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Welcome to Maxwell Scientific!

We have a variety of scientific kits and supplies to compliment excellence in the classroom! See below for some project ideas.

Astronomy
Maxwell Scientific provides a wide range of astronomical products - perfect for classroom demonstrations and projects. Choose from the finest equipment from Newton, DC Optics, and StarVision.
Chemistry
Maxwell Scientific sets the standard for chemistry supplies. Choose from one of our 40 chemistry kits, developed especially for Maxwell Scientific by the Chemistry department at Princeton University. All kits have been safety-tested. Chemicals are enclosed in protected bottles, using Maxwell Scientific's patented spill-proof system.
Electronics
When you need quality electronic kits, think first of Maxwell Scientific. Our kits will provide your students with a wide variety of interesting and fun projects. Remember, every kit comes with a teacher's manual and a packet of professionally-designed lesson plans.
Engineering
Spring is coming, and it's time for the annual toothpick bridge competition. Don't watch your bridges collapse! Instead come to Maxwell Scientific for high-quality materials and adhesives. Maxwell Scientific also provides educational material to teach basic engineering principles and help your students design the best structures. When it comes time to put those bridges to the test, look towards Maxwell Scientific for precision structure testers.
Physics
Newton deduced the principles of gravitation after seeing an apple fall. We don't sell apples, but we do sell wonderful physics kits to help you teach science in a fun and interesting way. Choose from some of the products below, or order one of our catalogs for a complete list.

Ideas for Some Special Projects

Run the Messier Marathon (astronomy)

It's time for the annual Messier Marathon. Instead of lacing up their Nikes, amateur astronomers will be hauling telescopes, star charts, and a hefty pot of coffee in an all-night vigil hunting the Messier objects.

Messier objects are stellar objects, classified by astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th century, ranging from distant galaxies to star clusters to stellar nebula. March is the only month in the year in which all 110 Messier objects are in the sky. Unfortunately, if you want to see all of them, you have to start looking right after sunset and continue until just before sunrise - hence the term, "marathon." Ironically, Charles Messier wasn't all that interested in his objects. He made the list in order to avoid seeing them. Messier was more interested in discovering new comets and these beautiful stellar objects were often mistaken for comets before Messier made his list.
Oersted's Lucky Lecture (electronics)

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, electricity and magnetism had been seen as two entirely different forces. This all changed thanks to Hans Christian Oersted's lucky lecture.

Oersted had been using a strong battery in one of his lectures, and as he concluded his talk he placed a current-carrying wire over a compass. To his surprise, the compass began to move quickly from the North direction to the East direction, as if it were in the presence of an intense magnetic field. Oersted reversed the flow of the electric current and the compass promptly began pointing West.

As soon as Oersted announced his discovery, physicists all over Europe duplicated the experiment and quickly realized that electricity and magnetism were two aspects of the same force. Today we refer to this force as electromagnetism, thanks, in part, to Oersted's lucky lecture.
Newton and the Apple (physics)

Okay, we all know the story of Isaac Newton getting hit in the head with the apple, but is this story true? Well, not exactly, but there's more truth to it than you might think.

Newton grew up on a farm, where he certainly saw many apples fall from trees. As a young man, Newton recalled those apples and wondered whether the same force that causes apples to fall would account for the motion of the moon across the sky.

Newton applied his newly-discovered mathematical technique, calculus (he called his technique fluxions) to the problem and deduced that, if his assumption was correct, the moon would orbit the Earth every 29.5 days. That's pretty close to the actual figure of 27.3 days.

So, no, Newton did not get hit with an apple, but he did get hit with a pretty good idea - thanks to an apple.