High School Science Fair Ideas: Unique Research Projects

[ChrisisC]

I am in high school and i am taking a independent research class that requires me to do a few months of research and then present it at a science fair. I have access to a good amount of materials. Nothing too complex because I'm in high school and there are limitations. Are there any ideas of research that no one has done before? thanks in advance.

 

[Charles Link]

For something simple, read the post # 14 of this "link". No doubt it has been done before, but you might find this to be a good topic for some simple experiments. https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...re-in-a-closed-container-dependent-on.923977/ $\\$ For something a little more difficult that has also been done before, try this experiment including the measurement of the magnetic field strength using a boy scout compass in post # 21. https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...perature-relationship-in-ferromagnets.923380/ You might even be able to find a couple of magnetic materials that you can readily heat above their Curie temperature without the use of a special furnace. $\\$ One additional idea, if you want to do some experiments with photodiodes (light sensors) and LED's, this posting describes how to do it. https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/photodiode-for-light-detection.924013/

 

[NFuller]

Unfortunately, anything easy has already been done.

Have you thought about building a simple cloud chamber? I think this would be a great HS science fair project. See here https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/build-a-cloud-chamber/

You can also put a magnet near the chamber which will allow you to see what charge the particle has.

 

[Jeff Root]

I came here just now to ask a question very similar to yours,
but my question might be your answer. I want to do a Science
Fair project to measure the "size" of a photon. I have no idea
whether such a thing is possible. The "size" of photons seems
not to be well-defined. They are often considered as pointlike,
but are also considered as thousands of wavelengths long.
I'm going to ask how such a measurement could be done.
If you are interested in this question and can come up with a
way to try to answer it, I would be thrilled if you took it on.

Do you have a sponsor or a guide who can help you in person?
I think it really helps to have someone who you can talk with
and show what you are working on. I saw an 11th grader's
Science Fair project on aerodynamics that was beautifully done,
but he made a very silly mistake in how air flows around the fins
of a model rocket, so that his careful observations were pretty
much worthless. Somebody should have caught that mistake
very early on and helped him understand how it works. That
means frequently explaining what you are trying to do and why
you are trying to do it, and getting feedback from at least one
person who can follow your explanations.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

 

[NFuller]

I have no idea
whether such a thing is possible.

It is not.

They are often considered as pointlike,
but are also considered as thousands of wavelengths long.

You should not consider photons as particles floating in empty space. They are just a convenient analogue when talking about how matter absorbs and emits light quanta.