The National Student Research Center

E-Journal of Student Research: Consumerism

Volume 2, Number 2, March, 1994

John I. Swang, Ph.D.

Founder/Director

National Student Research Center

2024 Livingston Street

Mandeville, Louisiana 70448

U.S.A.

E-Mail: nsrcmms@communique.net

http://youth.net/nsrc/nsrc.html

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Chips Up For Sale
2. The Bubble Gum Test
3. Are All Paper Towels The Same?
4. Food Price Comparison: Louisiana vs. Connecticut
5. Are All Sponges The Same?
6. Out, Out Darn Spot
7. Which Brand of Tape Works Best?

TITLE:  Chips Up For Sale

STUDENT RESEARCHER:   April Needham   
School:  Mandeville Middle School
         Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE:  6                         
TEACHER:  E. Marino, M.Ed.

                 

I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

I wanted to do a project on consumerism.  I was interested in 
prices for three different 6 oz. bags of chips.  My hypothesis 
states that Winn-Dixie will have lower prices for a 6 oz. bag 
of Lays, Ruffles, and Zapp's chips than Delchamp's or A & P.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

First, I wrote my statement of purpose, review of literature, 
and I developed my hypothesis.  Then I went to Winn-Dixie, 
Delchamp's, and A & P.  I recorded the prices of three brands 
of chips on my data collection form.  Then I analyzed my data.  
Next, I wrote my summary and conclusions.  Then I applied my 
findings to the real world.

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

I found that at Delchamp's, the Zapps, Lays, and the Ruffles 
were $1.39.  At A & P, the Zapps were $1.49, whereas the Lays 
and Ruffles chips were each $1.39.  Winn-Dixie had Zapps for 
$1.34, and Lays and Ruffles were each $1.24.  The total for all 
3 chips at Delchamp's was $4.17, at A & P was $4.27, and at 
Winn-Dixie was $3.82.

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

I have found that Winn-Dixie has lower prices for chips than 
Delchamp's and A & P supermarkets.  Therefore, I accept my 
hypothesis, which stated that Winn-Dixie would have a 6 oz. bag 
of Zapp's, Lay's, and Ruffles chips for the lowest price.

V.  APPLICATION:

Now that I know Winn-Dixie has the lowest price for chips, I 
will tell my mother and friends to buy chips at Winn-Dixie.




TITLE:  Bubble Gum Test
STUDENT RESEARCHER:  I an Hollis  
SCHOOL:   North Stratfield School
          Fairfield, CT.
GRADE:  4
TEACHER:  Mr. Carbone



I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

I wanted to find out which bubble gum had the longest lasting 
flavor.  I think Bubblicious brand will have the longest 
lasting flavor.

II. METHODOLOGY:
  
I will test each bubble gum for the length of time the flavor 
lasts.  I will chew each gum and see how long each flavor 
lasts.  

III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:

   Brand                                Time 
                           (length of time the flavor lasts)

1 Bazooka                           4 min. 54 sec.

2 Bubblicious                       7 min. 26 sec.

3 Bubble Yum                        5 min. 23 sec.

4 Trident Soft                      3 min. 4 sec. 

IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

I found out that Bubblicious had the longest lasting flavor.  
My hypothesis was accepted. 

V. APPLICATION:

Now I can use this finding to help me choose which brand of gum 
to buy.  I can  also do more tests with this test format.




TITLE:  Are All Paper Towels the Same?

STUDENT RESEARCHERS:  Katie Hurd & Taylor Snook
SCHOOL:  North Stratfield
         Fairfield, Conn.
GRADE:  4
TEACHER:  Mr. Carbone



I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

We want to find out if all paper towels hold the same amount of 
water.  Our hypothesis states that the paper towels will not 
hold the same amount of water.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

We used a graduated cylinder to measure the water that we 
poured on the paper towel to see if they would hold the same 
amount.  We will use the Scott brand, the Scott Work Towel, and 
Bounty for our paper towels.

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

Brand                          Water Held

1. Scott                           3 ml.
2. Scott Work Towel                9 ml.
3. Bounty                          2 ml.
                                          
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

We found that the paper towels did not hold the same amount of 
water, so our hypothesis was accepted.

V.  APPLICATION:

Now we know which towel to buy at the store.




TITLE:  Food Price Comparison: Louisiana vs. Connecticut

STUDENT RESEARCHERS:  Mr. Carbone's Math Class
SCHOOL:  North Stratfield School
         Fairfield, Conn.
GRADE:  4
TEACHER:  Mr. Carbone

I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

We want to compare food prices in Louisiana and Connecticut..  
We were wondering which area has higher prices.  Our hypothesis 
states that Connecticut will have higher prices.

II. METHODOLOGY:

We will go to stores in our area and get the food prices.  
Students from other schools in Louisiana will do the same.  We 
will then compare food prices.
These are the foods we will compare:

1________20oz. Honey Nut Cherrios
2________18oz. Welch's Grape Jelly 
3________8oz. Gulden's Mustard      
4________32oz. Heinz Ketchup         
5________32fl oz. Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise                                                                                        
6________8 fl oz. Wishbone French Dressing  
7________6 pack of Coke                    
8________48 fl oz. Ocean Spray Cran Grape   
9________60 oz. Bisquick         
10_______24 fl oz. Log Cabin Syrup     
11_______16 oz. Uncle Ben's Original Brown Rice  
12 _______18 oz. Skippy Peanut butter (Creamy) 
13_______16 oz. Mueller's Spaghetti  
14_______16 oz. Baking Soda         
15_______ 1 lb of Bananas           
16_______1 lb Granny Smith Apples    
17_______ 1 lb Grapes Green (No Seeds)  

III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:

We found that ten of the items were less expensive in 
Connecticut and seven were found to be less expensive in 
Louisiana.  The items we found to be less expensive in 
Connecticut were Honey Nut Cherrios 20 oz., 18 oz. Welch's 
Grape Jelly, 8oz. Gulden's Mustard, 32 oz. Heinz Ketchup, 8 fl. 
oz. Wishbone French Dressing, 60 oz. Bisquick, 24 fl. oz. Log 
Cabin Syrup, 16 oz. Mueller's Spaghetti, 16 oz. Baking Soda, 
and 1 lb. of green grapes (no seeds).  The rest of the items 
were found to be less expensive in Louisiana.
                                                                                                                                           
IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

We saw that Connecticut had more foods with lower prices than 
Louisiana.  Our hypothesis was rejected.  Louisiana had more 
foods with higher prices.

V.  APPLICATION TO LIFE:

1. We know which stores to shop at in Connecticut for the lower 
prices.
2. When we grow up we might consider living in the north.
3. If you are a store manager, you might want to lower your 
prices.




TITLE:  Are All Sponges the Same?

STUDENT RESEARCHERS:  Katie Hurd & Taylor Snook
SCHOOL:  North Stratfield 
         Fairfield, Conn.
GRADE:  4
TEACHER:  Mr. Carbone



I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

We want to find out if all sponges hold the same amount of 
water.  Our hypothesis states that the sponges will not hold 
the same amounts of water.

II.  MEHTODOLOGY:
 
We used a graduated cylinder to measure the amount of water 
that we poured on each sponge.  We will use the brands Spontex 
and a Chamois Cloth.


III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

Brand                                             Water Held

1. Spontex                                           37mL
2. Chamois Cloth                                     25mL
                                                                       

IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

We found that the sponges did not hold the same amount of 
water, so our hypothesis was accepted.


V.  APPLICATION:

Now we know which sponge to buy at the store.




TITLE:  Out, Out Darn Spot

STUDENT RESEARCHER:  Jennifer Nitsche
SCHOOL:  Mandeville Middle School
         Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE:  6
TEACHER:  Madeline Gill



I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:  

Which stain remover (Shout, Right Out, Stain Out, or Spray 'N 
Wash), works the best on removing chocolate stains?  My 
hypothesis states that Shout will work the best because it is 
the most expensive.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

I put 0.5 ml. of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup on the corner of the 
first washcloth.  Next, I put 1.5 ml. of Shout on the chocolate 
and waited one minute.  Then I placed the washcloth, two clean 
bath towels, and 0.5 ml. of Wisk in our Maytag washer on a five 
minute, warm wash cycle set for a large load.  I repeated this 
procedure each time with the remaining three stain removers.  
Finally, I compared the results and recorded my data.  I 
repeated the entire experiment three times.

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

The first time I did the experiment, Shout cleaned the 
chocolate out the best, then Spray 'N Wash, Stain Out, and 
Right Out.  The second time, Spray 'N Wash cleaned the 
chocolate the best, then Shout, Stain Out, and Right Out.  The 
third time, Spray 'N Wash cleaned the chocolate the best, then 
Shout, Stain Out, and Right Out.  

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

Spray 'N Wash removed chocolate stains the best and Right Out 
did the worst.  I rejected my hypothesis because Shout, the 
most expensive stain remover, did not clean the chocolate 
stains the best.

V.  APPLICATION:

Since I have done my experiment, my mother will be able to use 
Spray 'N Wash confidently for chocolate stains.




TITLE:  Which Brand of Tape Works the Best?

STUDENT RESEARCHER:  April Needham
SCHOOL:  Mandeville Middle
         Mandeville, Louisiana
GRADE:  6
TEACHER:  E. Marino M.Ed.

I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

I wanted to do a scientific research project on which brand of 
tape works best; Scotch, K-mart, or K&B tape.  My hypothesis 
states that Scotch tape will hold the best when exposed to 
heat, light, water, and cold.

II.  METHODOLGY:

First, I wrote a statement of purpose, review of literature, 
and developed a hypothesis.  Next, I purchased the three brands 
of tape; Scotch, K-mart, and K&B.  Then I cut a piece of 
looseleaf paper into fourths.  Each fourth was torn into 
eighths.  I then taped each tear with three pieces of each 
brand of tape.  I placed one taped piece under a high intensity 
lamp for 30 minutes, another over the vaporizer for 5 minutes, 
another under the hair dryer on high, 12 inches above the taped 
piece for five minutes, and finally, I put the last taped piece 
in the freezer for 15 minutes.  I recorded any changes noted on 
a data collection form.  Then I wrote an analysis of data, 
summary and conclusion, and applied my findings to the real 
world.

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

I found that Scotch brand tape was still flat and stuck well 
after being exposed to heat, light, water, and cold in all 
trials.  The K-Mart LePage's tape lifted in small spots when 
heated, was loose and almost fell off the paper when wet, and 
didn't change when exposed to light and cold.  For heat, the 
K&B tape was flat and stuck well, for water, it was loose and 
had bubbles, for light it lifted in a small spot, and for cold, 
it was flat and stuck well in all trials.

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS:

In my study, I have found that Scotch brand tape held the best 
in every condition.  K-Mart tape tied with Scotch for light and 
cold but was the poorest for heat and water.  Therefore, I 
accept my hypothesis which stated that Scotch brand tape will 
hold up best when exposed to heat, light, water and cold.

V.  APPLICATION:

Now that I know that Scotch brand tape works the best, I can 
tell everyone to buy it instead of K-Mart and K&B brands.

© 1994 John I. Swang, Ph.D.