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Swimming Science Projects for the Eighth Grade

Water provides varied opportunities for different experiences and discoveries. Getting "below the surface" of human interaction and other species with water via swimming means looking into concepts such as buoyancy and certain body positions that create more efficient movements. The elements and compounds of water are also important variables to consider and use for testing. When you rediscover the sources of water in your environment from your backyard pool to the ocean blue, you will be certain to find something new.
  1. Green Hair

    • For people with natural or artificial blond hair, swimming in a pool can become a "green" experience. Explore this color change through two outcomes: cause and prevention. To determine a cause, limit your variables to sources of copper such as pool materials and drinking water, since copper has been cited as the culprit of this type of hair discoloration according to SSG, South Shore Granite Pools. To determine a method of prevention, treat the hair with different products and decide which is most effective in decreasing or blocking natural copper exposure.

    Exercise

    • Although athletes may vary in ability and achievement, they all have a commonality: practice. Consider how your favorite athlete prepares for a game. What type(s) of exercise(s) does she do to enhance her performance? Also, what part of the anatomy is benefited from the said practice? For example, football players strengthen their quadriceps, which aids in limber movements. Compare and contrast a specific type of activity for a chosen sport with swimming to determine the most effective exercise.

    Duck Feet

    • The feet of ducks and geese are exemplary for the study of hydrodynamics due to the force their swimming strokes create to propel themselves through water. Use diving fins to cut into the shape of three to four types of bird feet. Conduct a swim test to conclude which shape of foot is most adequate for acceleration. One variation is to simulate the movements of a duck and record the difference in speed.

    Keep Afloat

    • Buoyancy occurs when water has a greater density than an object on the surface. Rick Marz, an expert on Science Buddies, sights salt water as having 2.5 percent more density than fresh water, thereby making the ability to float more plausible in seawater than a lake or pool. Discover this for yourself by floating an object in salt water as well as fresh water in identical containers and amounts of water. If you have access to the beach and a pool, note differences in the length of time you are able to float.

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