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Computer Science experiments and science fair projects

Hands-on computer science projects covering code, algorithms, data and simple sensors. Each one lists the exact materials, the time and cost involved, the variables to control and a data table you can fill in — so it works as a class activity or as a full science fair entry.

12 published projects in this collection

Choosing a computer science project

Computer science projects need very few materials, which makes them a strong low-cost choice — but be explicit about what you measure: runtime, accuracy or error rate.

What every project includes

A research question and hypothesis, an independent and dependent variable, the variables you hold constant, a materials list with costs, numbered steps, safety guidance and a reproducibility score based on how completely the method is documented.

Projects to try

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Computer Science

Does adding a sensor delay change how well an automated fan controls temperature?

Program a microcontroller fan controller and test different sampling intervals for temperature stability.

Challenging
High School +1
Several days
$30 materials

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Computer Science

Does a robot line-follower stay on track better with a wider line?

Drive a simple line-following robot over tracks of different widths and count how often it strays off.

Challenging
Middle School +2
Several days
$30 materials

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Computer Science

Does password length or character variety make a password harder to guess?

Calculate and compare how many combinations different password rules produce, then test guess times with a simple script.

Intermediate
Middle School +2
1–2 hours
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Does a sorting algorithm's speed depend on how sorted the list already is?

Run the same sorting program on shuffled, nearly sorted and reversed lists and compare the number of steps.

Intermediate
Middle School +2
1–2 hours
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Does Wi-Fi signal strength drop predictably with distance?

Map signal strength around a home or classroom and test whether it falls off the way physics predicts.

Beginner
Middle School +2
30–60 minutes
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Can people tell AI-written text from human-written text?

Mix short human and AI paragraphs, ask readers to label them, and measure how often they are right.

Intermediate
Middle School +2
Several days
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Does dark mode save battery on a phone screen?

Run the same on-screen task in both display modes and compare battery drain.

Beginner
Middle School +2
Several days
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Can a simple chatbot pattern-match well enough to seem helpful?

Build a keyword chatbot, grow its rule list in stages and test how often testers get a useful reply.

Intermediate
Middle School +2
Several days
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Does image file format affect picture quality and file size?

Export one photo in several formats and compression levels, then compare file size against what people can actually see.

Beginner
Middle School +2
30–60 minutes
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Does compressing text change how much space different kinds of writing take?

Zip several equally long text files and compare how much each one shrinks.

Beginner
Middle School +2
30–60 minutes
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Does typing on a phone or a keyboard produce more errors?

Time volunteers typing an identical passage on a phone and a keyboard and count the mistakes.

Beginner
Elementary +3
30–60 minutes
No-cost materials

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Computer Science

Does a webpage load faster with fewer images?

Build simple test pages with different image loads and measure load times with browser developer tools.

Intermediate
Middle School +2
1–2 hours
No-cost materials

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Preparing for a fair? Read the science fair guide or record your data in the lab.