What Are Some Easy Science Investigatory Projects?

Some easy investigatory science project ideas include attempting to purify used cooking oil, making biodegradable plastic and increasing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. An investigatory science project is any project that starts out with a question and uses the scientific method to attempt to answer that question.

One easy experiment is to investigate possible strategies for purifying used cooking oil. Cooking oil typically goes to waste and is not disposed of properly, but this experiment researches ideas for filtration or purification. Different processes of purification are tested on used oil samples, which are then tested against samples of fresh oil in terms of color, odor, cleanliness and viscosity.

Another easy experiment is to test different materials as effective components in a biodegradable plastic bag. Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to degrade completely, causing serious threats to the environment. This project attempts to find effective starches to use in a more biodegradable bag. Different starch components can be tested in terms of biodegradability, tensile strength, bendability and other properties.

Finally, examining factors that increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables is another easy investigatory project. This experiment attempts to find a coating or other solution to more effectively maintain freshness in certain fruits or vegetables. Other experiments have focused on bananas with a Chitosan coating, but students can try different combinations of solutions, fruits and vegetables.

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