Consumer's Challenge
Name(s): ______
MAKE A PLAN
Part A: Think About It!
(1) What product(s) will you test? We will test Bounty paper towels verses the popular Sham Wows.
(2) What do you want to find out? Write a question that addresses the goal of your
experiment. We want to find out which absorbs water better.
Question:
Which absorbs more water, a Bounty paper towel or a Sham Wow of the same size and shape?
(3) What do you think will happen?
This is your hypothesis!!!
The Sham Wow absorbs more water than a paper towel of the same size and shape.
Part B: Plan It!
(4) What will you do to ensure reliable results? We will measure a Bounty paper towel and cut a piece of Sham Wow to be the exact size and shape. We will measure using a ruler to the nearest 1/100th of a centimeter. We will also accurately measure the water with a graduated cylinder to the nearest 1/100th of a mL.
(5) What safety issues do you need to address? When we cut the Sham Wow we need to be careful with the scissors. We will need to be wearing safety glasses in the laboratory when we perform the experiment because we will be using glass graduated cylinders to measure the water.
(6) What steps will you use in your experiment? Be specific!
1. Measure both the width and length of one Bounty paper towel to the nearest 100th of a centimeter.
2. Measure a Sham Wow to be the exact same size, both in width and length, and mark with a pen. Use the ruler to draw a straight line for both width and length. Make at least four Sham Wows of this size.
3. Using the scissors carefully cut the Sham Wow.
4. Compare the Bounty paper towel and cut Sham Wow to be sure they are both the same size and shape. Make any adjustments to the Sham Wow, if necessary.
5. Place 100 mL of water in each of two plastic trays.
6. Place the Bounty paper towel flat onto the water in one of the trays.
7. Place the Sham Wow flat onto the water in the second tray.
8. Carefully lift the paper towel using a pair of tweezers to see if all of the water has been absorbed.
9. Carefully lift the Sham Wow with a pair of tweezers to see if all of the water has been absorbed.
10. If neither the Bounty towel nor Sham Wow absorbed all of the 100 mL of water, dry trays and perform the experiment again using 50 mL of water.
11. Once both the Bounty towel AND Sham Wow has absorbed the entire initial amount of water, prepare to add more water to each tray.
12. Add more water to each tray by using a 10 mL graduated cylinder to increase the water volume in each tray by 5mL increments (to the nearest 1/100 mL). Be sure to document all of the water that has been added to the nearest 100th so a total amount can be calculated.
13. Carefully check to see if the water has been absorbed
14. When it appears that either the Bounty towel or the Sham Wow is getting close to being fully saturated, decrease the increments to 1mL +/- 1/100 mL.
15. When the Bounty towel or Sham Wow leaves the first small amount in the tray. Document the final volume of water that was absorbed by that item.
16. Continue to add water to the unsaturated item until it too becomes completely saturated. Document the total volume of water absorbed by that item.
17. Analyze results and represent data by using appropriate graphs, charts or tables.
18. Write a conclusion summarizing your experiment.
Consumer’s Challenge
MATERIALS
Make a list of the materials you will need for your experiment and indicate the person responsible for providing the item(s).
Item / Person / √Bounty Towels / Mrs. Steiner
Sham Wows / Mr. Steiner
Ruler / Mrs. Steiner
Scissors / Mrs. Steiner
100 mL grad cylinder / Mrs. Steiner
10 mL grad cylinder / Mrs. Steiner
Pen / Mrs. Steiner
Water / Mrs. Steiner
Consumer's Challenge
GREAT GRAPHS
Part A: Collect It!
Use the space below to create a data chart to record the information gathered during
your experiment.
Amount of water (in mL to the nearest 1/100) absorbed by a 10.05 cm x 8.03 cm piece
Bounty Towel / 50.01 / 5.02 / 5.01 / 1.05 / - / - / 61.09
Sham Wow / 50.02 / 5.01 / 5.01 / 5.01 / 5.01 / 1.01 / 71.07
Part B: Graph It!
Use the space below and the data from Part A to construct a graph that illustrates the
results of your experiment.
Consumer's Challenge
CHALLENGE CONCLUSIONS
Use the space below to type a conclusion that summarizes the results of your experiment. Use full sentence with correct punctuation. Be sure to include any errors that were made and any way you could make your experiment better next time.
The results of the experiment concluded that ShamWows absorb more water than Bounty paper towels. This conclusion was reached after accurately creating the same size pieces of Bounty paper towels and Sham Wows and introducing them to precisely measured quantities of water. The results showed that Bounty paper towels absorbed 61.09 mL of water, while the same size piece of Sham Wow absorbed 71.07 mL of water.
An error was made in measuring the first increment of water when some was spilled outside the tray. The tray was emptied and dried with a dishtowel before beginning the experiment over. Also, 100 mL was used as the first increment, as per the procedure. Neither the Bounty paper towel or Sham Wow absorbed all of the 100 mL, so the experiment was started again using 50 mL as the first increment.
In reviewing the data, the question was raised as to whether or not a piece of Bounty paper towel weighing the same (in grams) as the Sham Wow would have absorbed more water. It was noticed that the Bounty paper towels were much thinner than the same size ShamWow. To improve this experiment, another trial could be run with pieces of Sham Wow and Bounty paper towels that weighed exactly the same amount in grams. Also, it would be interesting to determine if Sham Wows also performed other functions that paper towels do such as absorbing grease from bacon and washing windows without streaks.
Consumer’s Challenge Grade Sheet
Team Members:______
Part A: Think About It!
Identifies product(s) to be tested ...... 0 1
Question is clearly stated and addresses topic ...... 0 1 2
Hypothesis is clearly stated and addresses topic ...... 0 1 2
Materials list is complete ...... 0 1 2
Part B: Plan It!
Provides procedures to ensure reliable results ...... 0 1 2
Safety issues are addressed ...... 0 1 2
Procedure
Experiment is outlined in easy-to-follow steps ...... 0 1 2 3
Steps provide good detail ...... 0 1 2 3
Steps incorporate methods for reliable results ...... 0 1 2 3
Part C: Great Graphs!
Data is displayed in an organized chart; labeled ...... 0 1 2
Provides sufficient amount of data ...... 0 1 2
Graph displays results of experiment ...... 0 1 2
Graph is easy-to-read and labeled correctly ...... 0 1 2
Part D: Challenge Conclusions
Conclusion addresses results of experiment ...... 0 1 2
Conclusion addresses hypothesis ...... 0 1 2
Conclusion is well written and detailed ...... 0 1 2
Overall Points
Team members worked well together ...... 0 1 2
Team used class time wisely ...... 0 1 2
Team met project deadlines ...... 0 1 2
Team Points = ______out of 40 Team Grade = ______% ______