VanCleave's Science Fun

Your Guide to Science Projects, Fun Experiments, and Science Research

Science Fair Projects: Models

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Notes from Janice’s Desk I received an email from a mom who referenced the note with “Desperate MOM-Please Help Me. This frantic mom was in a panic over her son’s science assignment.  It was to be a parent/child project.  I wondered how difficult an assignment kindergarten kids could be. At my request, she faxed the […]

Math: Reflection

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When you look in a mirror, you see your reflection, which is a left-to-right reverse image of you. In the photo the baby is pressing his right hand against what appears to be the left hand of his twin. Reflection is a math term that refers to the mirror image of a figure that has […]

Geography: Landforms/Basin

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The term basin is used for many things, one being a wash basin used to hold water. With indoor plumbing, basins were replaced with what is now called sinks. When you think about it, the word sink describes every type of basin in that they all sink down from their top. Other characteristics: basins are […]

Chemistry Matters

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Matter is a science term that basically encompasses all the stuff in the universe that has mass and takes up space. Generally, only three forms of matter are studied: solids, liquids, and gases. There is a fourth natural form of matter called plasma. This is not the stuff in your blood, instead it is hot […]

Physics: Series Circuit

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Question: What is a series circuit circuit? Answer: First, let me define a few words: electricity: Electrical energy circuit: Path through which electrical energy passes. series circuit: A circular path through which electricity passes. As defined, a series circuit is one large circle through which electricity passes. Look at the diagram of the series circuit. […]

Rice-Paddy Art

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With only three different colors of rice plants, some rice farmers in Japan are creating large murals by planting three different colors of rice plants. This idea started in 1993 and has become one of the “you must see this” tourist attractions in Japan. From ground level, the acres of colored plants are not very […]

Glue

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Question: How does glue stick things together? Answer: Glue is an adhesive, which means it has a strong attraction for other materials. Some glues are specifically designed for paper, while others are attracted to many different kinds of materials. While a glue may be advertised as a glue-all, it sticks to rough surfaces better than […]

Recycle: Paper

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Paper makes up a large percent of the waste in landfills in the United States. Recycling paper is one way to reduce the amount of trash in landfills. Recycled paper also takes less energy and uses less water to produce because most of the energy and water in paper making is used to change wood […]

Physics: Pressure

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Pressure is a force spread out over a surface. Weight is a force. If the same person wears the three different styles of shoes shown on this page, the heels of the shoes in diagram A apply the greatest pressure  on a surface, diagram B, medium pressure, and diagram C the least pressure.The difference in […]