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.
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Four-servo robot arm that copies the angles of four knobs
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Each joint of the arm is a servo whose angle is set by a PWM signal. Reading four potentiometers and mapping each to 0 to 180 degrees lets you pose the arm by hand-turned knobs and pick up light objects.
You will need
- An Arduino Uno or compatible board
- Four SG90 or MG90S servos
- Four 10 kΩ potentiometers
- Arm parts: laser-cut acrylic kit, or cardboard and ice-cream sticks
- A 5 V 2 A power bank or battery pack for the servos
- A 470 µF capacitor and a breadboard
- Jumper wires and screws
Safety: Keep fingers away from the joints when powered. Cut sticks and card with an adult. Never power several servos from the Arduino 5 V pin, as the current surge is too large.
Take it further: Record the arm positions in an array and replay them so the arm repeats a pick-and-place routine by itself.
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Maze-solving robot using three ultrasonic sensors and the left-hand rule
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A robot that always keeps a wall on its left will find the exit of a simply connected maze. It needs three distance readings and a small decision program, which shows how robots navigate.
You will need
- An Arduino Uno or Nano
- Three HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors
- An L298N motor driver
- A 2WD robot chassis with two gear motors and a castor wheel
- A 7.4 V battery pack (two 18650 cells) and a switch
- Cardboard strips 15 cm high to build a maze 1 m x 1 m
- Jumper wires and double-sided tape
Safety: Handle lithium cells with care and charge them only with a proper charger under adult supervision. Keep fingers off the wheels. Do not leave the robot running unattended.
Take it further: Make the robot map the maze and then take the shortest route on a second run.
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Mini sumo robot that finds its opponent and stays inside the white-edged ring
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Sumo robots search for an opponent, push it out of a black ring and stop at the white border. This needs edge detection with reflective sensors and distance sensing, with simple decision priority in the code.
You will need
- An Arduino Uno or Nano
- Two TCRT5000 reflective infrared sensor modules for the edge
- An HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor for the front
- An L298N motor driver and two gear motors with wheels
- A 7.4 V two-cell lithium pack with a switch
- A chassis with a front scoop made from a thin metal or plastic sheet
- A black board with a white edge about 80 cm across
Safety: Charge lithium cells only with a proper charger and an adult. Keep hands off the robot during a match. Sharp metal edges on the scoop must be filed smooth.
Take it further: Add two side sensors so the robot can see an opponent that attacks from the side.
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Hand-tilt glove that drives a car wirelessly using MPU6050 and nRF24L01
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A tilt sensor on a glove tells the car which way to go. The data is sent over a 2.4 GHz radio link by a pair of modules, so the car follows hand movements without a phone.
You will need
- Two Arduino Nano boards
- An MPU6050 sensor module
- Two nRF24L01 radio modules with two 10 µF capacitors (across 3.3 V and GND at each module)
- An L298N motor driver and a 2WD car chassis
- A 9 V battery for the glove and a 7.4 V pack for the car
- A glove or a velcro strap and wires
Safety: The nRF24L01 runs from 3.3 V only, not 5 V. Charge lithium cells only with a proper charger and an adult. Test the car on a stand first and keep fingers off the wheels.
Take it further: Add a flex sensor on one finger to control a horn or a speed boost.
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Colour sorter for beads or candies using a TCS3200 sensor and two servos
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The TCS3200 sensor measures how much red, green and blue light an object reflects. The Arduino classifies the colour and uses a servo to drop the object into the right bin, a small model of an industrial sorting line.
You will need
- An Arduino Uno or compatible board
- A TCS3200 colour sensor module with built-in LEDs
- Two SG90 servos
- A 5 V 2 A power bank for the servos
- Coloured beads or candy-coated chocolates (red, green, yellow, blue)
- Card, paper cups and a plastic tube as a hopper, chute and bins
- A breadboard, wires, a black card hood to shut out stray light
Safety: Low voltage only. Do not eat any candies used in testing. Keep fingers clear of the moving servo arm.
Take it further: Add an LCD counter that shows how many beads of each colour were sorted.
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Four-axis servo robot arm with inverse kinematics solved in Python
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Factory robots must place a gripper at an exact point. Inverse kinematics finds the joint angles that reach a point. The project builds a four-axis arm from acrylic and servos and solves the angles by trigonometry in Python, then measures positioning accuracy and repeatability.
You will need
- An acrylic arm kit or a laser-cut set with four MG996R or SG90 servos and a gripper servo
- An Arduino Uno with a servo driver PCA9685
- A 5 V, 3 A sealed adapter or power bank for the servos, separate from the Arduino USB
- A laptop with Python and the pyserial library
- Graph paper board as the work area
- Cardboard cubes as pick-and-place objects
- A protractor and ruler
Safety: The arm can pinch fingers and servos draw large currents. Do not power them from the Arduino pin. An adult must check wiring and supervise first movements, and keep hands out of the work area when running.
Take it further: Add a webcam and OpenCV to detect the cube colour and position, and make the arm pick it without fixed coordinates.
Electronics and roboticsChallenging
Self-balancing two-wheel robot with an MPU6050, complementary filter and PID
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A two-wheel robot is an inverted pendulum and falls unless it moves under itself fast enough. The project builds one with a gyroscope and accelerometer, fuses their data, and tunes a PID controller until the robot stands and recovers from pushes, recording the effect of each gain.
You will need
- An Arduino Nano or Uno
- An MPU6050 module
- A TB6612FNG or L298N motor driver
- Two 12 V geared DC motors (about 200 rpm) with wheels of 6.5 cm
- A 3 cell Li-ion pack with a protection board and charger, or 8 AA NiMH cells
- A chassis of acrylic with space for the battery high up
- A laptop with serial plotter
Safety: Li-ion packs need a protection board and the right charger, and an adult must supervise charging. Keep the robot away from fingers as the wheels can pinch, and always test on the floor in a clear area.
Take it further: Add a Bluetooth module and a phone joystick so that the robot can drive and turn while balancing.
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.