Newspaper science fair projects are generally pretty innovative. After all you have to develop interesting science experiments using newspaper for something other than what it was designed for. If you are ready for innovative and interesting science fair projects, then try out these great sample projects and see what ideas you can come up with for upcoming science fairs.
Why is newspaper used to start campfires and barbeques? This hypothesis question works well for newspaper science fair projects. To complete this experiment you will want to determine what makes newspaper so flammable, after all this is why people use it to start fires. Think beyond just moisture content of the paper, also look at surface area and chemical components in the paper.
Newspaper is more absorbent than paper towels. This is a hypothesis statement that you can design 24-hour science fair projects around. In this experiment you will want to measure out fluid to be absorbed. You will want to test the absorption speed and amount of fluids in a container and on a flat surface. Is your hypothesis true or false?
Newspaper can be used to purify water. This is another great idea for a hypothesis. To test this hypothesis you will need to see if newspaper can filter impurities out of contaminated water. To complete this project you can take regular water and contaminate it with dirt and sand. Then filter the water by pouring it over a doubled up piece of newspaper. Collect the filtered water and examine it for particles. Did the newspaper clean the water?
Newspaper is bacteria resistant. This is an interesting biology science fair project idea that you can work on. To test this hypothesis you will want to introduce bacteria cultures to a newspaper sample and see if they will grow on it. Another interpretation of this experiment is to compare the bacteria resistency of newspaper to terry cloth towels. To complete this experiment you will want to place a pile of newspapers and a pile of towels in the locker room and let them stay their for about a week. Then take samples from each item and test it for bacteria.
I figured the main reason that people use newspaper to start fires is because most people feel bad throwing something away after reading it once. This is a great way to make use of something more then one time. I never knew it had other good reasons to burn.
Yes, newspapers have a lot of uses. What other uses can you think of to test to create a science fair project?
I know a lot of my nieces and nephews are really into camping, so it would be great to use a resource like that as a hypothesis question for a science fair. I personally think that to interest kids, it definitely needs to relate to an activity in their every day life.
Mark, they can come up with their own hypothesis. That is the purpose of science fair projects… for the kids to create their own experiments.