportional to its mass. A falling weight pulls the trolley, and distance-time measurements give the acceleration.
You will need
- A toy car or a small wooden trolley on a smooth table
- A thin string about 1.5 m long and a pulley made from a spool on a nail at the table edge
- A weight hanger and ten identical 20 g masses (coins in a bag, or washers)
- A phone stopwatch, or a phone video in slow motion
- A metre rule and masking tape
- Plain paper and graph paper
Safety: Catch the trolley before it hits the pulley; keep the weights away from toes, and do not use heavy weights.
Take it further: Use a phone slow-motion video and a ruler on the table to get the speed at several points and plot v against t.
PhysicsMedium
Rubber band launcher: range against launch angle, maximum at 45 degrees
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A ball launched at the same speed travels farthest when the angle is about 45 degrees, and two angles that add to 90 degrees give the same range. This follows from R = v² sin 2θ / g.
You will need
- A wooden plank or a stiff cardboard launcher with a hinge made from tape
- A thick rubber band and two nails or pins for a catapult
- A protractor fixed to the side of the launcher
- A soft ball such as a table-tennis ball or a crumpled paper ball
- A long tape measure or a rope marked in metres
- An open ground or a school field
- A helper to mark where it lands
Safety: Launch only light, soft balls, never at people or animals. An adult must supervise and keep everyone behind the launcher.
Take it further: Launch from a table and show that the best angle is then a little less than 45 degrees.
PhysicsEasy
Archimedes’ principle with an overflow can and a rubber-band balance
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
An object put in water seems lighter by exactly the weight of the water it pushes aside. The loss of weight, measured on a balance, equals the weight of the overflowed water.
You will need
- A small spring balance (kitchen hanging scale) or a rubber band with a ruler as a force meter
- An overflow can made from a bottle with a spout cut near the top, or a jar with a side tube
- A small catching cup
- Three solid objects, such as a stone, a metal nut and a steel spoon
- Thread
- A measuring cylinder or a kitchen scale for weighing water
- Water
Safety: An adult must cut the bottle with a knife or scissors and smooth any sharp edges.
Take it further: Use salt water and show that the loss of weight, and so the upthrust, is larger because the liquid is denser.
PhysicsMedium
Straw hydrometer: calibrating a float to measure liquid density
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A weighted straw floats lower in a lighter liquid and higher in a denser one. Marking it in liquids of known density turns it into a hydrometer.
You will need
- A plastic drinking straw about 20 cm long, sealed at the bottom with clay
- Lead shot, sand or small nuts as ballast
- Salt and a kitchen scale
- A tall glass or measuring cylinder
- A ruler and a waterproof marker
- Water, milk and cooking oil to test
Safety: An adult should supervise if sharp objects are used to cut the straw. Do not drink anything used in the experiment.
Take it further: Make a lactometer scale and test milk diluted with 10 and 20 percent water to see how the reading changes.
PhysicsMedium
Finding g with a simple pendulum: T² against length graph
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The square of a pendulum’s period is proportional to its length, with slope 4π² / g. The slope of the graph gives the acceleration due to gravity at your place.
You will need
- A small metal ball or a nut as the bob
- Strong thin thread about 1.2 m long
- A stand or a split cork clamp fixed to a door frame or a shelf
- A metre rule and a vernier calliper or a ruler to measure the bob’s diameter
- A phone stopwatch
- A protractor to check small angles
- Graph paper
Safety: Release the bob gently and keep fingers away from the stand. An adult should supervise a tall setup.
Take it further: Measure T for angles of 5, 20, 40 and 60 degrees and see how the period starts to rise at large amplitudes.
PhysicsMedium
Savonius wind turbine from cans: lifting a weight at different wind speeds
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A vertical-axis turbine with two curved scoops spins in a wind, and the turning axle winds up a thread to lift a weight. The useful power it delivers can be compared with the power in the wind, which is ½ ρ A v³.
You will need
- Two halves of a plastic drum or a large bottle cut lengthways, or a cylinder cut in half (about 20 cm tall)
- Two round cardboard or plastic discs as the end plates
- A 30 cm steel rod, a long bolt or a bicycle spoke for the axle, and two bearings made from bottle caps with holes
- A base board and two uprights
- Thread and small weights such as washers, with a paper clip hook
- A table fan at its three speeds, or a strong natural breeze
- A hand anemometer or an anemometer app, and a stopwatch
Safety: An adult must cut the plastic and plug in the fan; keep fingers and hair away from the fan and the spinning turbine.
Take it further: Add a small DC motor as a generator and measure the voltage and current of an LED load at each speed.
BiologyMedium
Tall cup and short cup: does root room change growth?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The depth and amount of soil limit how far roots can spread. Growing the same bean in a tall cup and a short cup shows how room for roots affects the plant above ground.
You will need
- Two clear plastic cups of the same width but different height (or one cup cut shorter)
- Garden soil, enough to fill each cup to 1 cm below the rim
- 4 soaked bean or gram seeds
- A marker and a ruler
- A measuring cup for water
- A notebook
Safety: An adult must cut the cups and make drainage holes. Wash your hands after handling soil.
Take it further: Make a third cup with soil only half full and see whether the roots reach the bottom sooner and what that does to growth.
BiologyMedium
Counting oxygen bubbles from Hydrilla at different light distances
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A water plant in bright light gives off bubbles of oxygen, because it is making food by photosynthesis. The closer the lamp, the faster the bubbles stream, until another factor limits the rate.
You will need
- A fresh sprig of Hydrilla or another oxygen weed from a pond or aquarium shop
- A large clear glass or beaker
- A glass funnel or a cut clear bottle top
- A small test tube or clear bottle
- A pinch of baking soda
- A table lamp with an LED bulb (not a hot bulb)
- A metre ruler
- A watch or phone timer
Safety: Do not drink the water. An adult must cut the bottle. Use an LED lamp so the water does not heat up, and keep the lamp and plug away from water. Wash hands after touching pond plants.
Take it further: Keep the lamp fixed and warm the water in steps of 5 degrees Celsius in a bowl of warm water to see how temperature affects the bubble rate.
BiologyMedium
Spinach leaf pigments separated on filter paper
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The green colour of a leaf is a mixture of several pigments. When the extract climbs a strip of paper, the pigments travel different distances and show as bands of green, yellow and orange.
You will need
- A few fresh spinach or lettuce leaves
- A coin or the back of a spoon for crushing
- About 10 mL of rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) or surgical spirit
- A strip of coffee filter paper or chromatography paper 2 cm wide and 15 cm long
- A tall glass or clear jar
- A pencil and a clip or clothes peg
- A small cup and a spoon
Safety: Rubbing alcohol is flammable and its fumes irritate. An adult must handle it, keep it away from flames, work with windows open, and keep it off skin and eyes. Do not use any flame or heater.
Take it further: Compare a green leaf with a fallen yellow leaf and look at which pigments are left in the autumn leaf.
BiologyMedium
Detached leaves left on a tray: which type loses weight fastest?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Leaves lose water to the air, mostly through their stomata. Weighing different leaf types over two days shows how leaf structure affects water loss.
You will need
- One leaf each from spinach, mint, guava and a thick leaf such as jade plant or aloe tip (4 leaf types)
- A digital kitchen or jewellery scale reading to 0.1 g
- A tray lined with a paper towel
- A marker and a notebook
- Paper clips or small labels
- A ruler
Safety: Wash your hands after handling plants and do not eat any leaves used. An adult must cut leaves from plants you do not own.
Take it further: Smear petroleum jelly on the upper side of a second leaf of each type, and see how much it cuts the water loss.
BiologyMedium
Rhoeo leaf peel: counting stomata and guard cells
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The lower surface of many leaves is dotted with tiny pores called stomata, each between two bean-shaped guard cells. Counting them under a microscope shows where a leaf exchanges gases and water vapour.
You will need
- A fresh Rhoeo (boat lily) or Tradescantia leaf
- A school compound microscope or a phone with a clip-on magnifier lens
- Glass slides and cover slips (or clear tape and a microscope slide)
- A dropper and water
- A fine paintbrush
- Tweezers and a blotting paper
- A notebook for sketches
Safety: Glass slides and cover slips break easily and an adult must supervise their use. An adult must help with the blade, if one is used, to tear or cut the leaf. Wash your hands after handling plants.
Take it further: Compare the stomata density of a Rhoeo leaf with that of a thick succulent such as a jade leaf, which usually has fewer.
BiologyEasy
Ear model with a funnel and balloon eardrum and dancing salt
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Sound is collected by the outer ear and makes the eardrum vibrate. A balloon stretched over a tube acts as the eardrum, and grains of salt dance on it when you speak into the funnel.
You will need
- A plastic funnel or a cone of thick paper (the outer ear)
- A cardboard tube or a cut plastic bottle 6 cm wide (the ear canal)
- A balloon, cut open and stretched flat (the eardrum)
- A rubber band
- A pinch of salt or sugar
- Three small cardboard strips and a pin for the bone chain
- Card, a coiled pipe cleaner or a spiral of wire for the cochlea
- Glue and markers
Safety: An adult must cut the balloon and bottle. Never put anything into a real ear, and do not shout loudly close to anyone’s ears.
Take it further: Compare the salt dance for different distances from the funnel and make a graph of the distance against the height of the jumps.
BiologyMedium
Shoebox eye model with a lens that shows an upside-down image
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The eye works like a camera. A lens at the front focuses light from the world onto a screen at the back, giving a small image that is upside down.
You will need
- A shoebox or a tube box, painted black inside with black paper
- A magnifying glass or a spectacle lens of about 15 cm focal length
- A piece of tracing paper or butter paper for the retina
- A card with a round hole of about 1 cm for the pupil
- A cardboard sleeve or second box that slides over the first
- Tape and a black cloth
- A bright window scene or a torch pointed at a drawn object
Safety: An adult must cut the box. Never look at the Sun through the lens and never point it at the Sun, because it can burn paper and harm eyes.
Take it further: Replace the lens with a thicker lens and measure how the focus distance changes, to explain short sight and long sight.
BiologyEasy
Is there a tongue map? Testing sweet, salt, sour and bitter
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The old school picture of a tongue with separate zones for each taste is a myth. Testing tastes on different parts of the tongue shows that every part can detect all the basic tastes.
You will need
- Four cups of mild test liquids: sugar water, salt water, diluted lemon juice and weak tea or diluted bitter gourd juice
- Clean cotton buds, one for each test and each person
- Plain water to rinse the mouth
- A printed tongue outline for each volunteer
- Coloured pencils
- Two or three willing volunteers
- A notebook
Safety: Use only food-safe liquids and a fresh cotton bud every time. Check for allergies first, and wash hands. Use no strong, hot or unusual liquids. An adult must supervise.
Take it further: Test taste with the nose pinched and see how much the flavour of a flavoured sweet changes.
BiologyMedium
Two-point touch test on fingertip, palm and forearm
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Our skin is not equally sensitive everywhere. The smallest gap at which a person feels two points instead of one shows where touch receptors are packed more closely.
You will need
- Two blunt wooden toothpicks or two bent paper clips with rounded ends
- A ruler with millimetre marks
- A blindfold or a sleeve to block vision
- A partner volunteer
- A notebook with a ready table
- Cardboard strip with pairs of holes 2, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mm apart (optional)
Safety: Use only blunt points and the lightest touch. Stop if the volunteer feels any pain. An adult must supervise.
Take it further: Test whether the gap gets smaller after a fingertip is held in cool water for one minute, and discuss why temperature may matter.
BiologyMedium
Ruler-drop reaction time: does practice or distraction change it?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A dropped ruler measures how fast your nerves and muscles respond. How far the ruler falls before you catch it gives your reaction time, and you can test how practice or a second task changes it.
You will need
- A 30 cm ruler
- A partner
- A table and chair
- A notebook and a calculator
- A phone calculator or a printed table of distance and time
- A few easy questions or a counting task for distraction
Safety: Sit down during the test and keep the ruler soft and light. An adult should supervise.
Take it further: Compare reaction times of the same people when they are fresh in the morning and when tired in the evening.
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.