The National Student Research Center is dedicated to promoting
student research and the use of the scientific method in all subject
areas across the curriculum, especially science and math.
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TITLE: Paper or Plastic Bags?
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Aimee, Angela, Korby
SCHOOL ADDRESS: Parker High School
Janesville, WI 53545
GRADE: 9th
TEACHER: Mrs. Lippincott
We want to find out whether a plastic or paper grocery bag holds more weight. We believe that paper bags will hold more weight than plastic bags. We think that the paper bag will hold approximately 25 30 pounds and that plastic will hold around 15 pounds.
METHODOLOGY:
To test our hypothesis we will need weights, paper bags, and plastic bags. First, we will get two bags, one plastic and one paper. Next, we will get weights to put into the bags. Third, we will place the weights into the bags one at a time. When the bag breaks we will record the weight that the bag held without breaking.
ANALYSIS OF DATA:
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
We found that paper bags held more than plastic bags, but were hard to handle and inconvenient. Our guess on how much weight that each bag could hold was extremely underestimated. The plastic bag broke at 61.6 pounds. Limitations such as not having enough room in the bag and strength of the group members caused us to stop at the weight of 65.6 pounds for the paper bag.
APPLICATION:
Paper bags are the better choice because they hold more weight and they are recyclable. Considering this, people should use paper instead of plastic bags. By doing this, they are preserving the environment and using a convenient choice. A drawback of the paper bags is the fact that they do not have handles, making them cumbersome. If handles were to be added to paper bags, they would become an even more effective option.
TITLE: Bath and Body Works Customers
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Andrew Moe, Mindy Maenner, Valerie Ostic,
and Michelle Dennis
SCHOOL: Parker High School
Janesville, WI 53545
GRADE: 9
TEACHER: Mrs. Lippincott
Our purpose for this experiment was to find out whether more males or females shop at Bath and Body Works. Our hypothesis states that more females shop at Bath and Body Works than males.
METHODOLOGY:
The materials you need are a pencil, paper, and one hour at the mall on Saturday morning and Saturday evening. Locate a place to sit where the Bath and Body Works store is visible. Record your time at the start of the experiment. Be sure you end one hour later, and record your end time. Record your data in a chart as you observe females and males entering the store. Repeat this procedure in the evening on Saturday for one hour.
ANALYSIS OF DATA:
Our research shows that, on average, more females shop at Bath and Body Works in the Janesville Mall.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
We found that more females shop at Bath and Body Works than males do. We accepted our hypothesis. The limitations we experienced were we had only a certain amount of time to complete our research. Another limitation was we only had four group members in our research team. A shortcoming that we experienced was the fact that not everyone could come at the same time for both observation times. Therefore, we only had two group members to record data for each time slot.
APPLICATION:
Our information would benefit Bath and Body Works Corporation by giving them an understanding of their customers' gender. The differences of the two genders are significant for creating the products of this store. Our findings would help people solve their problems in everyday life by educating the male gender about products they could use.
TITLE: Paper Towel Testing
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Andrea Schnell, Katie Jaenke, and Cara Putney
SCHOOL ADDRESS: Parker High School
Janesville, WI 53546
GRADE: 9th
TEACHER: Mrs. Lippincott
The purpose of our experiment was to test what paper towels were the most absorbent and could hold the most weight. We then wanted to see how this compared to the prices of the towels. We hypothesized that the most absorbent and strongest towels would be the most expensive.
METHODOLOGY:
We tested five different paper towels. The first brand of paper towels was Viva, which was produced by Kimberly-Clark/Kleenex Co. It was 1 ply and the area of one sheet was 11x10.5. The package contained 55 sheets and cost 97 cents. The second brand of towels was Hi-Dri, which was produced by Kimberly-Clark/Kleenex Co. It was 1 ply and the area of one sheet was 9.25x11. One roll contained 78 sheets and cost 69 cents. The third brand was Job Squad, which was produced by Kimberly-Clark/ Kleenex Co. The package contains 50 1-ply sheets. One sheet is 11x10.5. It costs $1.29. The fourth paper towel was Bounty produced by Procter and Gamble. One roll cost 97 cents, and it contained 64 two ply sheets. One sheet was 11x11. The final paper towel was So-Dri produced by Fort James. The package cost 59 cents, and contained 52 two ply sheets. It was 11x11.
Absorbency test: We took a measuring cup and filled it to 250 mL. We then put the paper towel into the measuring cup. After ten seconds we removed the paper towel and let the excess water drip off into the container. Then we measured how much water was left. (Take what is left in the measuring cup subtract it form 250 mL, that is how much the towel absorbed.) We did this three times on each paper towel.
Strength when wet: First, we wet the paper towel. Then we rung out the excess water. Then we put the paper towel on a hard surface. Next, we added weights and lifted the paper towel off the surface. If the paper towel held it, we added more weights gradually until the paper towel ripped. We did this test three times on each paper towel.
Strength when dry: We used the same procedure, except we didn't wet the paper towel.
ANALYSIS OF DATA:
ABSORBENCY
STRENGTH WHEN WET
STRENGTH WHEN DRY:
|
VIVA |
1,801g |
1,970g |
2,141g |
|
HI-DRI |
1,148g |
1,078g |
1,178g |
|
JOB SQUAD |
3,471g |
3,571g |
3,301g |
|
BOUNTY |
2,648g |
2,698g |
2,648g |
|
SO-DRI |
2,448g |
2,698g |
2,648g |
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
Our hypothesis was for the most part correct. The more expensive the brand, the more absorbency and strength it has.
APPLICATION:
This will help any consumer who wants buy paper towels. Like any other product the consumer has many different choices on what to buy. A consumer can buy a better product for more money, or he/she can save money and buy a product that is less efficient.
TITLE: Long Lasting Flavored Gum
STUDENT RESEARCHER(S): Mr. Carbone's Math Class
SCHOOL: North Stratfield
Fairfield, CT 06432
GRADE: 4
TEACHER: Mr. V. Carbone M. Ed.
We want to find out which flavor of gum lasts the longest. We think the gum flavor of Big Red will last the longest.
METHODOLOGY:
We tested three types of gum: Big Red, Juicy Fruit, and Fruit Stripe. We are going to chew the gum until the flavor runs out and keep time on a stop watch. We will then take the average times for all the gums. (Mean average, Median average, and Mode Average.)
ANALYSIS OF DATA:
Mean Average Median Average Mode Average
Big Red Big Red Big Red
3 min. 27 sec. 2 min. 49 sec. 1 min. 50 sec.
Mean Average Median Average Mode Average
Juicy Fruit Juicy Fruit Juicy Fruit
2 min. 1 min. 34 sec. 1 min. and 23
Mean Average Median Average Mode Average
Fruit Stripe Fruit Stripe Fruit Stripe
2 min. 22 sec. 1 min. 41 sec. 1 minute 4 sec.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
Big Red's flavor lasted the longest at 3 minutes and 27 seconds- mean average. Big Red's median and mode average was also longer than the two others. This agrees with our hypothesis that Big Red's flavor lasts the longest.
APPLICATION:
1. Gum companies would want to know this information so they could try to get their gum flavor to last longer.
2. People who buy gum would want to know this information, so they can purchase the longest lasting flavored gum.
3. Store owners would want to stock up on the best gum.
TITLE: Sizes of Bubbles Using Different Kinds of Bubble Gum
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: J.R. Weeks, Andrew Cadaret, Chad Pecore,
James Burke, & Brock Kinnamon
SCHOOL: Bethel Middle School
Shawnee, OK 74801
GRADE: 7
TEACHER: Mr. Jenkins
Our purpose was to test the size of bubbles made by 6 different kinds of bubble gum that were common to our location. Our hypothesis was that Bubblelicious would have the largest bubble at the conclusion of our research.
METHODOLOGY
Materials List - 6 chewers, 6 gums, a knife, a ruler, 7 mirrors, a camera, & post chewing gum container (trash can)
Procedure:
1) Weigh each piece of gum until all pieces weigh the same.
2) Have a friend chew a piece of gum for 90 sec.
3) Have your friend blow one bubble and measure across.
4) Record measurement.
5) Repeat steps 3-4 another six more times for a total of 6 bubbles.
6) Repeat steps 2-5 another six times using the same friends. Each time using a new brand of gum.
7) Calculate and record the average size of a bubble for each brand.
ANALYSIS OF DATA
| Ouch! | Bonanza | Bazooka | Bubble Yum | Bubblelicious | Cry Babies | |
| James | .25 | 0 | .1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chad | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin | 1.5 | 0 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 0 |
| Andrew | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .5 | 0 |
| Brock | 0 | 0 | .5 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 |
| J.R. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Average | 1.1875 | 2 | .7 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0 |
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Our hypothesis was accepted because we found that the largest bubble blown occurred when we used Bubblelicious. If you look to the beginning of the document, you will see this to be our original hypothesis. We also found that it was necessary to measure the bubble by width due to gravity. On average, Bubble Yum had the largest bubbles.
APPLICATION
Various researchers have proved that chewing bubble gum will reduce stress. The U.S. military has given evidence that this is true. They give their troops gum to chew so their stress levels will go down.
TITLE: Bubbles Sizes Using Different Kinds of Bubble Gums
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Ariel Reynolds, Ashley Martin, Josh Casey,
Brandi Brasiel, & Sharon Stearman
SCHOOL: Bethel Middle School
Shawnee, OK 74801
GRADE: 7
TEACHER: Mr. Jim Jenkins
Our purpose was to test the bubble sizes of seven different kinds of bubble gum that were common to our location. Our hypothesis was that the brand name of Bubblelicious would have the largest bubble at the conclusion of our research.
METHODOLOGY
Material list - five chewers, seven different gums, gram scale, knife, ruler, mirror, camera, and gum container.
PROCEDURE:
1. Cut each piece of gum until all pieces weigh the same.
2. Have a friend chew a piece of gum for 90 seconds.
3. Have your friend blow one bubble and measure across.
4. Record the measurements.
5. Repeat steps three and four another six more times for a total of seven bubbles.
6. Repeat steps two-five another six times using the same friends. Each time using a different brand of gum.
7. Calculate and record the average bubble size for each brand.
ANALYSIS OF DATA
| Bubble Yum | Bubblelicious | Ouch! | Bazooka | Cry Babies | Bubble Tape | Gum Balls | |
| Ashley | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Ariel | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Brandi | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Sharon | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Joshua | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 9 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 12 |
| Average Size | 1.8 " | 3.0 " | 2.6 " | 2.2 " | 2.8 " | 1.0 " | 2.4 " |
The above table represents the averages of each brand of bubble gum used in this research
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Our hypothesis was accepted because Bubblelicious brand of bubble gum recorded an average size of 3.0 in. across the face of the bubble. We, as researchers, felt this hypothesis would be proven out because of information discovered from background history and current advertisements.
APPLICATION
There has been a National Bubble Gum Week to celebrate the positive influence that bubble gum has made in our society. Bubble gum has been shown to help people concentrate on their work and help boost moral. Persons have sold and traded bubble gum cards for financial gain.
TITLE: Which Gum Blows the Biggest Bubble
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Kim Long, Amanda Reed, Elizabeth Danner,
Katie Bond, Amanda Grimm, Kacy Holderman,
& Brittany Weathers
SCHOOL: Bethel Middle School
Shawnee, OK 74801
GRADE: 7th and 8th
TEACHER: Mr. Jim Jenkins
Our purpose was to test 7 brands of Bubble Gum in comparison to how well a bubble could be blown. Our hypothesis stated that the brand Bubble Yum would have the capabilities of creating the biggest bubble.
METHODOLOGY:
Materials used included friends, pieces of gum from each brand, gram scale, ruler, knife, mirrors, pencil, paper, and a clock with second hand.
1. Not all bubble gum pieces are the same size and shape. Weigh each piece and cut them with a knife until all pieces weigh the same.
2. Give a friend a piece of gum and have her chew it for 90 seconds.
3. Have your friend blow a bubble for 90 seconds and hold a ruler next to it to measure the distance across the bubble.
4. Record the measurement.
5. Repeat the steps 3-4 another 7 times to get the total of 7 bubbles.
6. Repeat the steps 5 another 7 times with the same friend, each time using a different brand of gum.
7. Calculate and record the average bubble size for each gum brand.
ANALYSIS OF DATA:
| Bazooka | Bubble Yum | Bubblelicious | Cry Babies | Bonanza | Ouch! | Bubble Tape | |
| Katie | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Elizabeth | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 0 |
| Kim | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Amanda G. | 1.5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0 |
| Kacy | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 1,5 | 0 |
| Amanda R. | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| Brittany | 4 | 3 | 2.5 | 0 | 3 | 2.5 | 0 |
| Average | 2.29 | .86 | 2.71 | .64 | 2.43 | 1.5 | .57 |
This table is a continuation of analysis of data. All numbers are listed in inches.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
We thought that Bubble Yum would be the biggest bubble gum blowing brand, but we found that Bubblelicious blew the biggest bubble as showed from the chart above. We did not accept that Bubble Yum blew the biggest one because it didn't. So we found out that Bubblelicious blew the greatest size bubble out of the brands that we had.
APPLICATION:
Somebody might challenge us and find out that a different gum blows the biggest bubble and then the kids of the world will know which gum they should buy to blow the biggest bubble and maybe brake the world record.
TITLE: Different Size Bubbles of the Best Brand Bubble Gums
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Isaac Terry, Jamie Agley, Liz Goodnight,
& Kyle Sweetin
SCHOOL: Bethel Middle School
Shawnee, Oklahoma 74801
GRADE: 7th
TEACHER: Mr. Jenkins
Our purpose was to test the bubble sizes of seven different kinds of bubble gum that were common to our location. Our hypothesis was that Bubblelicious would have the largest bubble at the conclusion of our research.
METHODOLOGY
Materials List - four friends, different types of gum, gram scale, knife, ruler, and gum container.
PROCEDURE
1. Cut each piece of gum until all pieces of gum weigh the same.
2. Have a friend chew a piece of gum for 90 seconds.
3. Have a friend blow a bubble within 90 seconds and measure across the bubble.
4. Record the measurement. All measurements were taken across the bubble because of the influence of gravity.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 another six more times for a total of 7 bubbles.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 for another 6 times using the same friend.
7. Calculate and record the average bubble size for each brand of gun.
Our constant was that all gum weighed exactly the same amount. A variable not controlled for was the way each gum chewer prepared their gum during the 90 seconds allotted for preparation to blow a bubble. A second uncontrolled variable was the skill ability of each chewer in blowing bubbles.
ANALYSIS OF DATA
| Bubble Tape | Ouch! | Bazooka | Bubblelicious | Bubble Yum | Cry Babies | Gum Balls | |
| Jamie | 2 | 3.5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Kyle | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2.5 |
| Isaac | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2.5 | 2 | 2 |
| Liz | 1 | 3.5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Average | 1ß | 2.8 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 2.8 | .1.9 |
NOTE: All measurements are recorded in inches to the nearest tenth. When "0" appear in the above table it indicates no bubbles blown by that student. Those columns with "0" where added and still averaged by dividing the total by four.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
We found that Bubblelicious was the best brand of bubble gum to use if blowing a large bubble is your quest. When chewed for 90 seconds it became soft and flexible. During the 90 second bubble blowing we observed Bubblelicious achieve a bubble 4.5 inches across.
APPLICATION
This information could be helpful to those entering bubble blowing contest. Those persons who would want to blow the largest bubble for a world record could receive benefit. Teachers could use this information to increase their students desire to perform research and write for publication.
TITLE: The Way Different Kinds Of Bubble Gum Blow Different Size Bubbles
STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Lacy Abbott, Kayla Estorga, Dustin Kiser,
& Danielle Shafer
SCHOOL: Bethel Middle School
Shawnee, Oklahoma 74801
GRADE: 7th
TEACHER: Mr. Jenkins
Our purpose was to test the bubble sizes produced by seven different kinds of bubble gum that were common to our location. Our hypothesis is that Cry Babies brand will have the largest bubble at the conclusion of our research. Our decision was also based on the past experiences of the researchers.
METHODOLOGY
Materials List - four friends, different types of gum, gram scale, knife, ruler, and gum container.
PROCEDURE
1. Cut each piece of gum until all pieces of gum weigh the same.
2. Have a friend chew a piece of gum for ninety seconds.
3. Have your friend blow one bubble and measure it across.
4. Record your measurement. All measurements were taken across the bubble due to the influence of gravity if measured up and down.
5. Repeat steps three and four another six times for a total of seven bubbles.
6. Repeat steps two through five another six times using the same friends. Each time using a different brand of gum.
7. Calculate and record the average bubble size for each brand.
ANALYSIS OF DATA
| Bubblelicious | Bubble Tape | Rain Blow | Ouch | Bazooka | Bubble Yum | Cry Babies | |
| D.S. | 4 | 2 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 4 |
| K.E. | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3.5 | 6 |
| D.K. | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| L.A. | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 2 | 4 |
The average for Bubblelicious size was 3.75 inches, the average for Bubble Tape was 1. 3 inches, the average for Rain Blow was 2.4 inches, the average for OUCH was 3.4 inches, the average for Bazooka 3.8 inches, the average for Bubble Yum was 2.4 inches, and the average for Cry Babies was 4.8 inches. ALL AVERAGES WHERE ROUNDED TO NEAREST TENTH.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Our hypothesis was accepted. The brand of gum Cry Babies produced the biggest bubbles of all the gum.
APPLICATION
Our findings indicated that during the course of our procedure we found that gum relieved stress. Background research revealed that the U.S military issues gum to its soldiers because it's been shown to help people concentrate on their work and it helps boost morale. Gum is still standard issue in field rations and on military ships. The blowing of bubbles with gum provides a competitive spirit and studies have shown this helps to maintain a person's self esteem.
TITLE: Which Is The Strongest Paper Towel?
STUDENT RESEARCHER(S): All Students In Class
SCHOOL: North Stratfield
Fairfield, CT 06432
GRADE: 4
TEACHER: Mr. V. Carbone, M. Ed.
We are going to compare three paper towels to see which one is the strongest when wet? We think that Bounty paper towel is the strongest.
METHODOLOGY:
We will test three different kinds of paper towels. First, we will cut each paper towel sheet to the same dimensions. Next, we will place fifty drops of water in the center of the towel. Two people will hold the edges of the towel so it is taut. Then, we will begin adding weights onto the paper towel until the towel tears. We will be using ounces (oz.) and pounds (lb.) as the unit of measurement.
ANALYSIS OF DATA:
| Paper Towel | Mean Average | Price |
| Bounty | 16 oz. (1 lb.) | $1.99 |
| CVS | 9 oz. | $0.79 |
| VIVA Kleenex | 17 oz. (1 lb 1 oz.) | $1.22 |
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
Viva Kleenex was the strongest paper towel. We reject our hypothesis, because we thought Bounty would be the strongest.
APPLICATION:
1. The different companies would want to know this information so they can make their paper towel better.
2. Shoppers would want to know which paper towel is the strongest, so they could buy the best.
3. Companies who do the advertising would want to know this information so they can put together ads that state the strongest brand.
4. Stores would want to know this information so they can stock up on the strongest paper towel.
TITLE: Which Paper Towel Holds The Most Water?
STUDENT RESEARCHER(S): All Students In Class
SCHOOL: North Stratfield
Fairfield, CT 06432
GRADE: 4
TEACHER: Mr. V. Carbone, M. Ed.
We are going to compare three paper towels to see which holds the most water? We think Bounty paper towel will hold the most water.
METHODOLOGY:
We will first of all cut each paper towel sheet to the same dimensions. We will fill a tray with water and place the towel in the water. Next, we will take the towel out and hold it horizontal to the ground
allowing the water to drip off. Once the towel stops dripping, we will squeeze the remaining water from the towel into a graduated cylinder to see how much water it holds. We will measure the amount of water the paper towel sheet held.
ANALYSIS OF DATA:
| Paper Towel | Mean Average | Price |
| Bounty | 13 ml | $1.99 |
| CVS | 8 ml | $0.79 |
| VIVA Kleenex | 21 ml | $1.22 |
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:
The paper towel Viva Kleenex held the most water. We reject our hypothesis, because we thought Bounty would hold the most water.
APPLICATION:
1. The different companies would want to know this information so they can make their paper towel better.
2. Shoppers would want to know which paper towel holds the most water, so they could buy the best.
3. Companies who do the advertising would want to know this information so they can put together ads that state which brand holds the most water.
4. Stores would want to know this information so they can stock up on the paper towel that holds the most water.