The National Student Research Center

E-Journal of Student Research: Consumerism

Volume 4, Number 3, July, 1996

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. Doll Quality
2. Life of Alkaline Batteries
3. Which Toothpaste Cleans the Best?
4. Which Battery Lasts The Longest And Costs The Least?
5. Vitamin C In The Two Most Popular Orange Juices
6. How Long Do Batteries Last Running Two Motors?

Title:  Doll Quality

Student Researcher:  Rachal Badra
School Address:  Hillside Middle School
                 1941 Alamo
                 Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007
Grade: 7
Teacher:  Barbara A. Minar


I.  Statement of Purpose and Hypothesis:

I wanted to know if Barbie or G.I. Joe was a better quality and
better manufactured doll.  I wanted to find out which would do
better in a series of tests.  My hypothesis stated that if I
compare a Barbie doll and a G.I. Joe doll, the G.I. Joe doll
would have a better quality.  I thought that because G.I. Joe
is a fighting doll.  He should be rougher and tougher and
better able to stand up to the wear and tear of play.

II.  Methodology:

The materials I used to test my hypothesis were: one hammer,
one freezer, one Barbie doll, one G.I. Joe doll, and one timer.
The manipulated variable was the brand of doll I used.  The
variables held constant were: the plastic material in dolls,
amount of hammer force, amounts of times hit, freezer
temperature, placement in a freezer, general doll shape to
begin with, and force of twisting.

I tested my hypothesis by running the dolls through three tests
and then comparing the results (ie; body damage, paint
chipping, etc.).  The procedure for each test were: 1) Take a
Barbie and a G.I.Joe doll and make sure that they are both in
good shape to begin with.  2) Pound each doll ten times with a
hammer.  3) Put both in freezer for half-hour.  4) After half-
hour is up, bend and twist each to see if any damage occurs,
such as limbs breaking, paint chipping, etc.

III.   Analysis of Data:

For the hammer test, Barbie did just fine.  No damage was done.
G l Joe' s paint chipped and he got a few small dents here and
there.  The freezer did nothing to either of the dolls.  They
were both just fine.  On the twisting test, Barbie did well,
but G.I. Joe' s punching arm got messed up.

IV.   Summary and Conclusion:

The data showed that Barbie did well in all of the three tests,
and G.I. Joe did well on only one, while scoring a little bit
lower on the other two.  My findings led me to reject my
hypothesis because Barbie survived all of the tests without a
scratch and G. I. Joe did not do quite as well, contrary to
what I thought.

V.   Application:

The findings from my research apply to the world outside of the
classroom because it can help parents decide which toy will
last longer and be more durable no matter what their kids may
do to it.  My research was like a Consumers Guide experiment.
I do not really think that my experiment could solve any world
problems except maybe for parents who are tired of running out
and buying a new toy because the last one broke.  For further
research, I would probably look into the materials and
chemicals used to make the dolls and the processes used to make
them.  That might show why Barbie did better than the G.I.Joe.



TITLE:  Life of Alkaline Batteries

STUDENT RESEARCHERS:  Matt Talancy and Jaris Wicklund
SCHOOL:  Dawson Elementary School
         Holden,   Massachusetts
GRADE:  5
TEACHER:  Wayne A. Boisselle, M. Ed.


I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

We want to find out what type of battery will last the longest.
We will test Duracell, EverReady Energizer, Rayovac, Panasonic,
CVS, Fidelity, Walgreens, and Top Crest.  Our hypothesis states
that Duracell will last the longest.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

First, we wrote our statement of purpose.  Then we did our
literature review.  We then came up with a hypothesis.  The
next thing we did was buy the batteries and start our
experiment.  We used five flashlights to test the batteries'
durations.  When we turned the flashlights on we recorded what
time it was.  We did the same thing when we turned them off.
We repeated these steps until the lights no longer turned on.
Next, we added up all of the durations of the batteries.  We
then did our analysis of data which tells how long the
different batteries lasted.  Finally, we accepted or rejected
our hypothesis and  applied our findings to the real world.

 III. ANALYSIS OF DATA

The Duracell batteries lasted for thirty-four hours and fifty-
one minutes. The Energizer batteries lasted for thirty-four
hours.  The CVS batteries lasted for thirty-two hours.  The
Fidelity batteries lasted for twenty-six hours.  The Rayovac
batteries lasted for twenty-five hours.  The Walgreens
batteries also lasted for twenty-five hours.  The Panasonic
batteries lasted for twenty-three hours.  The Top Crest
batteries lasted for twenty hours.

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

As you can see, Duracell was the longest lasting battery over
Energizer by fifty-one minutes.  Therefore, we accept our
hypothesis which stated that Duracell would last the longest.

V.  APPLICATION

The way this experiment could be used in the real world is to
inform people which battery lasts the longest.




Title:  Which Toothpaste Cleans the Best?

Student Researcher:  Neeraj Sathe
School Address:  Hillside Middle School
                 1941 Alamo
                 Kalamazoo, Ml 49007
Grade:  7
Teacher:  Barbara A. Minar


I.  Statement of Purpose and Hypothesis:

My topic was on toothpastes.  I wanted to find out which
toothpaste worked the best, Crest or Colgate.   My hypothesis
stated that, if I compare Colgate to Crest, then Crest will
clean the best.

II.  Methodology:

Here were the materials I used: two identical toothbrushes, two
white tiles, one travel tube Crest, one travel tube Colgate,
one cup coffee, one cup water, and one color meter.

I tested my hypothesis with this procedure: 1)  Place two tiles
on a table.  2)  Put one tablespoon of coffee on each tile.  3)
Let coffee dry for one hour.  4)  Then place one cm. of each
brand (Colgate and Crest) on the desired toothbrush.  5)  Next,
vigorously brush for one min. both plates using both
toothpastes at the same time.  6)  Then rinse each tile with a
half a cup of water by pouring down from the top of each tile.
7)  Last, match color on tile to color bar.

III.  Analysis of data:

I ranked the cleaning job each toothpaste did on the coffee
stain as Poor, O.K., and Good.  In the first trial, Crest and
Colgate both did an O.K. job of cleaning the stain.  In the
second trial, Crest did a Good job and Colgate did an O.K. job
of cleaning the stain.  in the third trial, Crest did a Good
job of cleaning the stain and Colgate did an O.K. job.

IV.  Summary and Conclusion:

In this experiment, I found out that Crest is a better brand
than Colgate.  I accepted my hypothesis.  Crest is a more
distasteful looking toothpaste, but it does a good job.  If I
did change anything about this research, it probably would be 
the stain because coffee takes too long to dry.

V.  Application:

My research applies to the world outside because people now
know to eliminate Colgate from their shopping lists.  Only if
they want to, it's personal preference though.  My data
indicate that Crest is better.




TITLE:  Which Battery Lasts The Longest And Costs The Least?

STUDENT RESEARCHERS:  Jaime Green and Leanne Ahronian
SCHOOL:  Dawson Elementary School
         Holden, MA
GRADE:  5
TEACHER:  Wayne A. Boisselle, M. Ed


I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

We wanted to find out which brand of battery lasted the longest
in comparison to its price and to figure out the best over-all
battery.  Our hypothesis stated that Eveready will last the
longest and cost the least.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

First we came up with our purpose.  We then did our research
for our literature review.  We also made sure to save our
bibliography information.  After we reviewed our literature, we
developed a hypothesis.

We used 4 flashlights with 2 D size batteries.  The brands we
tested were: Duracell, CVS, Eveready, and Energizer.  We then
made a data collection sheet.  We did the experiment by putting
batteries in flashlights and timing how long the light stayed
lit.  We recorded the time of each battery when we turned the
flashlights on and then when we turned them off.  When a
battery ran out we wrote down the total time it lasted and
rounded it to the nearest hour.  We used a spreadsheet to
organize all our data.  We then analyzed our data, accepted or
rejected our hypothesis, and applied our data to the real
world.

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

Our data showed that Duracell lasted 109 hours and costs $2.54,
Energizer lasted 101 hours and costs $2.99, Eveready Super
Heavy Duty lasted 15 hours and costs  $1.79,  and CVS brand
lasted 120 hours and costs $2.19. Duracell cost $.02 per hour,
Energizer cost $.02 per hour, Eveready Super Heavy Duty cost
$.11 per hour, and CVS cost $.01 per hour.  Cost per hour was
calculated by dividing cost by time.

IV.  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

Our data collection sheet showed that CVS brand lasted longer
than Eveready, Energizer, and Duracell.   Eveready was the
least expensive.  The best all around battery, however, was CVS
at $.01 per hour.  We reject our hypothesis which stated that
Eveready would last the longest and cost the least.

V.  APPLICATION:

This project can help others by informing them which battery is
the longest lasting and may cost the least.




TITLE:  Vitamin C In The Two Most Popular Orange Juices

STUDENT RESEARCHERS:  Neil DiPerrio  and  Kyle Grooms
SCHOOL:     Dawson Elementary School
            Holden,  Massachusetts
GRADE:  5
TEACHER:  Wayne Boisselle,  M. Ed.


I.  STATEMENT  OF  PURPOSE  AND HYPOTHESIS:

We want to find out which kind and brand of orange juice is the
richest in Vitamin C.  Our hypothesis states that Tropicana
will have more Vitamin C than Minute Maid.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

First, we wrote our purpose.  When we got enough information we
wrote our literature review.  We then developed our hypothesis.
Then we gathered the right materials which were Tropicana and
Minute Maid Orange Juice, 2 medicine droppers, a waste bucket,
2 graduated cylinders, 2 styrofoam cups, Indolphenol (a blue
indicator solution), and water.  We then started our
experiment. First, we tested pure Vitamin C to use as our
control. Then we tested Minute Maid and Tropicana Orange Juice.
The way we did our experiment was we took Indolphenol and
water, measured 10 ml of each into two separate styrofoam cups.
Then we used medicine droppers and added the orange juice to
the water and to the Indolphenol, one drop at a time, stirring
each time, until the Indolphenol and water where the same color
(cloudy and color less). We repeated this procedure with both
juices and recorded our data on a data collection sheet.  Next,
we wrote our summary and conclusion and accepted or rejected
our hypothesis.  Finally, we applied our data to the real
world.

III. ANALYSIS OF DATA:

It took 4 drops of Minute Maid Orange Juice and 3 drops of
Tropicana Orange Juice to make the water and the Indolphenol
change to the same color.  Pure Vitamin C took one drop, so the
fewer the drops the more Vitamin C.

IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

We found that, out of the two orange juices, Tropicana had more
Vitamin C than Minute Maid. Therefore, we accept our hypothesis
which states that Tropicana will have more Vitamin C than
Minute Maid.

V. APPLICATION:

Our research could be useful by informing people of a juice
that is high in Vitamin C, and to help them choose a more
healthful orange juice.




TITLE:  How Long Do Batteries Last With Two Motors?

STUDENT RESEARCHERS:  Matthew T. Doherty and William A. Salter
SCHOOL:   Dawson Elementary School
          Holden, MA
GRADE:  5
TEACHER:  Wayne A. Boisselle


I.  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS:

We would like to do a scientific research project on how long D
alkaline batteries would last with two motors.  Our hypothesis
states that two Energizer batteries running  two motors with
propellers will last up to twenty-four hours.

II.  METHODOLOGY:

The first thing we did was write our purpose.  Next, we
gathered our information and used it to write our literature
review.  We decided on our hypothesis by looking at our
literature review.  Next, we began our experiment.  The
materials we used for our experiment were: Legos, 6 wires, 2
motors, 4 Energizer batteries, 2 propellers, and 1 battery
holder.  We built motor holders out of Legos to keep the motors
stable.  We put 2 motors with propellers into a parallel
circuit with the batteries.  We kept track of our data by
turning on our experiment and writing down the time on a data
collection sheet.  Before the end of each day, we turned off
our experiment and wrote down the time again.  Then we analyzed
our data.  Next, we accepted or rejected our hypothesis and
wrote our summary and conclusion. Finally, we applied our
findings to the real world.

III.  ANALYSIS OF DATA:

The time for trial 1 was 9 hours and 37  minutes, and for trial
2 was 9 hours and 34 minutes.

IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

The two Energizer batteries did not last up to twenty-four
hours. Therefore, we reject our hypothesis which stated that
two Energizer batteries with two motors will last up to twenty-
four hours.  Even though the batteries were the same brand
there was some variation.

V.  APPLICATION

Our data can be used to inform people how long Energizer
batteries can last.  This may be helpful for consumers in
making a decision about which batteries to buy.

© 1996 John I. Swang, Ph.D.