Chemistry Science Fair Projects You Can Use

By Charlie Johnson 

Chemistry science fair projects have changed over the years; they've gotten a lot glitzier and much more technically involved. While this is has made it somewhat easier for parents, the modern trend in science fair projects tends to be to buy a science fair kit off the internet rather than make things yourself. We're going to cover old school style chemistry science fair projects that will set you apart.

First, there's something to be said for the "do it yourself" method of doing science fair projects. A lot of really good scientific learning can be done with this, and the hands-on experience is excellent for associating science with the real world, particularly with chemistry.

Some good hands-on chemistry science experiments:

Salinity and Freezing temperatures

Take a liter of water, carefully measure it out into ten glasses of 100 cc each, and add salt to each of the four glasses. Put no salt in the first glass, 10 grabs (about half a teaspoon) into second, and keep adding half a teaspoon to each subsequent glass, until the last glass has 4.5 teaspoons. Stir carefully, until the salt all dissolves.

Now, adjust your family's freezer so that it's at exactly 0 C (this will take some time to do!) and put all 10 glasses in the freezer. Wait for about an hour, and write down which glass has frozen. Now, adjust the temperature of the freezer down by 1 degree C, and observe in half an hour. Have any of the previously unfrozen glasses frozen?

Keep repeating, dropping the temperature each time until you get to –15 C; is there a correlation between the amount of salt in the water and the temperature?

What does this imply about oceans and how they freeze in the Arctic?

If you take some of the ice out of the frozen glasses, is it salty, or fresh? Why?

Take careful notes of your observations and work out a theory for your chemistry science fair project.

This chemistry science fair project will teach you how to do proper methodologies for recording science experiments, and for tracking your data.

It should also give some non-linear results – the amount of salt dissolved in the water won't linearly change the amount of temperature needed to freeze the water, because the solution gets saturated.

Building a graph, and explaining your results is another valuable skill you'll learn from this.

For more tips and articles on science fair projects check out Charlie Johnson's informative science fair projects web site at http://www.science-fair-projects-made-easy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charlie_Johnson

Simple Science

By Deborah Shelton

Help children develop a love for science, or nurture their already-growing interest, with these simple experiments.

Cloud Maker

Ever wanted to catch a cloud in a bottle? Now’s your chance! Pour just a splash of water into a 2-liter plastic bottle. Light a match (a grownup’s job) and drop it into the bottle. Immediately replace the lid and squeeze the bottle a few times to watch your cloud form.

Magic Flowers

Create your own unique flowers with this neat trick. Fill a vase with water and 8-10 drops of food coloring. Cut the stem of a white carnation at a diagonal, and place the flower into the vase. After a few hours you will notice a slight change of color in the petals. Let the flower soak overnight and observe the dramatic change in the morning.

Mouth Lightning

Don’t worry--this doesn’t hurt a bit! In fact, you may want to try this at your next sleepover party. Stand in front of a mirror and turn off all of the lights. Pop a wintergreen- flavored Life Saver into your mouth and chew. Can you believe your eyes? This ”lightning“ phenomenon is called triboluminescence. To find out more about triboluminescence, visit http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa060601a.htm