Head office, Rana Pratap Bagh, Delhi011 2721 1512+91 97116 99511

Science project idea

Button sorting game: colour, size and number of holes

The same set of things can be sorted in many ways, and each rule makes different groups. Sorting is the first step of handling data and of seeing patterns.

Make it yourself8 numbered steps, the materials and the science, all free.Go to the stepsGet a ready-made kitReady-made models, kits and spare parts in the store under Maths.Browse MathsAsk on WhatsAppAsk the head office whether a model or kit for this idea is available.Send a message

What it shows

The same set of things can be sorted in many ways, and each rule makes different groups. Sorting is the first step of handling data and of seeing patterns.

The science

To sort, we pick one rule, such as colour, and put every item in the group that fits. If we change the rule to size or number of holes, the same buttons make new groups. Counting each group and writing the numbers is a small piece of data. Comparing groups tells us which has more and which has fewer.

Materials

Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.

  • A handful of old buttons, about 30 (free from a tailor or old clothes)
  • Four paper plates or sheets of paper
  • A pencil and a notebook
  • A small tin or bowl to hold the buttons

Safety

For this project: Buttons are small. An adult must stay close and keep them away from very young children, who may put them in their mouths.

Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.

All the safety rules

Step by step

8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.

  1. Tip all the buttons onto a clean table and look at them for a minute.

  2. Make a rule: sort by colour. Put each button on the plate for its colour.

  3. Count the buttons on each plate and write the numbers in your notebook.

  4. Mix the buttons again and sort by size: big, middle and small.

  5. Count each size group and write the numbers beside the colour counts.

  6. Mix again and sort by number of holes: two holes, four holes and no holes.

  7. Ask a friend to guess your rule by looking at your groups only.

  8. Find which group is biggest and which is smallest in each sorting and say it aloud.

What you should see

You have three sets of groups from the same buttons and a table of counts. A friend can name your sorting rule by looking at the groups.

Viva questions

A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.

1What is a sorting rule?

A rule is the one thing we look at, like colour, to decide which group a button joins.

2Does the total number of buttons change when you sort a new way?

No, the total stays the same. Only the groups change.

3Which group had the most buttons when you sorted by colour?

It depends on your buttons. Read the biggest number from your table.

4Where do shopkeepers sort things?

They sort goods like rice, dal and soap on shelves so customers find them easily.

Free ebook: Viva Questions for Science Projects

Take it further

Sort the buttons with two rules at once, such as big and red, and see how many buttons fit both.

Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.

Free ebooks for this project

WhatsApp us