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Experimental Design Bashaer Alkhafaji University Of Michigan- Dearborn

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Question: Which paper towel absorbs water the most? Personal Relevancy and Description of subject area: Paper towels are very useful when it comes to cleaning up spills. In addition, paper towels can be used to dry hands, wipe tables, and etc. (Paper towels) There are so many uses for paper towels that Americans last year “spent nearly $2.3 billion on paper towels” (Wilbert, 2003). The reason why Americans prefer paper towels than cloth towels is because they can be thrown away, unfortunately “sending 3000 tons of paper towels to landfills each day” (Wilbert, 2003). Imagine how many trees were cut down to meet consumer needs. According to the Business and the Environment, “270,000,000 trees are flushed down or thrown into the garbage” (2006). As a teacher, I want to teach my students to be more eco-friendly and to save money. Students have a tendency to overuse paper towels and waste not only money spent on paper towels, but also trees that were cut down to make paper towels. I want to show them how much paper towels they really need by doing an experiment of which paper towel absorbs water the most. Also, this experiment will show them that the most absorbent paper towel will hold enough water without over using it in a minor spill.

Hypothesis: Bounty paper towels will absorb more volume of water, then other brands of paper towels in a time frame on one minute. Variables: Independent Variable: Three different types of 27.9x22.3 cm paper towel sheets will be tested Dependent Variable:

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Measure 100 ml of water absorbed in paper towel for 1 minute Controlled Variables: Amount of time that each paper towel will be placed in the water Amount of water put on each paper towel Controlled how I measured the water Controlled how I drained the water Controlled where I placed the paper towel in the pan of water Controlled the way I picked up paper towel Materials: 3 sheets of Viva (White Big Roll) paper towel 3 sheets of Bounty (Basic White) paper towel 3 sheets of Magic Soft paper towel 8 x 11 inch glass pan 1 Funnel Scissors Ruler (a metric ruler) Timer 1 clear plastic beaker (Make sure you can fill it up with 100 ml of water.) 1 test tube (Make sure it can fill up to 50 ml of water)

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Water (900 ml of water) Writing Utensil to record data (Pencil or Pen) Notepad to record observations Wash Towel (Any wash cloth would do)

Procedure: 1. Since all three paper towels will vary in size, cut Viva and Bounty to match Magic Soft sheet size since it has the shortest sheet size. When stacking them all together, make sure that Magic Soft is on top of the other two paper towels so you have a guide for cutting the sheet. Using a ruler, measure Bounty and Viva to make sure they are 27.9x22.3 cm. 2. Pour 100 ml of water into the pan. 3. Start by Placing the Bounty paper towel in the middle of the pan and gently with your fingers soak the paper towel in so the entire sheet can absorb the water. 4. Time it for one minute and record what you see happening to the wet paper towel. 5. During this time, place the funnel on top of the plastic test tube. 6. When one minute has passed, using your hands, pick up the paper towel by one of the corners touching the smallest amount possible and slowly move to the top of the funnel and gently squeeze the water out enough without ripping the paper towel. 7. Record how much water was absorbed in the paper towel by looking directly at the measurements on the test tube and what you saw.

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8. Empty the water out of the test tube and pan, and completely dry it out with a wash cloth. 9. Repeat this experiment two more times so you have three sets of data. 10. Repeat steps 2-8 for the Magic Soft and Viva paper towels.

Process Skills: Skills Used Where Skills Were Used How Each Skill Helped in Completing Experiment Prediction Before I began my experiment, I predicted that If I pour water into the bounty paper towel, then it will absorb water the most. This skill helped me to make a testable hypothesis where I can conduct my experiment. It gave me ideas that I should have other paper towels and pour water to see how much they can absorb 100 ml of water for one minute. My prediction helped me analyze through experimentation that I was

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wrong and that the most absorbent paper towel out of the three would be Viva. Observation The observational skill was used when I had to wait one minute for the paper towel to absorb the water. I observed the paper towel soaking in the water. I made My qualitative observations skills helped me advance into experiment because it allowed me to record data of how the paper towel

a qualitative observation that looked and felt when it the paper towel felt spongy, when I gently with my fingers, soaked the paper towel in so the entire sheet can absorb the water. Also, I noticed the paper towel became visible and I could see through it. Measurement When the paper towel was completely “dry” or enough water was squeezed out without being ripped, I
I learned exactly how much water paper towels can absorb in one minute. Also, I calculated the mean of the

absorbed water.

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looked directly at the test tube units and recorded my observation for all three trials. I used my quantitative skills when I had to squeeze water out of the paper towels into a test tube. Classification Once I completed my experiment, I had to look at my data to Serialize which paper towel absorbed water the most and the least.

three paper towels to help me find the answer to my question.

This skill helped me in analyzing that the Viva paper towel absorbed the most, then Bounty paper towel, and then Magic Soft paper towel by calculating the mean of the three trials.

Inferences

My pervious knowledge about which paper towel absorbs water the most was Bounty. I seen it advertised in commercials many times, and assumed it is the best in absorbing water.

However, my experiment proved otherwise. From what I observed, I inferred that the Viva paper towel absorbed water the most. The evidence suggests that the Viva paper towel has

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better quilt quality and is thicker than the other paper towels which lead it to absorb water the most.

Communication

I used this skill when I recorded my data during my experiment. I then

This skill helped me to show others my results of the experiment. My table

communicated it through the and bar graph were useful table I made of the collected in helping me and others to

data, and graphed it showing see that Viva paper towel it visually for others my results. absorbed water the most, then Bounty, and then Magic Soft paper towel. Identifying Variables I used this skill when I came up with an independent and dependent variable for my hypothesis. Constructing a table This skill was used when I This skill helped me in figuring out what and how I need to measure in my experiment. Recording my data helped

had to record my data during me remember what I the experiment. observed during my

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experiment. Constructing a graph After gathering my data and making a table, I made a graph. The graph helped me to visually see the results of my independent and dependent variables. Hypothesis Before I began my experiment, I needed a hypothesis to test my variables. Experimenting When I had to figure out what materials I needed a reliable procedure to do my experiment. The planning of an experiment lead me to find out if my hypothesis is correct or incorrect. The hypothesis was well focused because I knew what I am testing and how.

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Results:
Which Paper Towel Absorbs Water the Most?

Water Absorbed (ml) Paper Towel Brand Bounty Magic Soft Viva 32 34 47 34 32 38 35 27 40 Trial One Trial Two Trial Three Mean of Water Absorbed (ml) 33.6 31 41.6

Qualitative Data: I waited one minute for the paper towel to absorb the water. During that time, I observed the paper towel soaking in the water. When I gently touched the paper towels with my fingers, as it was being soaked by the paper towel it felt soft and mushy like a sponge. Also, I saw the paper towel become more visible that I could see through it. I did not smell or taste the paper towel because it was not relevant to my question as to which paper towel can absorb water the most.

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Quantitative Data:

Conclusions and Explanation:
During my experiment, I learned that paper towels absorb water at different amounts. I predicted that the Bounty paper towels will absorb more volume of water, then other brands of paper towels in a time frame on one minute. I collected my qualitative date by observing the paper towel

soak in the water. Also, I when I gently touched the paper towels with my fingers, as it was being

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soaked by the paper towel it felt soft and mushy like a sponge. In addition, I saw the paper towel become more visible that I could see through it. I did not smell or taste the paper towel because it was not relevant to my question as to which paper towel can absorb water the most. The way I calculated my quantitative data by picking up my paper towel by one of the corners touching the smallest amount possible and slowly move to the top of the funnel and gently squeeze the water out enough without ripping the paper towel. I did this three times for three trials. During trial one, Bounty

absorbed 32 ml of water, Magic Soft absorbed 34 ml of water, and Viva absorbed 47 ml of water. On the first trial, Viva absorbed water the most, then Magic Soft, and then Bounty. During the second trial, Bounty absorbed 34 ml of water, Magic Soft absorbed 32 ml of water, and Viva absorbed 38 ml of water. Looking at the second trial, Viva once again absorbed water the most. After Viva, Bounty and then Magic soft paper towel. During the third trial, Bounty absorbed 35 ml of water, Magic Soft absorbed 27 ml of water, and Viva absorbed 40 ml of water. Examining the other two trials with the third trial, Viva absorbed water the most. After Viva, Bounty absorbed water more than the Magic Soft paper towel. As you can see, during the first trial, Bounty absorbed water the least, but on the second and third trial it absorbed water more than Magic Soft paper towel. I then calculated the mean of water absorbed by the three paper towels because Bounty and Magic soft had similar results, and it would be easier to communicate which one absorbed more by finding the average. I found that Viva’s mean as 41.6 ml, Bounty’s mean as 33.6 ml, and Magic Soft’s mean as 31 ml. There is a significant difference in the mean of Viva’s to Bounty’s and Magic Soft’s mean. Between Bounty’s paper towel absorbency and Viva’s, there is an 8.0 ml difference. Between Magic Soft’s and Viva’s water absorbency there is a difference of 10.6 ml. However, Bounty’s and Magic Soft do not have a great amount of difference in water that they absorbed. The difference they have is 2.6ml of water that was absorbed.

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This may be that they have similarities in the quality of how the product was produced and that Viva’s paper quality is more different and better. The package of Viva’s says it is “Soft and strong like cloth.” Magic Soft’s front package states that it is “Strong and absorbent” and Bounty’s front package states that it “Cleans up and holds up”. This may be true since the other two do not state the material of the paper towel is like a cloth. The results show that my hypothesis is not supported. Bounty paper towels did not absorb more volume of water, then other brands of paper

towels in a time frame on one minute. In fact, Viva paper towel was most absorbent, Bounty the second most absorbent, and Magic as the third.

Changes:

Changes I would make to this experiment would be to test this experiment using more brands of paper towels, maybe three more. This will give more variety of different paper towels and can help in analyzing which paper towel is the most absorbent. Another change would be to leave the paper towel in the pan for ten or fifteen seconds. I think timing the paper towel to absorb the paper towel for one minute is probably too long and unnecessary. I noticed the water spreading or being absorbed by the paper towel was less than twenty seconds. A third change to this experiment is to experiment with other types of liquids. Milk is likely to be spilled by students, especially during lunch time. Maybe there is a difference in the amount of absorbency of water and milk in paper towel. I could repeat this experiment to see if milk or water is absorbed by paper towels more. I would do three different trials of water and milk by pouring them onto a pan to see to see which one is absorbed by the Viva paper towel..

Reflections:

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I learned a lot by conducting my own scientific experiment. I learned that science has many process skills. The importance of this experience is that I was able to learn as well as practice the

process skills of science; observation, communication, classification, inferring, and predictions, identify variables, construct a hypothesis, table, and graph, describe the relationship between variables, process my own data, analyze data, and most importantly design an experiment. It is important that students have knowledge of the science basic skills, and how to properly do science, as well as, be able to define what science is. I have confidence to use these basic skills and apply them when conducting an experiment. I learned that each process skill can be integrated with other process skills. The experiment I conducted went well, and gave me the results I wanted because my hypothesis was testable. Science also has bodies of knowledge with laws, theories, and facts. Also, science is a way of knowing. We know things based on what we observed and found evidence. Furthermore, science can limit bias.

My favorite part of science was always experimenting. Since I was in elementary school, I loved doing science by hands on experiments. I got to enjoy science the way I used to by doing my own experiment. By doing this experiment, I learned that Viva absorbs water the most. As a teacher, I want to save money and be more eco-friendly. I will be using the Viva paper towel in my classrooms, and will make sure that I teach my students not to overuse paper towels for minor spills so we can be more eco-friendly. Furthermore, I hope as a teacher that I can teach my students with the same knowledge that I have gained of what science is and how to use the process skills.

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Reference:

Paper towel. (2010, December 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:38, December 16, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paper_towel&oldid=402190026 Flushing Trees. (2006, January). Business and the Environment, 17(1), 12. Retrieved December 15, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 966183081). Wilbert, T. (2003, October 15). Atlanta's Georgia-Pacific Escalates Paper-Towel Chase. Retrieved December 15, 2010, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-108858335.html