Monday, March 29, 2010

Science Project

Topic:

EGG-xperiment

Purposes of the study:

As all know, Coke is not a healthy substance for the human body. This experiment will test the damaging effects of four different liquids by soaking an egg in salt water, vinegar, lemon juice, and Coke-Cola.

Research questions/Hypotheses:

1. Which substance will dissolve the egg shell the quickest?
2. Why is the egg shell affected?
3. Which part of the body would have the same damage as the egg shell?
My hypothesis is the lemon juice and vinegar will have the biggest effects, and the salt water will not affect the egg shell.


Methods:

Materials:
Four eggs
Four containers with lids
Coke
Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Salt Water


Steps taken:
1. Put one egg in each of the four contains.
2. Pour one liquid on each egg.
3. Place the lid on each container.
4. After three days, remove the lids.
5. Evaluate the egg shells.
6. Write your results and findings.
7. Carefully drain the liquids out of the bowls
8. Pour new liquid over the eggs.
9. Place the lid on each container.
10. After six days, remove the lids.
11. Evaluate the egg shells.
12. Write your results and findings.



Results and Findings:

The third day:
· The egg that soaked in the vinegar had a noticeable decrease in shell. It was, also, swollen.
· The lemon juice started to cause the egg shell to flake apart. There was, also, a noticeable amount on egg shell in the bottom of the bowl.
· The egg soaked in the Coke-Cola was stained brown.
· The salt water seems to have no affect on the egg shell.

COKE

VINEGAR

SALT WATER

LEMON JUICE


Final Results:
· The egg that soaked in vinegar no longer has a shell. The membrane of the egg is the only boundary protecting the yolk. The egg feels firm but has give when pushed.
· The lemon juice has almost eaten a hole in the egg shell. If the egg shell is touched pieces of shell will flake off.
· The egg in the Coke-Cola did not have much of a change between the 3rd day and the 6th day.
· The egg soaking in salt water was not affected.
VINEGAR

COKE

LEMON JUICE
SALT WATER
Discussion and Conclusions:

Vinegar and lemon juice have high levels of acid. The vinegar contains an acid called acetic acid, and the lemon juice contains citric acid. Both liquids had a great affect on the egg shell. The vinegar (acetic acid) completely dissolved the egg shell only leaving the membrane as a protector. The lemon juice (citric acid) did not dissolve the egg shell, but it caused the shell to crumb away from the membrane.
If farther you would like to try this experiment, trying Diet Coke-Cola could be substitute for the regular Coke-Cola.
When compared to the human body, the eggshell is like the enamel on teeth. The vinegar and lemon juice would damage the enamel if consumed in large amounts repetitively. The Coke-Cola will not damage the enamel, but it will stain the enamel causing a brown, dull smile.

Reference and extended resources or acknowledgment:

· http://www.freekidcrafts.com/easy-egg-experiments.html
· http://www.stevespangler.com/teaching-moments/naked-eggs-a-different-twist/



Sunday, March 28, 2010

Play with Shadows

The concept of this experiment is to make shadows. Students are able to make a shadow by shining a light on the figure they made. The shadow forms where the rays of light hit the figure. This makes a larger dark shadow on the wall.
Materials Needed:
  • Scissors
  • Tracing Paper (optional)
  • Thin Card
  • Tape
  • Pencil
  • Thin Stick
  • Bright Flashlight



1. Trace a picture of ghosts from a book, or invent your own and make drawings of them.


2. Transfer your ghost patterns from the tracing paper to the pieces of thin card (optional).
3. Carefully cut out the patterns and tape each one to the end of a stick.



4. Hold the patterns near the wall. Shine a flashlight on them, and large shadow will appear on the wall.



Tennessee State Standards
GLE 0007.Inq.1 Observe the world of familiar objects using the senses and tools.
GLE 0007.Inq.2 Ask questions, make logical predictions, plan investigations, and represent data.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Construct a Compass

Materials:
  • Paint
  • Styrofoam Pad
  • Needle
  • Bar Magnet
  • Modeling Clay
  • Pitcher of water
  • Tape
  • Plastic Container

1. Paint the styrofoam pad.
2. Place the modeling clay in the bottom of the plastic container.
3. Stick the toothpick into the clay.

4. Stroke one end of the magnet along the needle, about 30 times, in the same direction.
5. Tape the needle on the styrofoam.
6. Place the styrofoam on top of the toothpick (do not push the toothpick into styrofoam).
7. Pour the water into the container until the styrofoam is floating.
8. Once the styrofoam is floating, it will begin to spin. The needle will be pointing North to South.

Explanation:
The needle is just a needle until it is stroked with the magnet. Once the needle is stroked with the magnet in the same direction, it turns into a magnet. When the needle is magnetized, one end gains a north pole. The north pole of the Earth’s magnetic field attracts the north pole of the needle. Once the water lifts the piece of Styrofoam off the toothpick, the needles magnetic attraction spins the Styrofoam to the north position.

Tennessee State Standards:

 GLE 0407.12.1 Explore the interactions between magnets.

 GLE 0407.12.2 Observe that electrically charged objects exert a pull on other materials.