Marshmallow Catapult shooter

 Aim: To make a marshmallow shooter and work out what forces are acting on it.

Equipment: Paper cup, scissors, balloon, marshmallow.

Method:

1. Cut out the bottom of the cup.
2. Cut off the neck of the balloon.
3. Stretch the open end of the balloon over the bottom of the cup.
4. Place marshmallow in cup.
5. Pull balloon back to fire marshmallow.

Results:

Discussion: 

When the marshmallow was in the cup all the forces (thrust, friction, gravity and support) were even as it wasn't moving. When the marshmallow left the cup then the thrust force was greater as it sped up. As it came back down to the ground then gravity and friction/ drag were the greater forces as it slowed down and came back down.

Conclusion:

Yes it worked really well. Some groups taped the balloon to the side of the cup which made it more stable which I would include next time. 

Robotic Hand

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

·         Tape

·         Scissors

·         Cardboard paper or cardstock paper

·         2 standard drinking straws

·         Big straw

·         Yarn or twine

Step 2: Draw Your Robotic Hand

1.   Trace your hand on a cardboard or cardstock paper.

2.   Cut the traced hand out (cutting it a little bigger than the actual tracing).

Step 3: Creating Joints

1.   Mark your finger joints on the cutout.

2.   Draw straight or curved line across it.

Step 4: Creating Your Robotic Hand

1.   Fold the fingers at the lines.

2.   Cut smaller straws to size (leave a little gap between the lines to facilitate in threading the yarn).

3.   Tape straw pieces to the hand.

4.   Thread yarn through the straw pieces. Each finger will have a length of yarn of its own.

5.   Thread all five pieces of yarn through the bigger straw.

Wind Racers

Year 10 Wind Racers

Aim:

To build the fastest wind racer out of the supplied materials.

Equipment:

• Trolley (cart chassis)
• String
• Cardboard
• Paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• clamp stand

Research:

Method:

1. Screw the pole from the clamp stand into the chassis.
2. Tape strips of cardboard onto the base of the pole so they form the base of the sail.
3. Cut out a large piece of paper and fold it over and around the pole to form sails.
4. Tape it together and ensure it is stable and secure.
5. Decorate the sails and name the vessel.
6. Use the wind blower and measure the distance and speed it travels.

Results:

Our wind racer went a distance of 12 meters in a time of 27 seconds. Using the formula of speed= distance/ time i can calculate the speed of my wind racer.

v= d/t
v= 12/27
v= 0.445 m/s

Biuret Test for Proteins

Testing for the Presence of Proteins

Aim:
To test to see if a sample of food contains proteins.

Equipment:

• Test tube
• Sodium Hydroxide (0.1 mol/L)
• Copper sulfate (0.1 mol/L)
• Food sample (milk and eggs)

Method:

1. Place about 2mL of sample into a test tube.
2. Add 5 drops of sodium hydroxide
3. Add 5 drops of copper sulfate
4. Shake the test tube gently from side to side.
5. Record your observations.

Results:
The egg whites when tested with the Biuret solution turned a light blue colour and on further addition of sodium hydroxide turned a dark purple colour.

The milk did also turn a light blue colour but then stayed light blue. Due to the original colour of the milk the solution stayed a blue with a slight hint of pruple.

Conclusion:
Both the milk and eggs turned the blue biuret solution a purple colour which shows the presence of protein. Both milk and eggs are good examples of everyday foods which we expect to be high in protein and this test had confirmed that.

Simple and Complex Sugars Tests

Testing for Simple Sugars

Aim:

To test a sample of food to determine if it contains simple sugars.

Equipment:

Bunsen burner, test tube tongs, Benedict's solution, a sample of food.

Method:

1. Place about 2mL of sample (orange juice) into a test tube and then add 5 drops of Benedict's solution.
2. Heat with a Bunsen burner until it changes colour. Do not boil.

Results:

When the blue Benedict's solution was added to the orange juice a green solution was formed. However after heating the solution turned a a orange/brown colour.

Conclusion:

The Benedict's solution will turn from a blue to a yellow to a red/ orange if a simple sugar is present. When the colour of the orange juice was taken into account this colour change was observed. Hence orange juice must contain simple sugars.

Testing for Complex Sugars

Aim:

To test if a food sample contains complex sugars or not.

Equipment:

Test tube, food sample, iodine solution

Method:

1. Place about 2mL of the sample (frozen bread and water) in a test tube.
2. Add 3-5 drops of iodine solution.

Results:

When i added the brown solution to the bread it turned a black colour. 

Conclusion:

Because the iodine turned from a brown to a black colour then the bread must contain a complex sugar (starch).

Aerodynamic Airplane

Aerodynamic Airplane Challenge

Aim:

To create a paper plane and throw it over the arch. It will fly the furthest.

Equipment:

2 x A4 pieces of paper

30cm of celloptape

scissors

1 straw

Research:

Paper plane world championships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUyqakRMrxo

Method:

Results:

Discussion:

It flew for a long time because there was good support holding it up and the the plane was aerodynamic which meant that there was minimal air resistance or friction. I threw it with a lot of force so the thrust force was large as well.

Separating and Mixing

Making a Copper Sulfate Salt

Aim: To produce copper sulfate salt by reacting copper oxide with an acid

Equipment: 
Copper oxide powder, dilute sulfuric acid, measuring cylinder, 2x 100mL beakers, bunsen burner, tripod, gauze mat, funnel, filter paper, themometer, spatula, evaporating basin, stirring rod.

Method:

1. Add 20mL of sulfuric acid to a 100mL beaker. Heat to 70degrees. Turn off your bunsen.
2. Once heated, use a spatula to add pea sized portions of copper oxide. Stir for 30secs
3. Repeat step 2 until no more dissolved.
4. Fold filter paper and place in funnel. Place the funnel in the second beaker.
5. Make sure your first beaker is cool enough to hold and then pour it into the funnel. Gently swirl and allow to filter through.
6. Rinse the beaker and fill with 50mL of water and place on tripod. 
7. Place evaporating basin on top of beaker and pour some solution in.
8. Gently heat until the solution has reduced by half.
9. Take off heat and allow to cool.

Results and Discussion:
The acid quickly reached the required temperature of 70 degrees and it then took multiple portions of the copper sulfate before the solute was no longer dissolving and a very dark blue solution was present. After filtering the solution it became a light blue.
We then placed that solution in an evaporating basin 

After reducing it by half we left it overnight.
The next day there were little blue crystals formed in the basin and no more solvent.

Conclusion:
This experiment involved dissolving a solute in a solvent to create a solution. We then filtered the solution and evaporated it until we were left with the solid again, in the form of crystals- a successful experiment!

Solubility Experiment

Aim:

To investigate the solubility of baking soda, table salt and copper oxide to see which is the most soluble

Equipment:

100mL beaker, 100mL measuring cylinder, salt, baking soda, copper oxide, stirring rod, spatula.

Method:

1. Fill beaker with water
2. Add a spatula full of baking soda.
3. Stir the solution until it dissolves.
4. Repeat step 2 and 3 until no more will dissolve.
5. Record how many spatula fulls were added.
6. Repeat the experiment with salt and copper oxide.

Results:

Baking Soda took roughly 6 spatula fulls before no more would dissolve in 50mL of water.
Salt needed around 9 spatula fulls before no more would dissolve in 50mL of water.

The copper oxide would not dissolve in the water.

Discussion:
The salt was more soluble than the baking soda as when we dissolved the solute in the solvent we were able to dissolve more salt than the baking soda. The solution went clear after stirring each spatula full until no more would dissolve. The copper oxide turned the solution black and would not dissolve, hence the copper oxide is insoluble in water.

Conclusion:
This experiment showed that some solutes are more soluble than others in a solvent such as water. This also showed that some solutes are insoluble, meaning they do not dissolve.

Dilution Experiment

Aim:

To make a dilution series to investigate concentration.

Equipment:

Potassium permanganate crystals, 6 test tubes, test tube rack, tweezers, pipette, 10mL measuring cylinder

Method:

1. Place the test tubes in the rack.
2. Using the measuring cylinder, fill test tube 1 with 10mL of water and fill the remaining test tubes with 5mL of water.
3. Add a single crystal of potassium permanganate to test tube 1.
4. Gently shake until the crystal has dissolved.
5. Using the pipette, transfer 5mL from test tube 1 to tst tube 2.
6. Rinse the pipette thoroughly and continue to transfer from 2 to 3 and so on.

Results and Discussion:

When i added the crystal to test tube 1 the solvent quickly turned purple as the solute dissolved. As i transferred 5mL from one test tube to another the solution got a lighter and lighter shade of purple.

Conclusion:
As i transferred 5mL from one test tube to another i was halving the concentration of the solution as the ratio of potassium permanganate to water in solution became less and less. This is called a dilution series as we slowly diluted the original solution.

Chromatography

Aim: 

To separate the different pigments in inks using paper chromatography.

Equipment:

Ink pens, small beaker, strip of filter paper, ice-block stick, tape, chromatography solution.

Method:

1. Cut a piece of filter paper long enough to reach the bottom of your test tube.
2. Rule a line in pencil 2cm from bottom of paper.
3. Fill test tube with 1cm of chromatography solution (water).
4. Place a dot of ink above the ruled line.
5. Fold over test tube and place in solution.
6. Wait and observe.
7. Repeat with 2 other colours.

Results and Discussion:

The dot of ink ran up the filter paper and as the different pigments separated out. A couple of good examples were using the blue and purple pen because it clearly showed the colours of green/yellow and red/ blue. The one on the right was in fact a black felt tip marker and it clearly showed the separation of many different colours. 

Conclusion:
Some colours are more soluble in water than others as they travelled further up the filter paper. Chromatography also identifies the pigments which a certain colour is made up of.