Science projects
Your Science Exhibition Guide
Choose a project, build it, present it and answer the judges with confidence
Science project idea finder
1029 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. 930 ideas have numbered steps and viva questions on their own page.
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.332 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.
EnvironmentEasy
Noise map of your neighbourhood with a phone decibel meter
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Sound level is measured in decibels, a scale where every 10 decibels sounds about twice as loud. Measuring at the same spots at different times of day gives a noise map that shows where and when levels pass the limits set for residential and silence zones.
You will need
- A smartphone with a free sound level meter app
- A printed map or hand-drawn sketch of the area
- A notebook with columns for place, time, reading and main sound
- Coloured pencils for the map
Safety: Measure from the footpath with an adult near busy roads; never stand on the road to take a reading.
Take it further: Measure before and after a festival night and compare the levels.
EnvironmentMedium
Tree census of the school ground with species, girth and shade area
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A census records every tree in an area with its species, girth and canopy, the same way city forest departments do. The data show which species dominate, which trees are oldest, how much ground is shaded, and where new trees would help most.
You will need
- A measuring tape
- A notebook or a printed census sheet
- A tree identification guide or a plant app
- Chalk or ribbon to mark counted trees
- A sketch map of the ground
- Graph paper
Safety: Do not climb trees or pull branches. Watch for ants and bees on trunks.
Take it further: Repeat the girth measurements a year later and see which trees grew most.
EnvironmentEasy
Biodiversity diary of one square metre kept for a month
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Even one square metre of garden or wasteland holds dozens of kinds of living things: grasses, weeds, ants, beetles, spiders, snails, birds that visit. Watching the same patch daily and recording every species shows how rich ordinary ground is and how it changes with the weather.
You will need
- Four sticks and string to mark a 1 metre square
- A notebook with a page per day
- A hand lens
- Pencils and colours
- A field guide or a free plant and insect identification app
Safety: Look, do not touch; some caterpillars and plants cause itching. Wash hands after each visit.
Take it further: Compare your square with a square on bare, swept ground and count the difference.
EnvironmentEasy
Dawn bird count at three points with a simple species chart
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Birds are easiest to count at dawn when they call and feed. Counting every bird seen or heard for ten minutes at fixed points, a method called a point count, shows which species live near you and how a park, a road and a water body differ in bird life.
You will need
- A notebook and a pencil
- A watch
- Binoculars if available, or sharp eyes
- A bird guide or a free bird app
- A sketch map of the three points
Safety: Go with an adult at dawn, and stay away from water edges.
Take it further: Repeat the count in winter and look for migratory ducks and wagtails that were absent in summer.
EnvironmentMedium
Carbon footprint of the journey to school: petrol, bus, bicycle and walking
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Burning fuel makes carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. By linking distance, mileage and fuel type you can estimate how much CO2 each way of getting to school sends into the air.
You will need
- A survey sheet for classmates with mode of travel, distance and vehicle type
- A map or a phone to measure the home to school distance
- Fuel mileage values from the vehicle owner or a mileage sticker
- A calculator or a spreadsheet
- Chart paper for a bar chart
- A list of CO2 per litre of fuel
- A notebook
Safety: Do not ask for names or addresses, and only use data that students share willingly. Use code numbers instead of names.
Take it further: Estimate how many trees would be needed to absorb the class’s yearly travel CO2, taking about 20 kg of CO2 absorbed per tree per year for a mature tree.
EnvironmentMedium
Urban heat island: temperatures on road, roof, grass and under a tree
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Dark paved surfaces absorb more sunlight and warm up more than grass or shade. Mapping temperatures across a school or street shows how towns become hotter than the countryside.
You will need
- A thermometer reading to 100 degrees C, or two if possible
- An infrared thermometer if the school has one
- A small square of white card to shade the bulb
- A watch and a notebook
- A clipboard and a site sketch
- A tape measure
- A cap and water bottle
Safety: An adult must supervise, especially in hot weather. Do not touch very hot surfaces with bare hands. Wear a hat and drink water, and stay on footpaths away from traffic.
Take it further: Repeat the transect in summer and winter and compare, or measure a roof before and after it is painted white.
EnvironmentMedium
Dissolved solids in ten water sources measured with a TDS meter
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Water carries dissolved salts that conduct electricity. A TDS meter reads the conductivity and converts it into parts per million, so different sources can be compared.
You will need
- A pen-type TDS meter (about Rs 300 to 400)
- Ten clean glass or plastic cups
- Samples of tap water, bore well water, RO water, bottled water, rainwater, a pond, boiled water and distilled water
- A marker and labels
- A notebook
- Distilled water from a medical store for rinsing
- A thermometer
Safety: Do not drink any sample you collect from ponds or wells. Collect samples with an adult and wash hands after handling them. Do not enter water bodies.
Take it further: Track the TDS of the same bore well or pond every week through the monsoon and plot a graph.
EnvironmentMedium
How fast does rain soak in? Infiltration rate with a tin-can ring
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Soil takes in water at a certain speed, called its infiltration rate. Measuring it in the playground, a field and a forest floor shows why some ground floods while other ground soaks up the monsoon.
You will need
- 3 tin cans with both ends removed (an adult must cut and file edges), 7 to 10 cm wide
- A wooden block and a hammer or mallet
- A measuring cup
- A 2 litre bottle of water per test
- A stopwatch
- A ruler
- A notebook
Safety: An adult must remove the can ends and file the sharp edges or cover them with tape. Wear gloves when pushing the ring into the soil and keep fingers clear of the hammer.
Take it further: Measure infiltration before and after a day of rain and see how wet soil slows the rate.
EnvironmentChallenging
How much carbon does the school’s biggest tree store? Girth and height
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A tree stores carbon taken from the air in its wood. Measuring its girth and height gives a rough estimate of its wood volume, mass and the carbon dioxide it has removed from the air.
You will need
- A measuring tape or a long string and a ruler
- A clinometer or a protractor with a plumb line
- A friend to measure a distance on the ground
- A calculator
- A list of wood densities for common trees from a forestry website
- A notebook
- A tree to measure, with permission
Safety: Do not climb trees. Measure from the ground, keep away from dead branches and ant nests, and work with an adult.
Take it further: Estimate the total carbon in all the trees of the school campus with a tree census and a formula.
EnvironmentMedium
How strong is sunshine? Watts per square metre from a blackened can
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Sunlight carries energy. By measuring how fast the sunshine warms a known mass of water, you can estimate the power per square metre that reaches the ground, which is a guide to solar energy.
You will need
- A small aluminium can or steel katori painted matt black on the outside
- Exactly 100 g of water (100 ml)
- A thermometer reading to 0.5 degree
- A stopwatch
- A ruler to measure the face area of the can
- A card to aim at the Sun, with a stand
- A foam or cloth wrap for the sides to reduce heat loss
Safety: Do not look at the Sun. Wear a hat and take care with the hot can. Do not use hot water above 60 degrees C.
Take it further: Compare black, white and aluminium foil cans and find how much of the light each absorbs.
EnvironmentMedium
Evaporation from pans in sun, shade and wind: millimetres a day
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Water leaves open surfaces at a rate set by heat, wind and humidity. Daily readings from identical pans show how much water a field or a tank loses and why crops need irrigation in summer.
You will need
- 4 identical shallow steel or plastic pans, 25 cm wide
- A ruler marked in millimetres or a long nail with a scale
- A measuring jug
- Water
- A thermometer
- A stand to keep pans at the same height
- Mesh to stop birds drinking and a notebook
Safety: Place the pans where they will not be tipped over, away from young children, and empty them after the test to prevent mosquito breeding.
Take it further: Compare your pan data with the rainfall record for the same weeks and decide whether rain or evaporation is bigger in your area.
EnvironmentMedium
Weighing a fortnight of food waste: what we throw away and why
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Food thrown away takes land, water and energy to produce, and it makes methane when it rots in a landfill. Weighing waste every day shows how much is wasted and where it comes from.
You will need
- A kitchen scale reading to 5 g
- Two plastic buckets with lids and labels (avoidable and unavoidable waste)
- Disposable gloves
- A notebook or spreadsheet
- A hand wash soap
- A permission note from the cook or canteen
- Chart paper
Safety: Wear gloves, wash hands with soap after weighing and keep the buckets lidded. Do not eat or sort food waste with bare hands. Take permission from your family or canteen staff.
Take it further: Start a compost pit with the unavoidable waste and track the temperature and the volume as it turns into manure.
EnvironmentEasy
Gravity-fed bottle bird feeder that refills itself
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Seeds fall under gravity to fill a small tray as birds eat them, so the feeder keeps itself topped up. It shows gravity and also helps garden birds in the hot summer.
You will need
- A clean 1 litre plastic bottle with cap
- A plastic plate or a tin lid as the tray
- Two wooden spoons or two sticks as perches
- Bird seed such as bajra or broken rice
- Strong string to hang it
- Tape
Safety: An adult must cut the openings in the bottle. Hang it where cats and children cannot reach.
Take it further: Compare how many birds come to millet, rice and sunflower seeds.
EnvironmentEasy
Recycled paper sheets made from old newspaper pulp
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Paper is made of plant fibres, and these fibres can be soaked, mashed and pressed into new sheets. Recycling saves trees and water.
You will need
- Old newspaper torn into small pieces
- A bucket of warm water
- A wire mesh frame or an old mosquito net stretched on a wooden frame
- A tray larger than the frame
- A sponge and a cotton cloth
- A hand blender or a wooden masher (adult only)
- Heavy books
Safety: An adult must use the blender and handle hot water. Keep your hands dry around electrical items.
Take it further: Add dried flower petals or turmeric to the pulp and make seed paper.
EnvironmentMedium
Sealed bottle terrarium: a mini ecosystem that recycles its own water
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Plants, soil and water in a closed bottle recycle water through transpiration and condensation. It models how the Earth’s own cycles work.
You will need
- A large clear plastic bottle or a glass jar with lid
- Small stones and charcoal pieces
- Garden soil
- Two or three small plants such as moss or money plant cuttings
- A spoon and a spray bottle of water
- Tape
Safety: An adult must cut the bottle. Wash hands after handling soil.
Take it further: Keep a second open bottle and compare how much water each needs.
EnvironmentEasy
Bowl and cup solar still that makes clean water from salty water
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Water evaporates in the sun and condenses on cool plastic, leaving salt behind. It is a small model of how the water cycle and distillation work.
You will need
- A large steel or plastic bowl
- A small glass or cup
- Cling film or a clear plastic sheet
- A small stone
- Salty water made with 2 spoons of salt in a bowl
- Tape
- A sunny spot
Safety: Do not drink the collected water unless the equipment is clean and an adult has checked it. Keep hands away from hot water.
Take it further: Add a black cloth under the bowl and see if the yield increases.
EnvironmentMedium
Falling head permeability test on sand, silt and clay mixes
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
How fast water moves through soil decides whether a field drains, a recharge pit works or an earth dam leaks. A simple falling head permeameter measures the coefficient of permeability k for sand, silt and clay mixes using Darcy’s law.
You will need
- A clear plastic pipe 5 cm across and 50 cm tall
- A nylon mesh and a rubber stopper with a short outlet tube
- A 1 cm diameter standpipe (burette or tall thin pipe) with a scale
- Dry sand, silt from a river bank, clay or red soil
- A stopwatch, a measuring cylinder
- A ruler and a bucket
Safety: Wear a dust mask when handling dry soil and wash hands after. An adult must cut the pipe.
Take it further: Compare three compaction levels of the same soil and show how denser packing reduces k.
EnvironmentMedium
First flush diverter model that discards the dirty first rain from a roof
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The first rain after a dry spell washes dust, bird droppings and leaves off a roof. A first flush diverter fills a side pipe with that dirty water before clean water reaches the tank. The project builds one and tests turbidity before and after to show how it protects stored water.
You will need
- A 1 m piece of 75 mm PVC pipe with a cap, T-joint and a float ball (a table-tennis ball)
- A drip hole made by an adult in the cap, 3 mm
- A model roof from a tray or a plastic sheet on a slope
- Garden dust and dry leaves
- A watering can or mug for rain
- Two clear bottles for samples and a turbidity tube (a clear tube with a black cross at the bottom)
- A rubber seal or tape
Safety: Do not drink any collected water. An adult must cut the pipe and drill the hole.
Take it further: Test for different roof materials such as tile, tin and concrete and compare the amount of dirt in the first flush.
EnvironmentChallenging
Next-day air quality index forecast for a city using open CPCB-style data
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Winter smog in north Indian cities makes people ask whether tomorrow will be worse. A model using yesterday’s pollutant levels, season and weather can give a rough forecast. The project builds one from public daily air quality data and compares it with the rule that tomorrow equals today.
You will need
- A laptop with Python 3, pandas, scikit-learn, matplotlib
- A public daily air quality data set for a city with PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and AQI over 3 or more years (CSV from an open source)
- Jupyter notebook
- A report template
Safety: Use only public data and state the source. Do not present your forecast as official advice about health.
Take it further: Add satellite fire-count data for the neighbouring states as a feature and see if autumn spikes become predictable.
EnvironmentChallenging
Kitchen waste biogas digester model: gas yield measured over three weeks
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Biogas plants turn cow dung and kitchen waste into cooking gas and compost, and many villages already use them. A 20 litre model digester shows how temperature and feed change the gas produced. The project measures daily gas volume by water displacement and compares two feeds, without burning the gas.
You will need
- Two 20 litre plastic drums with screw lids, used and washed
- Fresh cow dung (2 kg), kitchen waste such as vegetable peels (1 kg), water
- Pipe fittings, a one-way valve, tubing and sealant
- A gas collection bottle upside down in a water tub, with a marked scale
- A thermometer and pH strips
- Rubber gloves and a mask
- A shaded place outdoors
Safety: Biogas contains methane, which is flammable and can form an explosive mixture with air. Do the experiment outdoors, away from any flame or spark, and do not burn or store the gas. Wear gloves and wash hands after handling waste. An adult must supervise and keep the gas vented outdoors.
Take it further: Measure the carbon dioxide fraction by bubbling the gas through lime water or a sodium hydroxide solution and noting the volume loss.
EnvironmentMedium
Solar still yield study with three cover angles and two basin colours
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
In coastal and desert regions with salty groundwater, solar stills give drinking-quality distilled water without fuel. The project builds a basin-type still, measures the daily yield of distilled water from salty water and compares cover angles and basin colours.
You will need
- Three identical wooden or plastic trays 50 x 40 cm with a collecting channel
- Window glass or clear polythene sheets cut at angles of 15, 30 and 45 degrees
- Black paint (a water-safe, non-toxic one) and a second tray left unpainted
- Salt water (2 spoons of salt per litre) and a measuring cylinder
- Silicone sealant
- A thermometer and a pyranometer app or sunlight timing record
- Collection bottles
Safety: Handle glass with gloves and have an adult cut it. Keep away from the hot water and steam. Never drink the collected water unless its safety is tested by a lab, because paint or sealant can contaminate it.
Take it further: Add a mirror reflector on one side or a second condensing surface and measure the gain in daily yield.
EnvironmentChallenging
Constructed wetland model that treats kitchen greywater with reeds and gravel
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Many colonies and farms have no sewage treatment for sink and bath water. A bed of gravel planted with reeds can clean greywater cheaply. The project builds a small horizontal-flow bed, feeds it with diluted kitchen greywater and tests the water before and after for turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen proxy and chemical oxygen demand (COD) estimate.
You will need
- A long plastic tray or cut drum, 100 x 40 x 30 cm
- Gravel of 10 to 20 mm and coarse sand
- Reed or canna lily plants from a nursery or nearby pond (use local species)
- A settling bucket as pre-treatment and a drain tap
- pH strips, a turbidity tube, a TDS meter and a COD or BOD test kit from a school lab (or send samples to a lab)
- Kitchen greywater from rinsing utensils with mild soap, diluted
- Sample bottles
Safety: Greywater carries germs: wear gloves, wash hands and do not drink or use the treated water. Do not use bleach or strong cleaners in the water. Use the output to water only ornamental plants or discard properly. An adult must supervise.
Take it further: Use two beds in series, a vertical and a horizontal one, and test whether nitrogen removal improves.
EnvironmentChallenging
Rooftop rainwater tank sizing with Python and 20 years of daily rainfall
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Households asking how big a rainwater tank should be often get rule-of-thumb answers. A daily water-balance simulation using 20 years of local rainfall, a roof area and the family demand shows what percentage of demand a tank of a given size can meet. The project builds the model in Python and gives a sizing chart for a real house.
You will need
- A laptop with Python 3, pandas, numpy and matplotlib
- Daily rainfall data for a nearby station for 20 years (open CSV from a public source)
- A tape measure to find the roof area of a house, with the owner’s permission
- A survey form for the water demand of the family
- A report template
Safety: Take permission before measuring a roof, and an adult must do any roof access. Use the ground plan area and not climb up. Use only anonymous demand data.
Take it further: Add a recharge pit to receive the overflow and estimate the volume of water that goes to groundwater each year.
EnvironmentChallenging
Low-cost soil testing kit: sieve analysis, plasticity and compaction for three sites
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Before any road, school building or pond is built, the soil must be tested, but lab tests cost money. A student kit of sieves, a cone for plasticity and a small compaction mould can classify soils from three real sites. The project compares them using the same standard ideas as the geotechnical lab.
You will need
- A set of kitchen and hardware sieves of 4.75 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.25 mm and 0.075 mm (or the nearest mesh available)
- A digital kitchen scale with 1 g resolution
- A drying tray, a sunny day or a domestic oven used by an adult at low heat
- A plastic cone and 80 g weight for a simple fall-cone test, or a glass plate for thread rolling (plastic limit)
- A small mould (a 10 cm diameter, 12 cm tall steel can) and a 2.5 kg rammer made of a pipe with weights
- Soil samples from three places
- Water spray and a measuring cylinder
Safety: Wear a dust mask and gloves while handling dry soil and take permission before digging. An adult must handle the oven and heavy rammer. Do not dig near pipes or cables, or deeper than 30 cm.
Take it further: Make bricks from each soil with 0 and 10 percent cement or lime and compare their crushing strength using weights on a plate.
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.