Science fair projects that involve sports offer many possibilities. Like any science project, you will first determine your hypothesis, then collect, analyze data and summarize your findings. If you love a particular sport, incorporating it well into your school science fair could not only bring you a good grade, but the investigation could also improve your performance in the game.
Compare different brands and price ranges of balls. Do the more expensive ones perform better? Golf balls, footballs, soccer balls or baseballs can be the focus of this science fair project. Borrow equipment to keep the cost down while maintaining the integrity of the project.
Study how air pressure changes a ball. Show how pumping the football, soccer ball or basketball with air affects its performance.
Are dimples on a golf ball necessary? Take a golf ball apart and explore why they are designed the way they are. Same could be done with a baseball or softball.
What is the difference in performance between an aluminum bat and a wooden bat? Does a corked bat really make an impact?
Body Mechanics in Sports
Test how height is related to the speed of a person's walking pace. Can you determine the height of a person by just their pace? Use volunteers of varying size and age to create a chart that shows your findings.
Experiment with body mechanics in baseball by analyzing the reasons behind stance, swing or pitching style. Coaches often tell players to stand a certain way to get the most power. Break down the mechanics to see whether they are correct. How much does the way you stand affect the power behind your swing?
The martial arts offer a variety of possible science fair projects. Consider doing an experiment with kicks and velocity. Show how rotational momentum adds or reduces a kick's power. Illustrate the difference between kinetic energy and stored, potential energy in martial arts.
Study the muscles in the body that are used for a particular sport. Show how different body types perform in different sports.
Do energy drinks affect reaction time? Performance? Memory? Compare the different ingredients in energy or sports drinks. What do they claim in their advertising? Compare cost or nutrition. Can a homemade version of a sports drink offer the same performance boost? Can it pass a blind taste test?
Examine different brands of nutrition bars. Compare protein energy bars against carbohydrate energy bars by showing the short- and long-term effects of these products. Do they work best before or during a sporting event?
- sports medicine image by Keith Frith from Fotolia.com