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I need help NS, 10/10k!!!

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swanton
Posts: 455 - Karma: 11
It's science fair time again. I don't mind doing science fair projects but I can never think of a good idea. If anyone knows any decent ideas for a science fair project (preferably to do with skiing or snowboarding) tell me what it is and I'll give you 10/10. Come on NS I suck at getting ideas!
Jan 6 2009 6:58PM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
you could do like how ur speed increases depending on the steepness (degree) of the slope or how ur speed is affected by sliding on a rail vs sliding on a box
idk man so much just get creative yo
Jan 6 2009 7:03PM
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Sewardo
Posts: 1404 - Karma: 29
how different temperatures and different conditons may require diff waxes for optimum performance.... something along those lines
Jan 6 2009 7:06PM
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chitownskiier8
Posts: 399 - Karma: 24
idk if this would work, but when i was in 8th grade, i made a simple snowmaker, its not that hard if you have a pressure washer if i remember. than i talked about how snow was formed and stuff
Jan 6 2009 7:07PM
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Dainsey
Posts: 2263 - Karma: 378
do how a lift runs
jea
Jan 6 2009 7:09PM
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Sky.
Posts: 1158 - Karma: 287
make a cone with a hole on top add baking soda to hole add red food coloring to vinigar and pour vinigar into the whole then you got your self a straight 4th grade ballin ass volcano
Jan 6 2009 7:09PM
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C.R.E.A.M
Posts: 2987 - Karma: 4,575
do your report on what makes skis slide, or more generically the dynamics of skis. you can talk about how the shape of the ski helps it turn, and even do a little of history of skiing and how its evolved into the new jib/flip era
Jan 6 2009 7:09PM
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cclan
Posts: 742 - Karma: 19
what he said
Jan 6 2009 7:12PM
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kepler.
Posts: 8761 - Karma: 139
I always hated science fairs when I was younger. I just wasn't interested in doing some lame project that I didn't care about.

With that said, looking back on it, I wish someone would have given me some cool ideas. So hopefully I can help.

Considering I have no clue how old you are, you could be 10 in a 5th grade science fair for all I know, I'm going to assume you're in middle school. I've never heard of a highschool science fair (at least around me)

I'd do a project on gravity and inertia. Trying to incorporate some laws of motion on there. Maybe show what kind of forces a skier is up against. Maybe put in Pep's 90 to revert 270 somewhere in your presentation! I don't know what you'd do specifically but forces are always fun! And people get intimidated by physics but it's actually easy to pick up.

http://www.youtube.com/v/-dzZiAnCWXo&hl=en&fs=1">http://www.youtube.com/v/-dzZiAnCWXo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344">

You could even derive some formulas to help in your calculations like v=v_0+at or any other kinematic formula.

I think if you could throw in some trigonometry, like finding the best angle for takeoff to achieve the furthest distance. (it's 45 degrees but I think the judges might be impressed and think that you really discovered it)

Hope some of this helped. PM me if you like the idea and need some help or whatever.
Jan 6 2009 7:13PM
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C+Thompson
Posts: 434 - Karma: 97
LIke butter zones in skis.
And how they flex.
There are so many things.
Google it or sparknotes.
Jan 6 2009 7:13PM
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Jacuse
Posts: 1792 - Karma: 1,549
I got 2nd in a state wide science fair, for seeing how oil travels through different ground consistencies. It was meant to show where oil would travel in an oil spill. I set up a bunch of huge fish tanks, each filled with different kinds of ground material( sand, pebbles, ect.) Some I had layers of different material. I used food coloring to die the oil, so it was easier to see how the oil traveled(it worked really well). I won the school science fair and then got second at the state.

And if you want a ski related one, my friend did one where he studied the effect of ski wax on the environment. He spent months on it and actually ended up winning the connecticut state science fair.
Jan 6 2009 7:19PM
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spliff.Life
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 1,549
the wax idea was good, or anything to do with how chairlifts work


but your probly looking for someone to give you the straight up idea to do the project



i always did mine on airplanes and flying and how wings work
Jan 6 2009 7:20PM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9215 - Karma: 5,398
Make fake snow.


Jan 6 2009 7:29PM
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Drew.C
Posts: 1757 - Karma: 39

easy ski related project

so i did this in 6th grade, i tested which keep you the warmest. i got 5 different gloves(leather, fleece, mittens, etc) and i put a thermometer in them and got there temperature before(i had eachglove around room temperature) then i stuck them in the freezer with the thermometer in them and the end had a rubberband around for 20 min. I tested it multiple times and got an average temperature of each glove after they were put in the freezer. it took me about 2 hours, it was simple, and i got a good grade.

Jan 6 2009 7:33PM
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zues
Posts: 6434 - Karma: -5,330
in 8th grade i did
"what is the best location for apple preservation"
I took 3 apples. One went in the fridge, one in the freezer, and one on the counter.   I watched them for 3 weeks or so, and i recorded what they looked like and felt like.  THen after time was up I decided what the best spot was.  This was in middle school and I got an A, but that is middle school.
Jan 6 2009 7:34PM
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dwhite
Posts: 1499 - Karma: 32
do fake snow vs real snow
Jan 6 2009 7:52PM
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Skier.for.life
Posts: 373 - Karma: 64
i am doing that same experiment for my 8th grade science experiment
Jan 6 2009 7:57PM
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swanton
Posts: 455 - Karma: 11
I forgot to mention that I'm in grade 8.
Jan 6 2009 8:03PM
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HPskier
Posts: 1072 - Karma: 30
last year i did a small paper on how different temperatures affected wax, on a warm day, find one type of wax, Preferably rub on so you can have a fresh wax each test, find a set run, and time it. the go back on a cold day and repeat
Jan 6 2009 8:11PM
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WhiteBurd
Posts: 1127 - Karma: 98
catapults, or boyancy of wood
Jan 6 2009 8:12PM
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charmander
Posts: 10636 - Karma: 370
do flotation

i.e. why do arg's stay up in pow better than race skis
Jan 6 2009 10:27PM
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ski_DC
Posts: 1347 - Karma: 58
the physics of afterbang


or, more seriously, how summer skiing (ie whistler, hood, etc) affects the surrounding environment
Jan 6 2009 10:32PM
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amo
Posts: 6709 - Karma: 1,248
Did anyone else get this in the thread?

Click for larger image


If you can't see, in the upper right hand corner it says my name (which means its a little bit of my window)
and i could navigate through it (like scroll up and down).
Is this really weird or am i missing something here?
Jan 6 2009 10:54PM
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kepler.
Posts: 8761 - Karma: 139
Huh it seems like my attempt to embed has caused your window to be all screwy. Too bad we can't edit posts on NS.
Jan 6 2009 11:20PM
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thomas_dube
Posts: 316 - Karma: 169
Snowmaking science is a REALLY good subject
Jan 6 2009 11:37PM
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SteezyOhio
Posts: 6044 - Karma: 60
how a ski binding works theres alot stuff people dont know and do the many types of bindings
Jan 6 2009 11:41PM
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r3dbullninja
Posts: 274 - Karma: 13
yeah, show how skis are consttructed, and then possibly try to construct some in a sandwiched fashion like a skateboard. Then try to prove whether it has the same density, flex, strength... Good Luck!!!
Jan 7 2009 12:04AM
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toominator
Posts: 4792 - Karma: 120
the best snow conditions for afterbanging to reduce stress on the body
Jan 7 2009 4:15AM
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thomas_dube
Posts: 316 - Karma: 169
trueness
here your subject dude
Jan 7 2009 8:29AM
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JonH.A.M.
Posts: 256 - Karma: 12
take the easy way out. just make a volcano! then you can put a skier on the top of it and he can race down to the bottom before he get owned! haha
Jan 7 2009 8:43AM
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Skierguy1234
Posts: 1684 - Karma: 88
test the affects of red bull and other energy drinks.
pick a jump, hit it 5 times doing pretty difficult tricks, so you're not going to land everything.
drink a red bull and try the same five.
drink a monster then try the same five.
do different drinks and stuff.
then see which drink was the most effective.


easy fun project and you can just make an edit of it and have it playing at your booth.
Jan 7 2009 9:43AM
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Mike34113
Posts: 1088 - Karma: 112
do a report on how you can change the freezing point of snow to make it melt of not melt then do some examples by getting snow and adding salt to it or whatever else affects its melting point
Jan 7 2009 10:40AM
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Powdered_Donuts
Posts: 2180 - Karma: 187
google wet bulb temperature and do a project on snow making
Jan 7 2009 2:25PM
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Sufferboy
Posts: 4241 - Karma: 122
make a spring loaded ski for extra jump
Jan 7 2009 2:38PM
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anxju
Posts: 9371 - Karma: 61
do kinematics and how going down a slop is like sin something or cos something and show how a rail has a bigger coefficient of friction than snow

that would be so impressive for an eighth grader
Jan 7 2009 2:46PM
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toominator
Posts: 4792 - Karma: 120
So so many variables to control with that. I doubt it would get a very good mark.

A modified version of the wax one could work out well. I'll lay out an idea for you..

"Do Ski waxes really make a difference?"

Aim: To find out if ski waxes intended for different ski surface temperatures really make a difference.

Hypotheses: I think that different waxes will have an impact on the sliding ability of skis.

Method: Create a profile of an 'average' skier- weight and length of ski. For simplicity the height won't be taken into account. (NS might be a good place to get this info from - make a thread) Take the data obtained and get an average.

Use this average to find a scaled length for your test ski. get an old ski and cut it to length. Load the test ski with the average weight of the skiers.

Construct a ramp from snow (Maybe find out what an average slope incline is and use that angle for your ramp) Length to depend on scale of test ski.

Use about 4 thermometers placed evenly down the ramp. This is a control so you know what the temperatures of the snow are.

Mark a start and finish line in the snow. (For added points at this stage maybe put 2 or 3 extra lines in the snow evenly spaced out. Use these to record split times as the ski travels down the slope. these can then be graphed to show acceleration of the ski.)

Prep your test ski with the first wax and do four or five runs.

Repeat with several other types of wax that are intended for differing temp ranges.

Take data and analyse.

While I was writing that it came to mind that it would be a good idea to have two test skis. One test ski will be used as a control, and the wax will never be changed. Before testing the different waxes on the other test ski run your control ski to check that it is within an acceptable time range. (your acceptable range might be around +/- 0.75sec or something, I don't know it would depend on how fast the skis are traveling down your ramp.) That should def get you extra points.

All thats left is for you to run the experiment and write up your findings and conclusion!
Jan 7 2009 3:49PM
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phatbush
Posts: 1693 - Karma: 20
dude a beer ice run just do it with apple juice or something lol
Jan 7 2009 6:05PM
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sconniestyle
Posts: 3945 - Karma: 26

do it about what causes slides- i.e. what needs to occur in and on top of the snowpack for a slide to happen.

you could use styrafoam to make the different layers, and you could even rig it so it "slid" when you pulled a lever or somethign so that you could show what happens as the slide occurs.

throw one of those huck dolls in there, whammy.

Jan 7 2009 6:11PM
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afton_steeze
Posts: 1765 - Karma: 92
make a snowgun and threaten to turn it on at your judges/teacher if they don't give you an A.
Jan 8 2009 10:56AM
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afton_steeze
Posts: 1765 - Karma: 92
damnit i thought i was being original.
oh well, great minds think alike.


and heyyyy im in your sig! noice.
Jan 8 2009 10:57AM
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titsLOL
Posts: 7485 - Karma: 396
well inspired by your title... do a project on outerwear waterproofing ratings. Like research what the ratings mean, how they actually repel water, and get samples of like 5k, 10k, and 20k to put them to the test.
Jan 8 2009 10:58AM
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summersover
Posts: 5777 - Karma: 233
the only test i could see working is drinking an energy drink and checking your heart rate and amybe doing some sort of repetitive awareness test but other than that there are too many sources of error
Jan 8 2009 11:08AM
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Justin.B
Posts: 2257 - Karma: 721
Mount Rockets on The back of your skis
Jan 8 2009 3:43PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
Make a simple snowmaker or a cross section of snow layers showing weak spots where potential slides could happen..
Jan 8 2009 3:52PM
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