Science Fair season is upon us

Last year, Monica performed the famous vacuum cleaner bag fill level vs vacuum cleaner performance experiment.

Setting up the experiment with the right surface, the exact size of the vacuumed area, and the exact same choreography for the movement of the vacuum over the area was a major challenge. She also had to set up the various bags with differing amounts of "dirt", which wound up being bird seed.

It was a successful experiment. I would love to link to her subsequent article in Scientific American, but she decided against publishing. She got an "A" on the project. And the result? For our particular vacuum, the cleaning performance doesn't decline until the bag is over 3/4 full. At that point, Monica determined it was probably worth the time to change the bag rather than try to clean with a poor performing vacuum.

But that was all last year.

When I arrived home from work, Monica hopped in the car and we went to the library. Yes, we could've gone online, but she needed to be in a quiet IM-less place where cell phone use is discouraged. We found a multitude of books that had ideas for projects. She has to present three and her science teacher will select one.

Here is what she's proposing:

1) The effects of freezing popcorn on popability, including both microwave and loose kernels.

2) Does home field advantage exist at a team and individual level? This is the one that she is most excited about. (I have to admit that I am, too.)

3) The effects of various types of music on heart rate and blood pressure (yes, we have a sphygmomanmeter, actually two, an electric and a manual.)

We'll here in a week or so which one she'll be doing. So much for January.

For some reason, I never did a science fair project in middle or high school. Did you? Did you enjoy it?