a keynote about science

Science (from Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.^[1] In an older and closely related meaning (found, for example, in Aristotle), "science" refers to the body of reliable knowledge itself, of the type that can be logically and rationally explained (see History and philosophy below).^[2] Since classical antiquity science as a type of knowledge was closely linked to philosophy. In the early modern era the words "science" and "philosophy" were sometimes used interchangeably in the English language.^[3] By the 17th century, natural philosophy (which is today called "natural science") was considered a separate branch of philosophy.^[4] However, "science" continued to be used in a broad sense denoting reliable knowledge about a topic, in the same way it is still used in modern terms such as library science or political science.
In modern use, "science" more often refers to a way of pursuing knowledge, not only the knowledge itself. It is "often treated as synonymous with 'natural and physical science', and thus restricted to those branches of study that relate to the phenomena of the material universe and their laws, sometimes with implied exclusion of pure mathematics. This is now the dominant sense in ordinary use."^[5] This narrower sense of "science" developed as scientists such as Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton began formulating laws of nature such as Newton's laws of motion. In this period it became more common to refer to natural philosophy as "natural science". Over the course of the 19th century, the word "science" became increasingly associated with the scientific method, a disciplined way to study the natural world, including physics, chemistry, geology and biology. It is in the 19th century also that the term scientist was created by the naturalist-theologian William Whewell to distinguish those who sought knowledge on nature from those who sought knowledge on other disciplines. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the origin of the word "scientist" to 1834. This sometimes left the study of human thought and society in a linguistic limbo, which was resolved by classifying these areas of academic study as social science. Similarly, several other major areas of disciplined study and knowledge exist today under the general rubric of "science", such as formal applied science

notes about our solar system

ABOUT OUR SUN'S PLANETS Our solar system consists of a star - the Sun - with nine planets under its gravitational influence. Each planet is spinning on its own axis as it orbits the Sun. The planets are different from each other and are in different orbits although they all move around the Sun in the same direction. The four inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are known as terrestrial planets. Of the remaining five planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) that spin in wider orbits, further away from the Sun, four are known as gas giants because they are huge, dense balls of hydrogen and other gases. Pluto, the furthest away from the sun is tiny and cold and perhaps is not truly a planet. Here is some basic information about each one, including Earth.

Mercury	Is the planet closest to the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 88 Earth days
	A waterless, airless world, heavily cratered.	Virtually no atmosphere but some argon, helium and neon
	Mercury has a magnetic field and is so dense for its small size that scientists think that it is mostly iron. It is seen as either a "Morning Star" or an "Evening Star". Pluto is the only planet smaller than Mercury.
Venus	The second planet from the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 224.7 Earth days
	The surface has mountains and plains	Atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide but clouds contain sulphuric acid and water
	Venus is the planet that passes closest to Earth as they both orbit the Sun. The planet surface is shrouded by clouds which move around the planet very fast producing constant strong winds. Like Mercury, Venus is seen either as a "Morning Star" or an "Evening Star".
Earth	The third planet from the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 365.26 Earth days
	A world of oceans and continents, with polar caps	Atmosphere is nitrogen and oxygen with clouds of water vapor
	Earth is the only planet of our Sun known to have organic life. From space it appears as a bright blue and white sphere. It appears blue because 75 percent of its surface is water, and white because 50 percent of its surface is covered by clouds.
Mars	The fourth planet from the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 687 Earth days (1.9 yrs)
	The surface is dry and cratered, has volcanoes and canyons	Atmosphere is thin; mostly carbon dioxide with some nitrogen
	Mars is the outermost of the four terrestrial planest. It has a reddish color (and so is sometimes called the Red Planet) because of the iron oxide (rust) in its soil. Olympus Mons is an inactive volcano as tall as Mount Everest. There are huge canyons one of which is four times deeper that Earth's Grand Canyon. The planet is very cold and has dust storms whipped by hurricane force winds. Mars has two satellites, Deimos and Phobos.
Jupiter	The fifth planet from the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 4,332.6 Earth days (11.86 yrs)
	Surface is ocean of liquid hydrogen	Atmosphere is thick and is mostly hydrogen, with some helium and traces of methane, water and ammonia.
	Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system - it is 11 times bigger than Earth. As Jupiter spins its thick clouds tend to form bands and give the planet its red-brown-white banded appearance. Jupiter's Great Red Spot was first observed about 300 years ago and appears to be a permanent hurricane. This planet has 16 moons (satellites). The four largest were described by Galileo. Ganymede, the largest of these four, is the largest moon in our solar system, larger than the planets Pluto and Mercury.
Saturn	The sixth planet from the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 10,759.2 Earth days (29.5 yrs)
	The surface is probably liquid and solid hydrogen	Atmosphere is mostly hydrogen with some helium
	Saturn is the second largest planet after Jupiter. It has a pale yellow color, and very dramatic rings containing ice crystals rotate around the planet. Tremendously strong winds blow constantly at the equator. Saturn has at least 15 moons most of them small and composed of rock and ice. Titan, the largest appears to be the only moon in our solar system to have an atmosphere.
Uranus	The seventh planet from the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 30,685.4 Earth days (84 yrs)
	The surface is probably a liquid or slushy hydrogen "crust"	Atmosphere is hydrogen, helium and methane; very clear with no clouds.
	Uranus, barely visible in Earth's night sky, was not discovered until 1781. It has a faintly greenish color due perhaps to the methane in its atmosphere. It has faint rings and 5 moons.
Neptune	The eighth planet from the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 60,189 Earth days (164.8 yrs)
	The surface is probably a slushy hydrogen "crust"	Atmosphere is hydrogen and helium
	Neptune was discovered in 1846. It has as a pale bluish color from space and its atmosphere often looks hazy. The planet is very cold but probably has a hot core. It has at least eight moons. Two (Triton and Nereid) were first observed from Earth and six others were observed by Voyager 2.
Pluto	The ninth planet from the Sun	Completes an orbit of the Sun every 90,465 Earth days (247.7 yrs)
	Is a ball of frozen gases	Frozen methane has been detected
	Pluto was discovered in 1930 and is about half the size of Earth's moon. It has one known moon, Charon, which was discovered in 1978. Some scientists think that although we call Pluto a planet, it was perhaps once a moon of Neptune and was pulled out of its orbit by the pull from some other celestial body

Natural disaster

DISASTER CAUSED BY RABBITS 1. Is it possible for rabbits to cause a natural disaster? Yes, if they occur in extreme numbers. In Australia in the 1950s rabbits, with few natural enemies, had multiplied dramatically. They are herbivores (they eat plants) and in some areas had picked the land so bare that erosion set in and the land could no longer be farmed. 2. How did the Australians deal with the rabbit plague? The government put up thousands of miles of wire fences but the rabbits burrowed beneath them to find their food. Farmers tried poisons but other animals found the poison too. Foxes were introduced but they preferred lambs and chickens which were easier to catch than the rabbits. Finally, in yet another attempt to reduce the numbers of rabbits they were intentionally infected with an experimental virus. 3. What was the most successful effort to deal with this plague? The virus infection. In 1950 Australian scientists infected some rabbits with a virus that had, for many years, been known to cause disease in rabbits and had been tested in Brazil in the late 1940s. They released the infected rabbits into the areas where the worst rabbit infestions existed. The virus, myxoma, was transmitted from rabbit to rabbit by mosquitos and rabbit fleas. Over the next three years rabbits died of myxomatosis by the millions, grass grew back on the pastures, and sheep farming began to flourish again.

Rabbits

4. What else happened as a result of the introduction of Myxoma to the rabbit population?

There was a sudden upset in the balance of nature. The Myxoma virus had been successfully introduced into European rabbits too and, especially in England, with a scarcity of rabbits, foxes began eating poultry, rats and mice. The resulting reduction in the numbers of mice caused a decline in the numbers of owls whose normal diet (mice) became less abundant - and the upset continued on down the food chain. Scientists believe that, as populations of rabbits with resistance to Myxoma increase, there will be rabbit plague problems again. [Top of page]

DISASTER CAUSED BY INSECTS

5. Do insects ever cause natural disasters?

Yes. Locusts periodically cause natural disasters in several parts of the world. Locusts (order Orthoptera) are identical in appearance to grasshoppers but locusts can exist in two different behavioural states (solitary and gregarious) whereas grasshoppers do not. When the locust population density is low the locusts behave as individuals. However, when the population density increases locusts form highly mobile swarms.The change from solitary to gregarious is generally accompanied by changes in body shape and colour.

6. What causes the increase in locust populations? In Australia locust plagues occur when widespread inland areas receive good rainfall in successive seasons. High rainfall stimulates the growth of grass which creates an ideal habitat for locust breeding. The timing of the rainfall is important. When there are several wet seasons (winter, spring and summer) locusts can complete several generations in a single year. This results in overcrowding of developing nymphs (young insect stage) and stimulates the change to the gregarious, swarming phase. If wet seasons continue the swarming phase is prolonged. A series of dry seasons is necessary for the locust population numbers to decrease thus stimulating the change to the solitary form of the insect. 7. What sort of natural disaster is caused by swarming locusts? Locusts are vegetarians. As they swarm and migrate they devastate grasslands and crops in the areas they pass through. The results are similar to the disaster caused by the rabbit plagues in Australia. Once started, a locust plague is just about impossible to stop. Various efforts have included destroying egg masses laid by migrating swarms. Hopperdozers can also be used. These are large screens on wheels and are driven into a moving swarm so that the insects hit the screens and drop into troughs containing water and kerosene. 8. Where in the world do locust plagues occur? The migratory (swarming) locust is widely distributed around the world. It is found in grasslands in tropical Australia and New Zealand, Africa, Egypt, India, Iran, Italy, Palestine, Syria, Central and South America, and, in the 1870s, the Canadian Prairies.

Grasshopper (same family as the locust) [Top of page]

DISASTER CAUSED BY BACTERIA

9. Are natural disasters ever caused by micro-organisms?

Yes. Our world is teaming with micro-organisms (one-cell organisms that are too small to see). Most are innocuous, many are beneficial either to plants or animal life, but a few are harmful. The micro-organisms at issue here are bacteria and viruses. The natural disasters that can be caused by bacteria or viruses include such devastating events as the Black Death which killed about one third of the population of Europe in the fourteenth century, and AIDS sometimes seen as the modern Black Death even though its causative factor is different from that of the medieval disease.

10. What micro-organism caused the plague known as the "Black Death"?

The "Black Death" was caused by Yersinia pestis (also called Bacillus pestis and Pasteurella pestis) which is a bacterium. Yersinia pestis has almost certainly been causing plague epidemics in human populations for more than 2000 years. It was an outbreak of this plague in Europe in the 14th century that was called "The Black Death".

11. When was this plague bacterium identified? It was identified in 1894 by Alexandre Yersin. 12. What makes this bacterium so dangerous? The Versinia pestis bacillus (bacterium) is remarkably stable and vigorous. In humans it causes three phases of infection. The bubonic phase involves swelling of the lymph nodes, the pneumonic phase involves the lungs, and in the third, most serious phase called the septicemic phase, the blood stream is invaded and death occurs quickly. The disease can now be controlled and cured with the use of antibiotics. 13. How does a person become infected with this bacterium? The disease is most commonly passed to humans through bites from fleas that have fed on the domestic rat, Rattus rattus. This was not fully realized until 1914. Today the disease is not common but small outbreaks can still occur in crowded, unsanitary situations where the rat populations are not controlled. [Top of page]

Plague bacteria. Image copyright Dennis Kunkel

VIRUS DISASTER

14. What modern natural disaster is caused by a virus?

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by a virus which is currently (20th and 21st centuries) causing a modern natural disaster sometimes described as the modern Black Death. The AIDS virus is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and while there is no certain cure yet for AIDS, infection by the HIV does not always result in a case of AIDS.

15. Is a virus different from a bacterium? Yes. Bacteria are living, single-celled organisms. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria and are not living organisms in the generally accepted sense. Viruses are collections of protein molecules without the cell membrane, protoplasm, nucleus etc. normally considered to be part of the cell of a living organism. When a virus invades living tissue it is able to replicate itself and to affect its host in ways that are recognized as illness or disease. Outside its living host a virus is completely inert. Viruses invade all types of living organisms (plants as well as animals). Not all viruses cause disease but many do. Viruses are not affected by antibiotics. 16. What diseases are caused by viruses?. In addition to the very serious AIDS, viruses cause the more common, and less severe, common cold and warts as well as the extremely serious rabies, and some types of cancer. Of the several families (types) of viruses: papoviruses cause warts; adenoviruses cause respiratory and eye infections; herpesviruses cause cold sores, chickenpox, and shingles; orthomyxoviruses cause influenza; coronaviruses cause the common cold; and retroviruses cause AIDS.

AIDS virus [Top of page]

NATURAL FIRE

17. Fires can be disastrous. Do fires ever start without human intervention?

Yes. Fires can be initiated in many ways and the results, when controlled are can be beneficial but uncontrolled fires can be disastrous whether they are natural or man-made.

18. What is fire? Scientists, who use the term "combustion" instead of "fire", explain the phenomenon as a chemical reaction in which a combustible substance reacts rapidly with oxygen. The chemical reaction may need heat to get it started. For example, when striking a match, the friction provides sufficient heat to cause the chemicals in the match head to react. Energy stored in the match-head is released as heat energy which ignites the wood of the match stick. So long as sufficient heat energy continues to be available the wood of the match stick reacts with oxygen in the air in such a way that the substance of the wood is changed to ash and gases. Flames associated with combustion are a gaseous mixture of incandescent small particles often of carbon, and rapidly moving and fluorescing molecules and ions. The smoke associated with fire is comprised of cooling gases and small ash particles. 19. What are typical causes of naturally occurring fires? By naturally occurring fires we mean ones that are not 'man-made'. About 90 percent of wildfires are started by humans. The other 10 percent are started by lightning The necessary ingredients for combustion - a combustible substance, oxygen, and heat - are often present in situations where natural phenomena such as lightning, hot volcanic lava, or friction, are capable of intiating combustion. Lightning and hot lava are intrinsically hot enough to start fires. Friction produces heat that in some cases can be sufficient to start a fire. Biological activity can sometimes create enough heat to start a fire as, for example, in a damp haystack where microorganisms growing and reproducing can produce sufficient heat to set the haystack burning. 20. What are some specific examples of natural-fire disasters? Caused by the April 18, 1906 San Andreas Fault earthquake, a fire in San Francisco destroyed 28,000 buildings in 500 city blocks. The earthquake was a natural force and human action was not responsible for the fire. However, the fire only happened because of the presence of humans and their dwellings. Caused by lightning, a disastrous fire in 1910 swept across three million acres of Idaho for several weeks. Caused by an earthquake, a ferocious fire in 1923 destroyed more than half of Japan. [Top of page]

Notes about temperature may be useful for secondary school

1. Temperature is a measure of heat energy.
Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius (Centigrade), Fahrenheit, or Kelvin.
Some high temperatures:
Boiling water at sea level = 100 degrees Celsius;
Molten lava = 2,000 Kelvin;
Tungsten filament of a light bulb = 4,000 Kelvin;

2. The 18th-century French scientist Antoine Lavoisier used two large lenses to ignite a fluid in a container. How did he use the lenses to do this? (See 3. below)

3. In the 18th Century, Antoine Lavoisier used two large convex lenses to focus sunlight (heat energy) onto a container of alcohol and ignite it.

4. The lower the pressure the lower will be the temperature at which water boils. At sea level water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit; At 12,087ft in Tibet, water boils at 188.6 degrees Fahrenheit; At the top of Mt. Everest water boils at 159.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. The average body temperature of a sparrow is 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit; Butter melts at about 87 degrees Fahrenheit; Arctic seawater freezes at 30 degrees Fahrenheit. (It is salty and so freezes at a lower temperature than pure, freshwater.)

6. Silver melts at 962 degrees Celsius and boils at 2,210 degrees Celsius; Gold melts at 1,064 degrees Celsius and boils at 2,900 degrees Celsius.

7. Temperatures in our universe range from about 3,500,000,000 Kelvin (a supernova) to about 3 Kelvin (space). Our Sun is a class G yellow star and has an average surface temperature of 5,600 Kelvin.

8. The temperature of rock at the bottom of the deepest (12,600ft) mine in South Africa is 328 Kelvin (131 degrees Fahrenheit).

9. All animals need heat to keep their bodies alive but different animals tolerate or need different temperatures. In addition, some animals can maintain constant body temperatures under normal conditions. These animals are called warm-blooded. The body temperature of other types of animals varies with the temperature of their surroundings. These animals are called cold-blooded.

10. The average body temperatures of some warm-blooded animals:
Humans: 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit
Rabbit: 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit
Polar Bear: 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit
Blue Whale: 95.9 degrees Fahrenheit
Owl: 104.4 degrees Fahrenheit
Ostrich: 102.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

11. Some warm-blooded animals hibernate during cold weather and their body temperature falls to conserve energy. The normal temperature of a hibernating dormouse falls from 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit to 64 degrees; The normal temperature of an opossum falls from 95 degrees Fahrenheit to 50.9 degrees.

12. Cold-blooded animals lack internal temperature controls so they bask in the sun to keep warm and then hide in the shade to keep cool. They are most active when when their body teperatures are greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The salamander is cold-blooded and can survive in temperatures of 42.4 through 79.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

13. Here are Celsius (Centigrade) and Fahrenheit comparisons:

Fahrenheit minus 40 0 degrees 32 degrees 50 degrees 95 degrees 140 degrees

Centigrade minus 40 minus 17.78 degrees 0 degrees 10 degrees 35 degrees 60 degrees

What is the temperature of freezing water on the Centigrade scale?

14. Absolute zero is a theoretical temperature. It is that temperature at which all substances have no heat energy. It is defined as zero Kelvin (0 Kelvin). 0 Kelvin is equivalent to -273.16 degrees Celsius, and -459.69 degrees Fahrenheit .

15. The temperature of a substance is a result of the speed at which its molecules are moving. The faster the molecules are moving, the higher the temperature of the substance.

16. Does hot water freeze faster than cold water? No, it does not. However, boiled water has less dissolved air and fewer air bubbles; for this reason water that has been boiled might freeze faster and will form ice that is more dense.

17. Combustion is a chemical reaction in which a substance reacts rapidly with oxygen releasing both heat and light energy.

18. In the 18th Century the German scientist George Stahl (1660-1734) developed the theory that combustion and rusting both involved a substance that he called phlogiston. He theorized that combustible substances contain phlogiston which is used up when they burn. (This theory intrigued scientists of the but was incorrect.)

19. The French scientist Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794) showed that oxygen is the substance necessary for combustion. Lavoisier showed that the gain in weight when a substance was burned to ash was equivalent to the loss in weight of the air in his experiment. (The air had lost oxygen.)

20. The Celsius (originally called Centigrade) scale is a temperature scale in which 0 (zero) degrees is set at the freezing point of water, and 100 degrees is set at the boiling point of water at sea level. This scale is named after the Swedish scientist Anders Celsius (1701-1744)

21. The Swedish scientist Anders Celsius (1701-1744), who invented the Celsius temperature scale in 1742, actually set the scale with 0 as the boiling point of water and 100 as the freezing point. The scale was reversed soon after its invention.

22. The Fahrenheit temperature scale was devised in 1714 by the German scientist G.D. Fahrenheit. His scale has 180 degrees between the freezing point of water which he set at 32 degrees, and the boiling point of water which he set at 212 degrees. The Fahrenheit scale is still in general use but is not commonly in scientific use where Celsius and Kelvin are the preferred scales.

23. To convert Fahrenheit temperatures to degrees Celsius you can use the following calculation: 1. Subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature; 2. multiply the result by 5; 3. Divide this result by 9. 4. The result is the equivalent in degrees Celsius.

24. The Kelvin temperature scale was devised in 1848 by William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. His scale was not based on any specific substance. Instead, the size of the units (degrees) was set at exactly the same as those of the Celsius scale. However, 0 (zero) on the Kelvin scale is absolute zero, a theoretical temperature at which all substances have no heat energy.

25. In 1967, by international agreement, The Kelvin temperature scale was decided to be a scale of units raher than degrees. It is proper therefore to describe the temperature of the boiling point of water at sea level as being 373.15 Kelvin (not 373,15 degrees Kelvin), and the freezing point of water as 273.15 Kelvin (or 273.15 K)

26. To all countries in the world (except the United States, Burma, South Yemen and Tonga) use the Systeme Internationale d Unites (International System of Units) or SI for short. SI uses the metric system which has all units in multiples of ten. The SI units used for temperature and heat measurement include: Kelvin, therms, and joules.

27. A Calorie (upper-case C) is a kilocalorie and is the unit of heat commonly used to describe the energy content of foods. The calorie and Calorie are being replaced by the joule and kilojoule. Here are some equivalents: 1 Calorie (kilocalorie) = 1,000 calories
1 Calorie = 4,184 joules or 4.184 kilojoules
1 kilojoule = 0.239 kilocalories or Calories.

28. Heat is a form of energy. There are several physical effects of heat including: 1. Changing the temperature of a substance; 2. Changing the state of a substance (as from solid to liquid); 3. Causing expansion of the substance;

29. Heat is transferred from a substance at a higher temperature to one at a lower temperature by conduction, convection, or radiation. Conduction occurs mainly in solids; convection occurs in fluids, and radiation occurs through space, Radiation occurs without the need for any substance to transfer the heat.

30. Water boils at lower temperatures as altitude (height above sea level) increases. This table shows the temperature of boiling water at various altitudes:

Place	Altitude	Water boils
London England Dead Sea Denver Colorado Quito, Ecuador Lhasa, Tibet Mt. Everest (top)	Sea level -1,296 ft 5,280 ft 9,350 ft 12,087 ft 29,002 ft	212.0šF or 100šC 213.8šF or 101šC 203šF or 95šC 194šF or 90šC 188.6šF or 87šC 159.8šF or 71šC

Note: The boiling points of all liquids will be similarly affected. What sorts of things might be affected by the lower boiling points of water and other liquids?

Another question for you guys: Our tears are mostly water but also contain a chemical infection. What is this chemical?

A question

A question for all of you guys:Which part of your eye is responsible for providing sharp central vision?

Random facts

Random Facts

Giraffes are the only animals born with horns. Both males and females are born with bony knobs on the forehead.

An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing.

Golf was banned in England in 1457 because it was considered a distraction from the serious pursuit of archery.

When Coca-Cola began to be sold in China, they used characters that would sound like "Coca-Cola" when spoken. Unfortunately, what they turned out to mean was "Bite the wax tadpole".

The only insect that can turn its head 360 degrees is the praying mantis.

The short-term memory capacity for most people is between five and nine items or digits. This is one reason that phone numbers were kept to seven digits for so long.

Richard Milhouse Nixon was the first US President whose name contains all the letters from the word "criminal". William Jefferson Clinton is the 2nd.

Bill Haley and the Comets, one of rock and roll's pioneer groups actually began their career's as Bill Haley's Saddle Pals - a country music act.

Grand Rapids, Michigan is the "SpaghettiOs Capital of the World" because per-capita consumption is highest in that city, per the Franco-American Company. Reportedly, there are more than 1,750 "O's" in a 15-ounce can of SpaghettiOs.

Hobbes originally had pads on his hands and feet but Bill Waterson (the creator) found them too distracting and removed them.

At Disneyland they have hundreds of wild domesticated cats running around the park. They never come out during the day because there's too many people, but the reason they're there is to catch the mice.

Despite the fact that 77 percent of Americans go to the grocery store with a list, it's estimated that half of everything bought there is bought on impulse. Supermarkets report very strong sales of almost anything they stock at the check-out line.

From Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me -- In the U.S., "shag" is far less offensive than in other English-speaking countries. Singapore briefly forced a title change to "The Spy Who Shioked Me." ("Shioked" means "treated nicely.")

In the movie "Toy Story", the carpet designs in Sid's hallway is the same as the carpet designs in "The Shining."

Alexander Hamilton and his son, Philip, both died on the same spot, and both during duels. Philip went first, 3 years before his father would be killed in that same field by Aaron Burr.

Mageiricophobia is the intense fear of having to cook.

Clinophobia is the fear of beds.

A "sysygy" occurs when all the planets of the our Solar System line up.

Charlie Brown's father was a barber.

In 1976 Rodrigo's 'Guitar Concierto de Aranjuez' was No 1 in the UK for only three hours because of a computer error.

Mario, of Super Mario Bros. fame, appeared in the 1981 arcade game, Donkey Kong. His original name was Jumpman, but was changed to Mario to honor the Nintendo of America's landlord, Mario Segali.

In 1970, "MCI" stood for "Microwave Communications, Inc." No longer used as an acronym, it now stands alone.

Dennis the Menace's favorite drink is Root beer.

The hundred billionth crayon made by Crayola was Periwinkle Blue.

When the Hoovers did not want to be overheard by White House guests, they spoke to each other in Chinese.

Ice Cube's real name is O'Shea Jackson.

Mae West never said "Come up and see me sometime." She said "Come on up sometime and see me." Cary Grant never said "Judy, Judy, Judy," and Cagney never said "You dirty rat..."

Before 1859, baseball umpires were seated in padded chairs behind home plate.

Many Japanese golfers carry "hole-in-one" insurance, because it is traditional in Japan to share one's good luck by sending gifts to all your friends when you get an "ace." The price for what the Japanese term an "albatross" can often reach $10,000.

A teenager in Belmont, New Hampshire robbed the local convenience store. Getting away with a pocket full of change, the boy walked home. He did not realize, however, that he had holes in both of his pockets. A trail of quarters and dimes led police directly to his house.

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WARNING! There's a lot of facts here, and I can't say that I know for sure every one of them is accurate. I'd like to, but I know there's probably some error in here somewhere.

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Interesting facts related to science

1. Mystery solved! 9 cases with 12 bottles in each case of 100 year old historic whiskey was found in the walls of a mansion during a renovation with the whiskey bottles still full. The cases were stored in the living room but when later checked discovered 52 bottles appraised at over $102,000 were now empty. DNA from the mouth of the bottles pointed directly to the 62 year old caretaker who has denied the accusations.
2. A Jet Blue flight was grounded and placed out of service after a woman spots a 4 inch scorpion between her legs. The scorpion reportedly crawled from between her legs to under the seat while the flight continued to it’s destination where it was then placed out of service.
3. Vaejovis Brysoni is the name given to the latest species of scorpion discovered by biologists. The scorpion was named in part after the individual who originally found the specimen in February 2013 (Robert Bryson Jr.) The scorpion was found in the Santa Catalina mountains of Arizona.
4. In January of 2013 security officials at O’Hare International airport in Chicago found 18 human heads still covered in skin. In 2010 an Arkansas airport found 60 human heads and pieces of heads. Both were in route to medical facilities but had errors in the paperwork. Weird!
5. In February 2013 a komodo dragon said to be approximately 2 meters (6 – 6.5 feet) long wondered into an office and attacked two men with it’s razor sharp teeth leaving them injured with stitches and in the hospital.
6. In 1938, Time Magazine chose Adolf Hitler for man of the year.
7. Twelve people have walked on the moon.
8. Other than the Earth, the moon is the only other known natural astrological object ever walked on.
9. Scientists voiced concern in 2012 about how radiation may be affecting humans after a recent finding of mutant butterflies in Japan with abnormal legs, eyes, wings and other mutations were discovered. The mutations were caused by radiation from the Fukushima nuclear accident which was triggered by a major tsunami in March 2011. The tsunami was a direct effect of an earthquake.
10. Humans and giraffes both have seven vertebrae bones in the neck. It’s not unusual for a mammal to have 7 vertebra bones in the neck but it’s interesting that the long neck of a full grown giraffe has the same amount.
11. The active ingredient in most toothpastes is called sodium fluoride. Sodium fluoride can be lethal, young children using regular toothpaste with this ingredient should be monitored. Even swallowing small amounts can cause stomach problems or worse.
12. Over 3 million people globally every month search for something online with the words interesting facts in it according to the most popular search engine.
13. There are no land snakes in New Zealand. It’s part of New Zealand’s bio security to keep all snakes out and if a person is aware of a snake, by law it must be reported.
14. New Zealand is free of heartworm disease and rabies.
15. Buttermilk does not contain any butter.
16. Did you know Disneyland does not sell chewing gum? Walt Disney did not want guests inconvenienced by stepping on gum purchased in the park.
17. Each year Disneyland uses over 5,000 gallons of paint to maintain the clean appearance of the park.
18. George Washington died on December 14, 1799.
19. Giraffes can go without water longer than a camel. That’s wild!
20. The person reading this is intelligent, interesting and unique. Flattery is alright as long as we don’t inhale!
21. January 30, 1933 was the day the words Hi yo silver! Away! were first heard as the lone ranger debuts on radio channel WXYZ of Detroit.
22. Many people who read the word yawn or yawning begin to feel the urge to yawn.
23. The 2nd president of the United States (John Adams) and 3rd president of the United States (Thomas Jefferson) both died within just a few hours apart of each other on the same exact day of July 4th 1826. They are the only two presidents to die on the same day of the same year. It’s true!
24. When the Titanic departed from port it was documented to have carried approximately 1000 loaves of bread, 86,000 pounds of meat, 40,000 eggs and 36,000 apples to feed the passengers and crew on the 7 day voyage. Now those are some interesting facts!
25. Dogs can have a fatal reaction to eating chocolate. Chocolate contains a bitter alkaloid called Theobromine also known as Xantheose and that’s the active ingredient that’s bad for the dog. If you’ve read all the interesting facts to this point you’re awesome!
26. For a butterfly to fly it must have a body temperature of no less than 86 degrees fahrenheit or 30 degrees celsius.
27. The largest milk producing country by volume in the whole world is India.
28. It is a fact that the first game of chess has been traced back to have originated in northern India. Like other 1,000+ year old games, it would have been played differently than todays rules. It’s thought that todays rules have been around since sometime in the 1400′s A.D.
29. In the United States, the Internal Revenue Service has an employees handbook for the collections division unit. Here’s the interesting part, in it are instructions which guide employees on how to collect taxes after a nuclear war. Kinda scary!
30. If you are severely scared of going to the dentist or having dental work, you may actually have a phobia called odontophobia.
31. Almonds are members of the rose flower family or rosaceae family. The peach is also a member of the rose family.
32. The tallest girl in the world ever recorded was 8 feet 2 inches tall and died at the young age of 17.
33. The average human with a full head of hair contains between 85,000 to 150,000 hairs.
34. Jupiter is the largest planet in the earths solar system. I should’ve known that one.
35. Squirrels forget where about 50% of the nuts they’ve hidden are. Useless, Hahaha.
36. Did you know the first bullet proof vest and windshield wiper blades were both invented by women? Cool!
37. Cold weather makes fingernails grow faster. Weird!
38. Only humans cry because of feelings. Awesome!
39. Mohammad is the most common birth name in the world. There’s only 55 more interesting facts on this page.
40. It takes about 7 minutes for the average person to fall asleep. If you’ve read all the interesting facts to this point you’re amazing!
41. You can give change for a dollar in 293 different coin variations. Good luck!
42. About 1 out of every 2 million people will die by falling out of bed. Be careful, not funny. Most who will die this way are either very young children or elderly people.
43. The construction on the Parisian Notre Dame Cathedral began in 1015 A.D and it took over 400 years to complete, It was completed in 1439 A.D. It’s a well known historic Roman catholic church in Paris.
44. If the human stomach doesn’t produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks it will totally digest it’s self. Weird!
45. 75% of the world’s population wash themselves in the shower from the top to the bottom. Head first, feet last people.
46. There are 31,557,600 seconds in a year. A leap year has 31,622,400 seconds. Amazing!
47. Approximately one fifth of all the publications from Japan are comic books.
48. Did you know a slug has not only one nose but four? What a lot of people call a nose on a slug is actually a breathing pore called a pneumostome.
49. Four out of five people over 100 years old are women. Interesting!
50. The price of the Titanic cost about $7 million to build and the price of the Titanic movie was about $200 million to make. Unbelievable!
51. It’s true! There is only one metal that’s in liquid form at room temperature and that’s Mercury.
52. When water freezes it expands by 10%.
53. The only animal with four knees is the elephant.
54. Birth control pills designed for humans will also work for a gorilla. Now that’s Strange!
55. If you have a deep genuine fear of the number 13, you may have Paraskevidekatriaphobia also called Friggatriskaidekaphobia or Triskaidekaphobia.
56. A mid-sized car launched today generates only an estimated 5% of the pollution which was generated by a car from fifty years ago. Awesome!
57. Stopping a supertanker which is fully loaded and travels at a normal speed needs about 20 minutes to stop completely.
58. A cat’s ear has a total of thirty two muscles.
59. The average person laughs 15 times per day. Hahaha!
60. The eye of an ostrich is larger than it’s brain.
61. A person eats around 60,000 pounds worth of food during his life which is the equivalent of six elephants. Incredible!
62. Ants can pull about 30 times their own weight and lift about 50 times their own weight.
63. A lion can mate more than 50 times in one day. Huh!
64. Did you know,  you cannot fold a 8.5″ x 11″ or smaller piece of paper in half more than 7 times. Try it! The MythBusters guys on the Discovery channel folded a piece of paper more than 7 times but it was a really large sheet of paper.
65. Oh no, there’s only 29 more interesting facts to go on this page.
66. More people are killed from donkeys in a year than planes.
67. Most snowflakes form with 6 tips or branches. Generally, the colder it is when the snowflake is formed the sharper and more defined the tips will be.
68. Lung cancer was how the cigarette company Marlboro’s first owner died. Hmmm
69. Snails can sleep for up to 3 years.
70. You cannot think of an English word to rhyme with the word month because there isn’t one.
71. If an infant becomes blind soon after they’re born they will still almost always see images in their dreams, but infants born with blindness will most likely never have dreams with images. People who were born blind do still have very emotionally intense dreams which include hearing, smells, feeling and taste. Now that’s an interesting fact about dreams.
72. It is against the law in the state of Kentucky to marry a man more than 3 times. Old law.
73. In the state of Kentucky it is against the law to carry an ice cream in your back pocket. Old law.
74. On December 16th 1811 the mighty Mississippi river began to flow backwards due to a powerful earthquake.
75. Fires in the forest have been documented to move much faster up hill than down hill.
76. Did you know that your brain has no pain receptors or pain fibers and the brain it’s self cannot feel? Your brain cannot even feel pain. Although headaches are still not all the way understood, one reason it’s believed you feel headaches is because the skull is surrounded by what’s called meninges or blood vessels which do have pain receptors.
77. Human brains are estimated to be 70 – 75% h2o.
78. Approximately 1 out of every 50,000 people who visit this website send us an email about interesting facts. We enjoy reading them and sometimes use them, thank you.
79. Most people shed between 50 to 100 hairs every day. The question is, where do they go?
80. With mammals, no animal has a longer pregnancy term than that of the african elephant which is documented at an average of 22 months.
81. The Frilled Shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) may have a gestation period “pregnancy” of up to 3.5 years or around 42 months.
82. Some sharks lose over 30,000 teeth in a lifetime.
83. In 2008 the journal of Fish Biology confirmed through DNA testing the 2nd case of a virgin female aquarium shark having a pup. This is known as asexual reproduction or parthenogenesis.
84. During world war 2 the Oscar award given out by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was made of wood because most common metals were very scarce.
85. Breast fed babies score slightly higher on mental development tests than ones on formula.
86. People who apply sunscreen to themselves generally apply 50-75% less than the recommended amount according to the Archives of Dermatology.
87. The color of a hens earlobes will usually determine the color of the egg shell. Farmers know hens with red or darker colored earlobes are most likely to lay brown eggs and hens with lighter colored or white earlobes will usually lay white eggs.
88. There are 722 miles of subway track in New York city.
89. Hartsdale New York has a pet cemetery with more than 12,000 pets buried.
90. Abraham Lincoln died at age 56.
91. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th in the year 1809.
92. Only one state in the United States contains only one syllable, the state of Maine.
93. Everyone knows the dog in the movie “Wizard of Oz” as Toto, the dogs actual name given to it by it’s master was Terry.
94. This concludes the 94th fact on your home page of interesting facts but don’t stop now, read a couple more pages if you can. There’s a lot of cool stuff to learn

PICTURES

A picture

A link to a interesting video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlCX2NCEgcM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiYOuI7iyp8

A link to a interesting video

Bill nye the science guy circulatory system part 1

A link to a interesting video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeLL3yCea4c&list=UUvvUsmh09-vof3g2cQCrCig&index=7

A link to a intersting video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MedUMZFS7lU

Labortory notebook

Keep a Great Science or Engineering Project Laboratory Notebook

Whether you are a research scientist, an engineer, or a first-time science fair student, you should use a lab notebook to document your science investigations, experiments, and product designs. A lab notebook is an important part of any research or engineering project. Used properly, your lab notebook contains a detailed and permanent account of every step of your project, from the initial brainstorming to the final data analysis and research report. Many science projects require a number of steps and multiple trials. By recording the steps of your procedure, your observations, and any questions that arise as you go, you create a record of the project that documents exactly what you did and when you did it. With a complete record of the project in your lab notebook, you can look back at your notes later if a question arises or if you decide to pursue a related project based on something you observed. Similarly, writing down your product design ideas, engineering challenges, and product testing data will help you keep track of all of your ideas, what you have already tried, and how well a particular design performed.
Keeping a lab notebook is easy! The most important thing to do is to "use" your lab notebook. (Click the "Using a Lab Notebook" tab for specific tips, techniques, and reminders.)

Figure 1. There are many styles of lab notebooks available for students, professionals, and research teams.

Choosing a Laboratory Notebook

There are many kinds of lab notebooks available, ranging from official lab notebooks to makeshift notebooks. The table below offers a summary of different types of notebooks and notes regarding for which users each type works best.

Types of Lab Notebooks	Description	Recommended For
Bound composition notebook	A bound spine (not spiral binding) makes it difficult for pages to be easily torn out and lost. Hard covers make the book even more durable, but a soft or cardboard cover will work too. Composition books are easy to find at local stores and are inexpensive.	Students: K-5 Students: Middle school
Official laboratory notebook	Official lab notebooks often include useful and convenient features like a designated area for creating a table of contents and numbered pages for easy cross-referencing. Official laboratory notebooks may also include quick reference materials like the periodic table, metric conversions, or an amino acid codon table. With high-quality, hard-to-tear paper, these notebooks are generally rugged and designed to stand up to lots of handling.	Students: K-5 Students: Middle school Students: High school and beyond Citizen scientists
Duplicate style lab notebook	Duplicate style lab notebooks are a subset of the official lab notebooks style with the added feature of carbonless duplicate sets. This format is ideal for keeping the originals and giving copies to research partners or a teacher.	Research teams: K-12 and beyond Citizen scientists Lab partners Teachers and students
Electronic lab notebook	Lab notebooks can also be kept using software or an online tool. Electronic lab notebooks are simple to organize and make it easy to share data with other scientists (or a teacher). Electronic lab notebooks are becoming more common in the professional world and for citizen science collaborations but are not yet common for science and engineering fairs. Students should check with their teachers before using this lab notebook method.	Research teams: K-12 and beyond Citizen scientists Teachers and students

While nice, an official lab notebook is not always necessary. A bound notebook or standard composition book will often work. Look for a notebook with lined or graph-paper style pages and a stiff cover. Do not choose an ordinary spiral-bound notebook. The pages are too easy to rip out and lose, especially if the notebook has perforated pages!

Getting Started with Your Science Laboratory Notebook

Once you have selected a lab notebook, the following tips and techniques will help you get started keeping an organized, well-maintained lab notebook for your science or engineering project:

1. Label your lab notebook. Put your name, your teacher's name (if it applies), and some form of contact information, like an email address or phone number, in a prominent location, like the inside cover. If you accidentally leave the lab notebook behind or lose it, someone will be able to reach you if the notebook is found. If your notebook will be used for a single science or engineering project, also label the notebook with the project title and the year.
2. Use ink. Make your lab notebook entries in pen, not in pencil. Using a smudge-proof pen may reduce the risk of smears. If you make a mistake in your lab notebook, simply cross out the error and write in the necessary correction.
3. Number the pages. Numbering the pages of your lab notebook helps keep your notebook organized. You can use these numbers to set up an index or table of contents (see below) or to cross-reference earlier observations within your lab notebook. If the pages of your lab notebook are not already numbered, you may want to number them before you begin using the lab notebook.
4. Create a table of contents. To quickly go back and find information in your lab notebook, it helps to create a table of contents. The traditional way (used by professional scientists and engineers) is to create a Table of Contents as you go. Label the first page "Table of Contents," and then as you work on the project, enter important pages in the Table of Contents. For example, when you begin your Experimental Procedure, you might note "Trial 1, Page 10" in the Table of Contents so you can quickly find your notes at a later date. If you find this method too confusing, and your teacher allows, you can create tabs for the different sections of your science project. This optional approach may help you keep your notes and records organized. Your sections will vary based on your science or engineering project, and you may find that your class assignment or the steps of the scientific or engineering method can help you determine the sections you will use. The table below shows a sample set of sections that might appear in a student science project lab notebook. In this sample, the student has used tabs to mark the various divisions of the lab notebook and recorded the color of each tab in the Table of Contents for easy reference.

Table of Contents	Tab color	Page #
Timeline	Red	1
Background Research	Blue	20
Materials	Green	26
Experimental Setup	Yellow	35
Data and Results	Purple	40
Data Analysis and Conclusions	Orange	50

5. Date your entries. Always date your lab notebook entries. Even if your entry is very short, adding a date helps you track when you took certain steps or made certain observations. Your lab notebook will be a sequential record of your project, so the dates are important.
6. No blank pages. Your lab notebook entries should be entered consecutively, starting at the front of the notebook. When making entries, do not skip pages. (If you are using sections, as outlined above, do not skip pages within a section when making a new entry.) Scientists and researchers often cross out unused sections of a page so that nothing can be added later that might alter or confuse the data originally recorded.
7. Be brief. While some entries in your lab notebook may require in-depth notes, many of your entries will be short and concise. Full sentences are not required! Every scientist develops her own style of recordkeeping. What is important is that you record enough information so that you fully understand the notes you've made and so that the notes contains all important or necessary details. Looking back at an entry, even months later, it should be clear to you exactly what you did or documented on that day. It should also be clear to your teacher or another scientist or engineer!

Figure 2. The lab notebook page above records weekly observations made during a composting investigation over a period of several weeks. The entries are short, but each is dated, the observations are clear, and important data has been recorded in each entry.

8. Keep it legible. Your lab notebook entries should be easy to read, but do not worry if the entries are not perfectly neat or if you make a mistake.
9. No loose papers. Be sure to secure loose papers in your lab notebook with glue, tape, or staples. Unsecured items (including sticky notes) may fall out or be damaged. If there are digital materials you want to include in your lab notebook, you may find it helpful to print them at a reduced size and then glue or tape them into the notebook.

Figure 3. It is important to secure all items in your lab notebook so that nothing is lost. In the lab notebook shown above, small, loose papers have been taped in place.

10. Do not remove pages. If something is wrong on a page, or if you discover an accidental blank page, simply put a large "x" through the area or page, signaling that it should be ignored. Do not tear pages out.
11. Keep it with you. You want to record every single detail of your science or engineering project in your lab notebook, so you need to make sure you have it with you at all times, especially when you are in the lab, working on your procedure, doing research, or collecting data. Do not take the chance that you will remember all of the details to record at a later date. You also do not want to make a habit or recording data on scraps of paper and entering them in the lab notebook after the fact. Loose papers are easily lost. Keep the lab notebook with you and make your entries on the spot.
12. Do it every day. Get in the habit of starting a new entry as soon as you go to the lab or begin working on your science project for the day, even if you are only taking a quick measurement or doing a visual check. Write down the date and then record what you do. As you get in a routine of documenting your research and experiment every day, using your lab notebook will become an important part of how you navigate a science or engineering project!

Keeping Track of Your Science or Engineering Project

Now that you have a lab notebook and an understanding of organizational strategies that can help you make the most of your lab notebook, it is time to start recording your science or engineering project. What should you include? Everything!
Your lab notebook should be used from the beginning of your project and should reflect all phases of your project (and all steps of the scientific or engineering method. Someone looking at your lab notebook should be able to follow your steps through the science or engineering project, from beginning to end. In your lab notebook, you want to document and include the following kinds of information:

• Project planning. As you plan your science project, use your lab notebook to capture the questions you hope to investigate, your hypothesis, and your variables.
• Research. Record your background research, noting sources you use (including URLs or bibliographic data). Summarize articles and publications you review (or plan to review) during your background research, any interviews you conduct, and notes related to feedback, suggestions, or troubleshooting you receive from a teacher or mentor. This information will make compiling your bibliography much easier!
• Materials. Document the materials you use (including specific brands, quantities, and costs).
• Experimental procedure. Record all details related to your experimental design, setup, and procedure. As you begin your experiment, document your steps, trials, and observations. Be sure and clearly note any modifications you make and any problems you encounter, including any mistakes. Even if it seems trivial or inconsequential, you should write it down.

Figure 4. The lab notebook entry shown above records an unexpected problem the student encountered with a plant biology project. The student's notes record steps the student took to troubleshoot the experimental setup.

• Data collection. Your data is critical to your science project and to the conclusions you will draw at the end of the project. As you gather data, be careful to accurately enter all numbers, measurements, temperatures, calculations, or other data. It is best to enter all data directly in your lab notebook. If you have data logged electronically, keep a list of log dates and file names and tape or glue printed copies into your lab notebook when possible.

Figure 5. The photo above shows photosynthetic data from oak seedlings that have been recorded in a lab notebook (left). Related data files were also stored electronically on a computer. A list of file names were entered in the lab notebook (right).

• Visual records. Diagrams and charts can be very important in helping you record your science or engineering project. When appropriate, draw a figure in your lab notebook to visually record an aspect of your project. Be sure to date and label, or annotate, the drawing.

Figure 6. The photos above show a lab notebook sketch that documents sample points inside shade tents (left) and a schematic record of different ages of tree branches that were sampled during an experiment (right).

A Successful Laboratory Notebook

Make entering notes about your project in your lab notebook a routine part of your science project. When it is time to put your final presentation together, you will be glad for the time you spent documenting your project in your lab notebook! An organized and well-maintained lab notebook may impress teachers and science fair judges, and if you are asked questions about specific steps of your project, you will have the information at hand!

Science Fair Project Question

Key Info

• We have several resources to help you decide what your science fair project will be about:
  • The Topic Selection Wizard asks you a series of questions about everyday interests and activities then recommends an area of science and science fair project ideas that are best for you.
  • Science Fair Project Ideas lets you browse through hundreds of science fair project ideas.
  • If Your Teacher Assigned a Specific Area for your science fair project (like "biology" or "earth science"), then you should go to Science Fair Project Ideas.
• Once you find a general topic that interests you, write down the question that you want to answer. A scientific question usually starts with: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where. For example, if you are interested in robots, your question might be "How much current does a robot's arm use to lift a weight?"
• Can you design a fair test to answer your question? A "fair test" requires that you change only one factor (variable) and keep all other conditions the same. If you cannot design a fair test, then you should change your question.
• Your science fair project question should involve factors or traits that you can easily measure using a number. Or, factors or traits that are easily identified, like colors.
• Read through the list below of Science Fair Projects to Avoid to make sure you set yourself up for success! If your topic is close to something on the list, it is best to pick something else.
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• Finding an Idea for Your Science Fair Project

  One of the most important considerations in picking a topic for your science fair project is to find a subject that you consider interesting. You'll be spending a lot of time on it, so you don't want your science fair project to be about something that is boring.
  We know that finding a topic is the hardest part of a science fair project, and sometimes you just need a little help focusing on what sorts of topics would be of interest to you. To help you find a science fair project idea that can hold your interest, Science Buddies has developed the Topic Selection Wizard. By answering a series of questions about everyday interests and activities, you will help us identify an area of science that is best for you. So click on the link below and let's get started!
  
  • The Topic Selection Wizard asks you a series of questions about everyday interests and activities then recommends an area of science and science fair project ideas that are best for you.
    
  • Science Fair Project Ideas lets you browse through hundreds of science fair project ideas.
    
  • If Your Teacher Assigned a Specific Area for your science fair project (like "biology" or "earth science"), then you should go to Science Fair Project Ideas.

  Your Science Fair Project Question

  The question that you select for your science fair project is the cornerstone of your work. The research and experiment you will be conducting all revolve around finding an answer to the question you are posing. It is important to select a question that is going to be interesting to work on for at least a month or two and a question that is specific enough to allow you to find the answer with a simple experiment. A scientific question usually starts with: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where. Here are some characteristics of a good science fair project question:
  
  • The question should be interesting enough to read about, then work on for the next couple months.
  • There should be at least 3 sources of written information on the subject. You want to be able to build on the experience of others!
  Now, for something like a science fair project, it is important to think ahead. This will save you lots of unhappiness later. Imagine the experiment you might perform to answer your question. How does that possible experiment stack up against these issues?
  
  • The experiment should measure changes to the important factors (variables) using a number that represents a quantity such as a count, percentage, length, width, weight, voltage, velocity, energy, time, etc. Or, just as good might be an experiment that measures a factor (variable) that is simply present or not present. For example, lights ON in one trial, then lights OFF in another trial, or USE fertilizer in one trial, then DON'T USE fertilizer in another trial. If you can't measure the results of your experiment, you're not doing science!
  • You must be able to control other factors that might influence your experiment, so that you can do a fair test. A "fair test" occurs when you change only one factor (variable) and keep all other conditions the same.
  • Is your experiment safe to perform?
  • Do you have all the materials and equipment you need for your science fair project, or will you be able to obtain them quickly and at a very low cost?
  • Do you have enough time to do your experiment before the science fair? For example, most plants take weeks to grow. If you want to do a project on plants, you need to start very early! For most experiments you will want to allow enough time to do a practice run in order to work out any problems in your procedures.
  • Does your science fair project meet all the rules and requirements for your science fair?
  • Have you avoided the bad science fair projects listed in the table below?
  If you don't have good answers for the above issues, then you probably should look for a better science fair project question to answer. Some science fair projects that involve human subjects, vertebrate animals (animals with a backbone) or animal tissue, pathogenic agents, DNA, or controlled or hazardous substances, need SRC (Scientific Review Committee) approval from your science fair BEFORE you start experimentation. Now is the time to start thinking about getting approval if necessary for your science project (see SRC).
  
  

  Examples

  These are examples of good science fair project questions:
  
  • How does water purity affect surface tension?
  • When is the best time to plant soy beans?
  • Which material is the best insulator?
  • How does arch curvature affect load carrying strength?
  • How do different foundations stand up to earthquakes?
  • What sugars do yeast use? 
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•  

Steps of the Scientific Method

Key Info

• The scientific method is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by making observations and doing experiments.
• The steps of the scientific method are to:
  • Ask a Question
  • Do Background Research
  • Construct a Hypothesis
  • Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
  • Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
  • Communicate Your Results
• It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. A "fair test" occurs when you change only one factor (variable) and keep all other conditions the same.
• While scientists study how nature works, engineers create new things, such as products, websites, environments, and experiences.
• If your project involves creating or inventing something new, your project might better fit the steps of the Engineering Design Process.
• If you are not sure if your project is a scientific or engineering project, you should read Comparing the Engineering Design Process and the Scientific Method.

Overview of the Scientific Method

The scientific method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. Scientists use the scientific method to search for cause and effect relationships in nature. In other words, they design an experiment so that changes to one item cause something else to vary in a predictable way.
Just as it does for a professional scientist, the scientific method will help you to focus your science fair project question, construct a hypothesis, design, execute, and evaluate your experiment.

Steps of the Scientific Method	Detailed Help for Each Step
Ask a Question: The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where? And, in order for the scientific method to answer the question it must be about something that you can measure, preferably with a number.	Your Question
Do Background Research: Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan for answering your question, you want to be a savvy scientist using library and Internet research to help you find the best way to do things and insure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.	Background Research Plan Finding Information Bibliography Research Paper
Construct a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work: "If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen." You must state your hypothesis in a way that you can easily measure, and of course, your hypothesis should be constructed in a way to help you answer your original question.	Variables Variables for Beginners Hypothesis
Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is true or false. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same. You should also repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren't just an accident.	Experimental Procedure Materials List Conducting an Experiment
Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: Once your experiment is complete, you collect your measurements and analyze them to see if your hypothesis is true or false. Scientists often find that their hypothesis was false, and in such cases they will construct a new hypothesis starting the entire process of the scientific method over again. Even if they find that their hypothesis was true, they may want to test it again in a new way.	Data Analysis & Graphs Conclusions
Communicate Your Results: To complete your science fair project you will communicate your results to others in a final report and/or a display board. Professional scientists do almost exactly the same thing by publishing their final report in a scientific journal or by presenting their results on a poster at a scientific meeting.	Final Report Abstract Display Board Science Fair Judging

Even though we show the scientific method as a series of steps, keep in mind that new information or thinking might cause a scientist to back up and repeat steps at any point during the process. A process like the scientific method that involves such backing up and repeating is called an iterative process.
Throughout the process of doing your science fair project, you should keep a journal containing all of your important ideas and information. This journal is called a laboratory notebook.