C452 Task 3 - Science project PDF

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Which Brand of Paper Towel Absorbs More Water

Project Design Plan As I have collected information about the use of paper towels, and how much I use it in my household I found that almost every house in America uses paper towels in their homes either to clean up spills, dry dishes or even to write down notes for their family. Sometimes I wonder what I see on TV is true that a particular paper towel is better at absorbing spills than others. So I investigated three different brands of paper towels (Viva, Bounty, Great Value) to see how absorbent they are. This experiment may show me that my favorite brand of paper towel (Viva) is still the best out there or not and how good all the other were. Part A1. Literature Review According to the Good House Keeping Institute, Viva paper towels gave the best results out of 19 other towel paper brands. I intend to use the information of this experiment to help me choose which brand of paper towel to buy at the supermarket will give me better results for picking up spills. Paper towels are made of recycled fibers such as wood, cotton, and some plants. The liquid absorption of the sheet is due by tiny pores that help water to cling to it (Bloofield, 2001). Paper towels are made different from other types of paper products such as toilet paper because they need to be more absorbent. The paper towel is interlaced loosely to form air pockets that attract the liquid to be absorbed (Admin, 2010). With this in mind, in this experiment, I will use three

different brands of paper towel, the same amount of water and an equal amount of time for each paper to observe which brand can absorb more water. Part A2a. Experimental Design Steps 1. Place 400ml. of tap water in a container 2. Take 3 sheets of paper towel from 3 different brand of paper towel (11x 11 ¼ in. approx.) 3. Place each sheet of paper towel in the container that has a 400 ml of water in it for 5 seconds 4. Remove the sheet of paper after the 5 seconds in the water and discard immediately 5. Measure the amount of water left in the container using a measuring cup with demarcation in milliliters. 6. Write down the data of the amount of water left in the container on your graph data paper 7. Repeat steps 1-5, 3 times for each brand of paper towel you chose 8. Compare the results from the three different brands of paper towel chosen

Part A2b. Reasoning I chose this method because I believe it was the easiest way to find out the results of absorbency. The reason behind this method was to see how well these three different brands of paper towels absorbed liquids. I will observe how much water each sheet of paper towel from the three different brands absorbs to compare them among them and decide which brand has a better performance on cleaning spills up at home without having to use much paper. A2c. Sequence of Events 

You will need to tore out of three sheets of paper towel from each roll of paper towel brand (Bounty, Great Value, and Viva).

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You need to use a ruler with centimeter and inches demarcations and measure each sheet of paper towel 11x11 ¼ inches each (9 in total. Three from each roll of paper towel, 3x3=9).

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A pair of scissors to cut each paper towel to the proper size

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You will also use a measuring cup containing demarcation in ounces and ml. to measure the 400 ml. of water (control variable) where each sheet of paper towel will be submerged for five seconds using the timer.

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A container big enough to hold 400ml. of water

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After each sheet of paper is submerged for five seconds and out of the container, I will throw the used paper towels in the trash can, then I would measure the water left in the container in ml. using the same measuring cup used to measure the control variable of 400 ml. of water.

After all data is collected, I use my calculator to estimate the average of the water absorbed from each paper towel brand. I will record my findings on the data graph next to me. At the end of my findings I will compare my data with the brands tested in this experiment to make my conclusions. Part A2d. Tools, Technologies & Measurement Units This is the list of all the material and equipment you will use in this experiment: 

Three brands of paper towel (Viva, Bounty and Great Value),

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A measuring cup with demarcation in ml. and oz., to measure 400 ml. of water that is going to be use to submerged the paper towel sheets in.

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One container to hold 400ml. of water,

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A ruler with differentiation in inches and cm. to measure each paper towel, 11x11 ¼ in. each.

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A pair of scissors to cut each paper towel the same size, (11x11 ¼ in.)

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Paper and pencil to record data

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A timer to time the submerging of the paper towel for five seconds

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A trash can to throw away the wet paper towels.

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One calculator

A3. Variables Independent variable: 3 Great Value paper towel sheets, 3 Viva paper towel sheets, 3 Bounty Advanced paper towel sheets. Controlled Variable: 400 ml. of water in a container, the size of the paper, the amount of time soaking the sheet of paper towel. Dependent Variable: Amount of water to be absorbed for each paper towel. A4. Threat Reduction to Internal Validity 

I will make sure the container is dry before pouring water for all and each sheet of paper towel.

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I will use the same measuring cup for the water to maintain the accuracy of the amount of water used.

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I will collect the water from the same source (the sink in the kitchen) to keep the same source of water.

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The time will be set up at the same time I placed the sheet of paper in the container with water to ensure that each sheet of paper has the same amount of soaking time.

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Each paper towel from each brand will be measured in inches to make the necessary adjustments to make each sheet of paper the same size

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Each paper towel brand sheet needs to be tested three times and write down the data each time.

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I will make sure the water does not spill and, in the event, that this happened I will restart the test again.

Part A5. Hypothesis I hypothesize that “Viva” paper towel is more absorbent than the leading brand Bounty and other common brands. I based my hypothesis on the test results done by Good House Keeping which put the Viva paper towel more useful to pick up larger spills than other tested brands. Part B. Process of Data Collection 

I made a graph table with the names of each one of the paper towel brands and numbered each sheet of paper 1-3.

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I labeled each group of paper towel brand to keep it in order of testing on my working surface. I worked on each brand of paper towel one at a time making sure all sheets of paper towel had the same dimensions (11x11 ¼ in.) and made adjustments to make all the paper sheets the same measurement using a ruler with inches demarcation and scissors to adjust sizes.

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I measured 400 ml. of water each time I submerge the sheet of paper towel in the water. I dry the container after each test to make sure the quantity of water stays the same.

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After 5 seconds (using a timer) I took each of the sheets of paper out and tossed it out and wrote down the data of the water remained in the container

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I average all the amounts of water left in the container for each one of the three paper towel brands by using a Casio calculator.

Data Table

400 ml of water 1st sheet 2nd. Sheet 3rd. sheet Average Part B1. Methods

Great Value

Bounty

Viva

375 ml.

300 ml.

325 ml.

375 ml. 380 ml. 376.7 ml. (23.3)

325 ml. 325 ml. 316. ml. (83.3)

325 ml. 320 ml. 323.3 ml. (76.6)

The methods and tools I used to conduct my experiment and collect the data were available in my house. I chose milliliters as a standard unit system for measuring volume because the measuring bowl I have at home has the demarcation in ounces and milliliters. This measuring units in the bowl facilitated the measurement of the water for the experiment, as I use the marks in the bowl to measure the basic units needed. It helps me collect the data I needed to measure the quantity of water left in the container. I also used the ruler because it is an instrument marked at regular intervals that can measure the length and width of the paper towel sheets used for this event. Besides, it has a hard edge to draw a straight-line which I use to mark all the paper towels the same size. I used “inches” because it is the unit system used in the United States. I could of use the metric unit of cm. but since I live in the United States, I adapted to use inches instead. In a combination of these tools, made it possible to collect the information about which paper towel was the most efficient in absorbent spills.

Part C. Results The purpose of this experiment was to see which of the three paper towels brand I chose was the most absorbent. The results of this experiment were that Bounty brand paper towel was the most absorbent. It absorbed on average of 83.3ml. of water when the Viva brand paper towel absorbed 76.6ml. of water. Great Value brand only absorbed 23.3 of water

A mo un t of wa ter ab sor be d (m

Paper Towel Absobency Scale 1:10 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Great Value

Viva

Bounty

Brand of Paper Towel

Part D. Conclusion The hypothesis stated that the Viva paper towel brand had better absorption than the other two brands based on research found on the internet by Good Housekeeping. However, my hypothesis is incorrect because Bounty average amount of water absorption was 83.3, Viva only 76.6 and Great Value with a 23.3 ml. of water absorption. In a note by It Cleaning Supply.com website stated that not all paper products made the same, and they are loosely interfaced with each other to create more air pockets for absorption. This statement about how paper towels made proves to me that Bounty brand may have more air pockets than the other brands I tested it.

D2. Experimental Design It is important for scientists to carefully design any experiment to get the right data in order to get valid answers. As consumers we look for credible sources to make an informed

decision about a product. An experiment should be repeatable and give the same results. A careful design experiment should give the same results as long as you recognize and analyze the types of variables that are being evaluated. If a scientist does not plan an experiment before carrying it out it will affect the results incorrectly as a credible source of information.

D3. Replication To replicate an experiment is to confirm or refute the hypothesis you made for your experiment. It is empirical that the same experiment can be replicated to test the accuracy of the results. By doing so we can either show that further testing is needed for further investigation or to draw conclusions about our investigation. Anyone can replicate my design experience as long as the variables stays the same the results will fairly be the same. I have confidence that anyone can apply the same scientific skills I used in conducting this experiment and draw the same results. By using these skills, I was able to make my conclusion and furthermore to clarify any doubts I had at the beginning of my investigation. It is important to take into an account that if any of the variables were alter such as testing more brands of paper towel the experiment my produce different outcomes.

D3a. Validity It is essential to determine how reliable the results are in an experiment by replicating the same test. This is the reason why scientist use replications to make sure the results are the same. It is important to control as many variables as possible to maintain the validity of the experiment. If in any way any of the variables are alter the reliability of the results are affected, and the validation of the experiment will be at stake. Therefore, scientists, carefully

plan, analyze, investigates and proves all variables during an experiment. When a scientist replicates an experiment, it means that the results are valid and reliable.

Part E. References Admin (2010, August 24). Why are paper towel more absorbent than napkins or tissues in cleaning up spills? Retrieved from https://www.cleanitsupply.com/blog/why-are-paper-towelsmore-absorbent-than-napkins-or-tissues/

Bloofield, L. (2001, June 15). How does a paper towel absorb water?. Retrieved from http://howeverythingworks.org/wordpress/2001/06/15/question-1496/

The Good Housekeeping Institute (2012, April 4). Viva paper towels. Retrieved from https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home-products/paper-towels/a22898/viva-papertowels/...