Seen on the Science Fair Scene Additional Information

Prize-Winning Science Fair Projects for Curious Kids

Published by Lark Books/Sterling, 2004.

It’s science fair time again, and this year you’ve promised not to wait until the night before the fair to do your experiment. You want to pick a really interesting, exciting topic. But how do you decide? The first chapter of this book offers advice on picking a topic, turning the topic into a question, and following the scientific method. The next three chapters suggest a total of 50 projects in biology, physical science, and chemistry. The projects explore memory, gravity, skin sensitivity, light pollution, bug zappers, mummifying fishes, boosting slime, growing crystals, and many other topics. Illustrated with color photos and diagrams, each experiment lists materials, explains the procedure, and offers suggestions for further investigations.

Using Statistics in Science Projects

Published by Enslow Publishers, 2002.

You’ve compiled the data for your science project. Now what? It’s time to turn to statistics to analyze and interpret your data. And if you don’t know how to use statistics, turn to this practical book. Find out how w to organize and graph your data, and learn the meanings of such terms as median, range, and standard deviation. Find out about normal distribution, search for correlation between variables, and delve into the world of inferential statistics. Finally, take your knowledge of hypothesis testing and statistics and test it on some of the science projects suggested in this book. Black-and-white photos, Internet resources, and appendixes with tables, formulas, and guidelines for hypothesis testing, as well as a glossary and an index, are included. If you don’t know anything about stuff like class intervals, correlation coefficients, or critical values—don’t be intimidated. This book will teach you!

Life on Mars

Published by Henry Holt and Co., 2004.

“You are high enough to see the curvature of Earth. You stare at the fluorescent blue band on the horizon … Where you are going, there will be no air to fill your lungs.” It will take you 6 months to get to Mars, and the journey has to be timed just right. After a year-and-a-half stay, you will return to Earth. Despite its fictional framework, this journey is based on factual information: the history of Mars exploration and space probes; the investigation of water and life on the Red Planet; and the possibilities of modifying the atmosphere, temperature, or ecology of Mars to be similar to that of Earth (a process called terraforming). The final chapter outlines explains President George W. Bush’s plans for a Mars mission.