What is CABS?

This site will help high school students and teachers find original, independent science research topics and questions that can be done without a professional lab...these can be done in a school lab or even in one's basement! The project ideas and research questions being developed and presented here have been vetted and could lead to true discoveries, and not just finding already known results. See our Welcome message. These are the types of projects that could be done and submitted to high school contests such as the Regeneron Science Talent Search, Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, or the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, and be competitive. If you have an idea to share, or a question about one of the project ideas, contact us at vondracekm@eths202.org.

Pages (on the right side of the screen) have lists of ideas for different types of science research projects, and clicking on one of those ideas will take you to posts with details and all sorts of information about that type of project. Get more information about why there is a need for CABS!

Thursday, February 1, 2024

A quick chat with ChatGPT to get ideas for fluid dynamics research ideas

 I wanted to share a response I got from ChatGPT with a simple prompt, to get some ideas about research project ideas in fluid dynamics for high school students. The use of AI to get research ideas is a powerful tool, because often some ideas appear we never thought about, and some student(s) may find it fascinating! I encourage everyone to try this at some point to see if it is a tool that can be useful for you and your students. 

My Prompt: what are some open questions about fluid dynamics a high school student could investigate?

ChatGPTChatGPT Response

Certainly! Here are some open-ended questions related to fluid dynamics that high school students could explore:

Turbulence Investigation:

How does the shape of an object affect the onset of turbulence in a fluid flow?

Can you design a model or experiment to explore the transition from laminar to turbulent flow in different situations?

Surface Tension Variations:

How does temperature affect the surface tension of liquids?

Can you investigate the impact of different solutes (such as salt or soap) on the surface tension of water?

Aerodynamics of Different Shapes:

What shapes are most aerodynamic, and how does the shape of an object affect its movement through air or water?

Can you design and test different wing shapes to determine their lift and drag characteristics?

Viscous Fluid Behavior:

How does the viscosity of a fluid affect the distance traveled by a sphere rolling down an inclined plane?

Can you explore how the viscosity of liquids changes under different temperature conditions?

Capillary Action in Different Materials:

How does capillary action vary in different materials (e.g., fabrics, soil types)?

Can you design experiments to compare the capillary rise of liquids in different materials and explore the factors influencing this phenomenon?

Cavitation Effects:

What are the effects of cavitation (formation and collapse of vapor bubbles) on the performance of propellers or impellers?

Can you design an experiment to study the impact of different factors on cavitation, such as pressure and blade design?

Fluid Dynamics in Biological Systems:

How do different shapes of fish or bird wings affect their ability to move through air or water?Can you investigate the fluid dynamics involved in the movement of blood in blood vessels or the flow of air in the respiratory system?

Impact of Obstacles on Fluid Flow:

How do different shapes and sizes of obstacles affect the flow of a fluid (e.g., water in a stream)?Can you design experiments to study how various factors influence the formation of eddies and changes in flow patterns?

Encourage students to develop hypotheses, design experiments, collect data, and draw conclusions based on their investigations. These questions offer a starting point for students to delve into the fascinating world of fluid dynamics.

Friday, January 19, 2024

Friction experiment options with 3D printer

 An interesting series of experiments have been done with creating surfaces to test for friction coefficients, to the point where the surfaces can be created for specific values. The flat surfaces are designed in order to 'inflate' and control the size of bumps on the surface. This controls the coefficient of friction...one can 'tune' the friction. 

Perhaps something like this can be investigated if you have access to 3D printers, and can print patterns of small bumps on a flat surface. You can then use them in a variety of friction experiments. This could develop into a series of experiments, to the point where are 

Saturday, December 9, 2023

Do we really need to assume Gravity is a quantum phenomenon?

 For many decades, the assumption in physics has been that all the forces, including gravity, must be quantized - that is, we must look and find the quantum theory for gravity. And that the key to the "theory of everything" rests on that great discovery waiting to happen. 

But decades of work by the top theoretical and mathematical minds of multiple generations have not resulted in any testable theories. A good question to ask is: does gravity have to be quantized? Maybe, just maybe, gravity in this universe is 'classical' and continuous, and really just the result of warps in spacetime as Einstein proposed in general relativity! Some physicists are asking just that type of question, and developing theories based on gravity being classical with the others - electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces - follow quantum field theories. Maybe, just maybe, this is the reason gravity is SO different from the others and so difficult to link into the Standard Model. I am really interested in seeing how this evolves, and may very well create testable experiments in the near future...something that has not happened yet for quantum models of gravity. In the end, experimental results will determine how things really work. 

Monday, October 9, 2023

Nobel Prize in Economics awarded to Harvard professor, for pay differences for women

 The last Nobel, for economics, was awarded today to Claudia Goldin, a Harvard professor, for her groundbreaking work in understanding the historical reasons and consequences of the gender gap in payment for work. She went through a study of 200 years of data to understand how women's roles in the labor market have evolved, and the reasons why they evolved the way they did. To this day, this is a topic of much debate and political and economic activity, as record numbers of women are becoming educated and are working on careers. 

This is also historic, since Dr. Goldin is just the 3rd woman to win the Nobel in economics. 



Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Quantum Dot discovery

 Three scientists are sharing the Nobel in Chemistry for their discovery and applications of quantum dots

Moungi Bawendi (MIT), Louis Brus (Columbia U), and Alexei Ekimov (industry, NY), discovered these tiny bits of matter in their nanotechnology work. When materials shrink in size, at some point the laws and weirdness of quantum mechanics take over. Quantum dots are nanomaterials that are so small, this happens - effectively they are the smallest particles in nanoscience. 

Researchers and doctors use these for everything from television images on flat screens to LED lighting to surgeons using them to help remove tumors. 

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Nobel Prize in Physics for attosecond laser pulses - and only 5th woman to win a Physics Nobel!

 Here's a metric unit one does not see very often - atto. This is one quintillionth (10^-18)! Three physicists figured out how to create attosecond pulses of light in order to study and measure electron activity and processes. It revolutionized how scientists can view and measure the shortest processes one can imagine, and that occur in the quantum realm on a regular basis. 

The winners are Pierre Agostini (French, at Ohio State), Ferenc Krausz (Hungarian), and Anne L'Huillier (French). This is historic, as well, since Dr. L'Huillier is only the 5th woman to ever win a Nobel for Physics...in 117 years! The technique of creating attosecond laser pulses opened a new type of physics and can be used to observe and measure chemical reactions, molecular and atomic processes in new ways.

Monday, October 2, 2023

Nobel Prize in Medicine & Physiology, 2023

 The Nobel Prize was jointly awarded to a Hungarian-American and an American for their work in developing messenger RNA vaccines. Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman will share the Prize for their groundbreaking work that was used to develop the COVID-19 vaccines, which have been credited for saving millions of lives the past 3 years. Both are professors at the University of Pennsylvania, and will split the nearly $1 million prize.