Physics is the study of matter — what is it made of? How does it behave? What laws or equations describe it? From subatomic particles, to the Big Bang, modern physicists study matter at a tremendous range of scales. There's a whole lot of interesting physics at the human scale, too.
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| Featured Take the Science Buddies Engineering Challenge! Try the annual Engineering Challenge from Science Buddies! Open to all students worldwide, a new challenge and prizes are announced every January. Explore the current challenge as well as ones from past years! Read more
Build a Paper Roller Coaster Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 802 reviews Have you ever ridden a roller coaster? Have you ever wanted to design your own? There are plenty of expensive toys and even video games that will let you build your own coasters—but in this project you'll make one out of paper and tape, and learn about roller coaster physics along the way! Read more
Build a Balloon Car Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 604 reviews Build a balloon-powered car from recycled materials in this fun activity. You can even grab a friend, build two cars, and race them against each other! Read more
Build a Popsicle Stick Catapult Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 185 reviews Catapults were mighty handy for pirates in the golden age of piracy (during the 17th century). And medieval knights used them centuries earlier for taking down massive castle walls. Even Greeks and Romans used catapults about 2,000 years ago! These simple machines are quite handy, as long as you know how to aim them! In this science activity you will try your hand at catapult technology. Can you predict where your cotton ball will land? Read more
Featured Make String from Algae Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 47 reviews Did you know that the seaweed you've seen in the ocean or even eaten as a snack is inspiring innovators to imagine new materials? Large brown algae, like kelp, contains polymers—long chains of molecules—that are more environmentally friendly than the ones in most plastics. These natural polymers (alginates) could eventually be used to create sustainable everyday objects. Try your hand at using a bit of chemistry to turn biodegradable polymers from algae into your own custom… Read more
Make a Cotton Ball Launcher Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 211 reviews Have you ever stretched and launched a rubber band at someone? Put that energy to good use and build a rubber band-powered cotton ball launcher in this fun activity! Read more
Build A Wall Marble Run Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 53 reviews In this activity, you will use recyclable materials to make your own wall marble run. A marble run is a fun toy and a great way to learn about physics concepts like kinetic and potential energy. Do you think your marble will make it to the end of the track? Read more
Popsicle Stick Chain Reaction Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 57 reviews If you enjoy chain reactions and spectacular sights, this activity is for you! Who knew weaving unspectacular tongue depressors could set off a chain reaction of sticks flying in the air? Try it out and see for yourself! Read more
Build a Telescope Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 46 reviews Build your own telescope that you can use to see far-off objects in this fun STEM activity! The type of telescope you will build in this activity is also called a monocular or a spyglass. Read more
Build a Bottle Centrifuge Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 3 reviews Have you ever ridden a merry-go-round at a playground? Did you notice how you felt like you were being flung toward the outside, so you needed to hold on to stay in place? Scientists make use of this effect in a centrifuge, which is a machine that separates substances based on their density. They can, for example, use it to separate different substances within a blood sample. In this fun activity, you will build your own simple bottle centrifuge and test how it works. Are you ready for a spin? Read more
Measure Static Electricity With An Electroscope! Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 17 reviews Have you ever been zapped by a door knob or another person? It feels like a little electric shock and usually happens on cold and dry winter days. Where is this shock coming from? Why is it that sometimes you get zapped and sometimes you don't? It all has to do with static electricity, which can build up in some materials and then be transferred from one object to another. Sometimes you can even see a spark fly between them! In this science activity you will explore how well materials around… Read more
How Fish Sink and Float Log in to add favorite More Menu
STEM Activity 1 2 3 4 5 23 reviews Have you ever thought about why most fish never sink to the bottom of the ocean or float to the water's surface? How is it that they can stay so perfectly buoyant under water? You might be surprised to hear that most bony fish have a special organ to help them with that: a swim bladder. The swim bladder is a thin-walled sac located inside the body of the fish that is usually filled with gas. Besides helping the fish stay buoyant, it can also function as a sound producer and receptor or as an… Read more
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