I'm sure most people here had to do at least one science fair project in their lives. Mine was in 8th grade. My project was on "inertia". Basically, I put a playing card on top of a glass, put a coin on top of the playing card, then thumped the edge of the card, causing the card to fly and the coin to fall into the glass. Needless to say, I got a C minus. Yeah, I was a lazy ass punk... Hey, at least I didn't build a volcano...
I only had a science fair in 4th grade (hopped around schools for a while when I was young), and I did the grapefruit battery thing. I made my own "voltmeter" by wrapping a wire around a compass. Only problem, my project was judged late, and I had used up enough of the acid that the compass wouldn't quite turn. That is, until I bumped the bottom of the table and got it started.
I am the most unscientific person ever. I had no curiosty of how anything worked - I still don't. So what does a lazy kid with no aptitude for science do? He draws a big picture of a dinosaur - They lived a long time ago.
I did something to see how much water would make an egg float or something. I COMPLETELY made it up. Never tried one experiment. Took third place in the science fair.
5th grade project... I tested multiple condoms on woman of different nationalities to see which gives the most real sensation. Eastern Euros , in general, were the hardest for me to please, but nonetheless, there was a clear cut winner amongst the 39 woman involved in the study. Durex Ultra Sensitive.
4th Grade project: "Hamsters. A natural Spelunker?" It was based upon whether a hamster would be sufficient enough to lead miners out in case of a cave in. The hamster failed. But I got 3rd place at my school and an A+.
Great thread A-train. 3rd grade- solar system made out of Playdough 4th grade - built a maze for my hamster Duke (my hamsters were Bo & Luke Duke). Duke learned his way fast! 5th grade - Probability. I flipped a coin 200 times and it ended up being 99 heads and 101 tails. To this day I credit it teaching me not to gamble.
Even though I like science, I hated science projects. I was forced to do one sophomore year in honors science. Teacher rejected my potato battery idea and other ideas I read in a book, so I transfered down to regular science. 5th grade- the melting temperature of ice...with a partner 2nd grade- A coat hanger of the solar system. It was in a paper bag, so the strings got all tied up. I lost the index cards I wrote, so I was spouting BS during the presentation. Some kid in the front row was shaking his head and saying how I was wrong. Can't believe I remember that stuff...
4th grade - group science project studying symmetry. we got 2nd place in school and i think we won the entire HISD that year. 8th grade - grew tomatoes in different soils; sand tended to do the best.
I remember in 5th and 6th grade I kept on coming in second place to a guy who did solar based projects, like a solar water purifier that evaporated and recondensed water. So in 7th and 8th grade I did solar projects including an attempt at a solar generator that evaporated water and drove a turbine. It didn't work but got me, undeservedly, to the city wide science fair.
A magnet made with 2 nails, some heavy gauge wire and a 6 volt battery. Not very impressive and I got a D, but I passed. I wasn't very motivated back then, unless I smoked my weed. I could make one hell of a bong, though.
