Hopefully Some of These Websites Can Help...
When it comes to homework, sometimes you just hit a wall and no ladder, rope, or best friend giving you a boost over it can help. This is where we come in--below are some of the best resources on the Internet for science homework help. While certainly no substitute for a librarian helping you find the perfect book or web resource, hopefully this will be a guide to get you going in the right direction. But remember - always take a good look at your sources before relying on them. These websites were carefully evaluated before being listed, but that doesn't mean we're perfect. Webmasters take websites down for construction all the time - if you find a broken link, please let us know via the form on the Contact Us page.
General References and Resources:
The Naked Scientists: Despite the name, these guys and gals are very serious about science. (And they present science in its simplest form, hence the "naked"). This is a fantastic site and gives you everything from articles about science and scientific concepts, tons of science experiments to try at home with awesome videos, podcasts from the scientists, science news, and a lot more. And yes, they are real scientists, just a little more...quirky than the ones you might be used to.
My Reference Desk - Science: The My Reference Desk is a giant list of websites about all kinds of science topics. There's no guarantee that all of the sites will be useful (or that they're all even still working), but there's some good stuff on there, like the Math and Physics Help page, NOVA's website about Einstein, and Strange Science.
Exploratorium: This site has a little bit of everything. If you're looking for interesting facts or online activities involving science, you might want to start here. Want to find out how old you would be on Mercury? How about instructions on how to make a pinhole camera from a Pringles can? This site has some cool things to do and see, and The Exploratorium is a real museum located in San Francisco, California.
Science Fair Central: Presented by the Discovery Channel, this website has over 100 testable ideas for science fair projects, along with the steps you should follow to conduct a thorough experiment.
If you're looking for more general reference sites, we encourage you to check with your local public library. They probably have research databases, books and other resources you can access with one simple thing - a library card. Many libraries have subscriptions to things like World Book Encyclopedia and Britannica Online, all you have to do is ask!
**For more Science Fair projects, see the Let's Blow Something Up section. There are book suggestions there.**
Anatomy, Biology, and Chemistry
Inner Body, Your Guide to Human Anatomy: This website does an excellent job of breaking down the human body into its many functions and systems. The site includes hundreds of diagrams and animations along with medical terminology used by doctors and nurses.
CELLS Alive!: Not sure about how mitosis works? Does meiosis make your head spin? CELLS Alive! gives you interactive animations of cell reproduction, along with lots of information on different types of cells, quizzes, and more.
Eureka Science! I Can Do That!: This site presents DNA, RNA, cells, proteins, and cloning in ways that are easy to understand but not on too simple of a level. A perfect site for help on biology homework.
The Human Genome Project: Fascinating and mind-blowing at the same time, The Human Genome project is attempting to map all human genes. This could make a great choice for a biology research project.
Frank Potter's Science Gems: Amazing index site that covers the biology of plants, animals, and humans; broken down by category, subcategory, and grade level.
Elements Database: This website provides descriptions of all the elements of the Periodic Table, along with images that you can use in projects and reports and take a quiz on what you know.
Wake Forest Tutorial on Balancing Equations: Dr. Yue-Ling Wong's tutorials on how to balance equations are fun, fascinating, and really helpful.
Earth and Space Science and Physics
The Soundry: A very cool website about the physics and science behind sound. This website goes from the basics (how the human ear works, how we hear sounds) to the harder stuff like the properties of a sound wave and the Doppler Effect.
Fizzics Fizzle!: A great website about physics for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. It doesn't matter where you're at in learning about physics, this website will probably have what you're looking for. From Newton's Three Laws to gravitation to magnetic fields, this is great resources for your physics questions.
Volcano World: Maintained by the Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University, this website has just about everything on volcanoes. You can even find out how to build a realistic volcano model (the Trashcano method seems to be too cool to NOT try - remember, SAFETY FIRST!)
Atlas of Rocks, Minerals and Textures: Presented by the University of North Carolina, this website allows you to see different rocks and minerals in their natural form. Each mineral and rock includes a description and location where you'll find it.
Ocean Planet: If you have to do research or a project involving the ocean or its inhabitants, you might want to start with this website. Ocean Planet was an exhibit done by the Smithsonian Institute and even though it's been retired, you can still access all the resources via this website. The site is filled with facts, audio clips, and images galore.
Views of the Solar System: This website has excellent comprehensive information (including stats) on all the planets in the solar system and images you can view. The images come from NASA telescopes and spacecraft, so they're not reproductions or artist renderings.