2015 Junior Division

76th Pittsburgh Regional Science &

Engineering Fair

Junior Division Student Project

Abstracts

March 27, 2015

PRSEF Student Abstracts Page ii

Notes to Judges Students prepare Abstracts limited to 100 words that include the following:

Purpose of the experiment

Procedures used

Data

Conclusions

Possible research applications

Minimal reference to previous work

For continuation projects, the abstract should focus on work done since the last PRSEF

Should not include: a) acknowledgments, or b) work or procedures done by the mentor

Many students continue their research after the Abstract is submitted, and therefore the Abstract may not fully represent the Project. Abstracts are available to the Judges prior to the Science Fair as an aid in pre-screening the Projects. Judging is to be based on the actual Project as presented by the student. Project Numbers are assigned as XYYABC

X: J-Junior Division (6th grade)

YY: Category Name

PS - Physical Science

LS - Life Science

CS - Consumer Science

ABC: Project number

1xx or 2xx - Individual student projects

3xx - Team projects (2 or 3 students)

PRSEF Student Abstracts Page iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

JUNIOR – PHYSICAL SCIENCE (JPS) – 6TH GRADE 1

JUNIOR – LIFE SCIENCE (JLS) – 6TH GRADE 13

JUNIOR – CONSUMER SCIENCE (JCS) – 6TH GRADE 20

Junior – Physical Science (JPS) – 6th Grade

PRSEF Student Abstracts Page 1


JPS100: What Type of Trash Makes the Most Biogas Fossil fuels are becoming a rare resource because they are nonrenewable. My experiment provides us with an alternative way to produce gas. I wanted to find out which type of organic material produces the most biogas. To do that, I pureed apples, blueberries, onions, and lettuce, put them in bottles filled to the top with water, and sealed the top with a balloon. Then, every day for a week, I measured the circumference of the balloon. After the one week, the apples ended up producing the most biogas, rejecting my hypothesis that the blueberries would produce the most biogas.

JPS100: Which Is the Best Heat Conductor? My experiment asks, “Which material is the better heat conductor?” Knowing this information, architects and engineers will be able to construct better buildings that are effective against Mother Nature - Methods/Materials - In this experiment, I will be using three test subjects with variables. The materials are a slab of wood, a ceramic dish and a metal lid. The results delighted me. My hypothesis was right! Metal is the best heat conductor and wood is a good heat insulator. From this I learned ceramic is also both. While the metal dish melted at 1:15 the ceramic dish melted in 1:45.3. From this experiment I learned that metal is the best heat conductor. I also learned that wood is a good heat insulator. Ceramic is somewhere in the middle.

JPS101: Is It Hot in Here?! The purpose of my project was to find out how color affects heat. To answer my question, I took three shoeboxes and painted them different colors, black, grey, and white. I waited until they were done drying. Then I put a thermometer in a box, waited ten minutes to see what the temperature was, and did that two more times. And I did the same thing on the rest of the shoeboxes. After I finished my experiments, my results said that black was the hottest, white the coldest and grey in between which proves my hypothesis correct.

JPS102: Sink or Swim? The purpose of my project was to determine how much salt it would take for an egg to float. First, I labeled five 16 oz. plastic cups and allowed my eggs to warm to room temperature. Next, I measured out the exact amount of freshwater and saltwater and placed it into each of the five cups properly. I came to a conclusion that the egg floated in only cup numbers 1 and 2, but cup number 1 floated better. However, when I did this with a hardboiled egg it would only float sideways in cup number 1.

JPS103: Suduko Slueth My experiment tested how efficient I could make a Sudoku checker with Python 2.5. After typing the program, I ran it, checked for bugs, fixed the bugs, and then I repeated the process until the program was bug free. It took 27 lines of code and an unknown amount of milliseconds to create the program, versus the 45 lines and 100 milliseconds my hypothesis predicted. The length of the program is unknown because I had initially assumed that the command time.clock would work on all interfaces. This was not the case. In conclusion, my prediction was partially correct and partially unknown.

JPS104: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF GAS DRILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA Nearly 1.2 million Pennsylvanians live within half a mile of an oil or gas drilling well. What affect does this drilling action have on our enviornment? The aim of this study was to analyze water and sediment quality of Blacklick Creek and Ten-Mile Creek, which are in close proximity to drilling and wastewater treatment facilities. My hypothesis was that the flowback of the water used in drilling could be a source of contamination. I collected water and sediment samples from various upstream and downstream locations, relative to the wastewater discharge. Analysis of pH, elctrical conductivity, and possible chemicals is ongoing.

JPS105: Sprouting Minds - Cell Respiration Testing how much oxygen is in liquids which may help plants grow better.

JPS106: Mentos Madness The purpose of this experiment is to see the amount of eruption the diet and regular sodas shows using 4 mentos. To conduct this experiment i will place 4 mentos in each types of sodas. The experiment results were measured in a measuring wall (in meters) and writing down each reaction for the types of sodas. The results of this experiment is that the diet Pepsi went the highest out of all the other sodas. The results indicate that my hypothesis should stay right were it is because it is exactly accurate to my results.

JPS107: Think Fast! I will be testing how age effects reaction times. I will be testing it by throwing a ball to the person and with an app on the iPhone.



JPS108: Paper Planes: Motors or Not? Paper airplanes have been around for a while, and now they are getting motorized. This experiment was conducted so as to find out which works better, motorized vs. unmotorized paper planes. A motor that was bought in stores was attached to one of two identical paper planes. The distances flown by both planes were then measured. The results showed that the motorized plane was unstable because of the lack of a vertical stabilizer. The unmotorized plane‘s flight was stable. For future experiments, vertical stabilizers should be used, and for better launching accuracy an electric paper plane launcher should be used.

JPS109: Does temperature affect the growth of crystals? The purpose of this experiment is to see if temperature affects how crystals grow. If scientists know this information, they can create environments to help grow crystals that can be used in science and technology. For the experiment, epson salt was dissolved in hot water and bowls were placed in three locations with different temperatures. After 24 hours, the crystals were dried out to see which crystals grew the most. The crystals in the coldest temperature grew the most. The crystals in the warmest temperature hardly grew at all. Therefore, the conclusion is that temperature does affect how crystals grow

JPS110: What Wood Would you Choose? Choosing the correct type of wood for your wood project could mean success or failure. Is the wood hard enough or too soft? How would you know which wood is best for your project? I wanted to know which wood was hardest so I performed an experiment that tested the hardness of 6 types of wood. Using PVC tubing as a guide, I dropped a weight through the tube onto a nail placed on top of a piece of wood, driving the nail into the wood. I then measured the amount of nail that remained exposed above the wood. The wood that allowed the least amount of nail to go into the wood was the hardest. My hypothesis was that Red Oak would be the hardest wood but from my experiment I learned that White Oak was actually the hardest wood. It was .03% harder than the Red Oak and it was harder than all the others by an average of .22%. The softest wood by .55% was White Pine as I also proposed in my hypothesis. The results of my experiment can help you choose the correct wood for any project. To build a sturdy wooden structure you should use the hard White Oak so it can stay strong under pressure and stress. For carving a piece of art you should use the softer wood, White Pine.

JPS111: The Domino Theory I wanted to know if dominoes fell faster on different surfaces. I stacked fifteen dominoes on three different surfaces ten times. I found out that dominoes fell faster on a surface like a towel.

JPS112: Super Swim I am doing the speed test for swimming suits, called speed swim. I tested which bathing suit was the most efficient for competitive swimming. As a precaution I tested each suit twice to make sure that I got the best results. I also tested the water temperature; it was 72°F. The first suit I tested was a regular bathing suit; it was very baggy and loose. My times were 26:42 and 31:57 for this test. The average was 29:59. The other bathing suit was tight but still baggy. It was an Aqua Spear brand suit. It’s times were 21:30 and 22:67 which was better than the last one. The average was 21:59. The last one I tested was a speedo. It was very tight and has very little drag. My times were 19:10 and 20:04. Amazingly the average was much lower, it was 19:30. I decided to do this test because I love to swim. Ever since I was little I wondered how the Olympic swimmers were able to swim so fast. Then I realized it must be their swimming suits. And now I know which swimming suit is best.

JPS113: Why did Pangea break apart? The purpose of my experiment was to show how Pangea moved apart over time and how our Earth became how it is today. Through my project, I learned that it took many years to become the form that it is today. It took gradual movement over time for the Earth to look as it does today. For my project, I created a model of Pangea showing four major movements of Pangea over time. My conclusion is that the continents are not done moving, and the Pangea that we know today is only the first. One may occur again in several years.

JPS114: Quickly Cooling Cola The purpose is to identify the fastest method to cool soda. Six different cooling methods and their effect on three differently packaged sodas will be tested. For my overall hypothesis, I believe that the soda packaged in a glass bottle will reach the lowest temperature the quickest. Once all containers have the same starting temperature, in addition to the control, two containers of each kind will be tested using each method. The temperature will be checked in three minute intervals and the average of readings will be used.My final results will be available at the 2015 PRSEF Science Fair.

JPS115: Alka-Seltzer Project I will be testing different temperatured waters and the rate that Alka-Seltzer dissolves.



JPS116: What Wing Shape Works Best? I built a frame and attached wings made of foamboard to it. I then put a fan in front of each wing and turned the fan on. The wing that had a curved bottom/flat on top did nothing at the low setting and at the medium setting. The wing that was flat on both sides wiggled on low and went crazy on medium. The wing that had a curved top/flat bottom moved on low and moved higher on medium. This proves that the wing that had a curved top/flat bottom is the best.

JPS117: Wooden Bat vs. Metal Bat I will be testing the distance that a wooden vs. metal bat can hit a ball. I will also be testing the accuracy of the hit.

JPS118: Solar Power vs Battery Power I was interested to see if battery power would produce more volts than solar power. I built a model house and mounted solar panels and used a battery pack to test battery power. The results clearly showed that battery power produced more volts than solar power even on the sunniest days.

JPS119: How are fossils made? The purpose of my experiment was to show how a fossil is made. My hypothesis was that the greater the pressure applied to a substance, then the greatest force will have the greatest change. To complete my experiment, the materials I needed were: bread, gummy bears, books, moist paper towel, and a data chart. My results were that the greatest force had the greatest change over 3 days. My conclusion is that my hypothesis is correct. The greater the force, the more change will take place to ground.

JPS120: Does it Float? This experiment is called, “Does it Float”? In this experiment I tested the buoyancy of an egg, tennis ball, and eraser. I dropped the egg, tennis ball, and eraser in each of the four types of water, which included fresh and saltwater. Each saltwater container had different amounts of salt, which were fifty, one hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty mL of salt. The results showed that the eraser sank, and the tennis ball floated in each water type. The egg sank in the freshwater and saltwater containing 50mL of salt, but floated in the two other types of saltwater.

JPS121: The Shocking Truth On December 7, 2014 I tried to make a bolt of lightning. The first thing I did was set up my supplies; a battery charger, wooden poles, aluminum foil, safety equipment, snack tray, tape, and nails. I started the project by making sure the charger touched the nails connected to the wood and foil. I plugged in the charger and observed the structure for two minutes by taking pictures. I touched the foil, nothing happened. I took the wood away and repeated the same steps, when I touched the foil without the wood there was electricity.

JPS122: Colors Absorb Radiant Energy We have all heard that wearing black clothes in the summer makes us very hot. In this experiment, I found out what colors absorb and re-emit the most radiant energy. Using an infrared thermometer, I measured the temperatures of different colored paper squares in black, blue, red, yellow, and white. The result was that the black square absorbed the most energy, supporting my hypothesis that the darker colors would absorb more radiant energy.

JPS123: Thawing with Sugar and Salt Salt is the most commonly used mineral to thaw ice on roads. I wanted to see if salt and sugar have similar effects on the melting properties of ice. I measured four grams of salt and sugar each, put them in containers filled with water, froze them, then took them out of the ice box to see whether salt, sugar, or water would melt the fastest. For all three trials the salt melted first, then the water, and then the sugar water. The sugar molecules stayed bound together and didn’t spread out to help the melting process.

JPS124: Whatever Floats Your Boat! I chose to do this topic because I like to build things and test to see which one would stand the longest so I thought this would be the perfect project for me. What I liked the most about this project was the fact that I got to do it with family and that I got to try this experiment and have fun. This was a fun project to do because we were dealing with water and got to have fun and mess around while we were keeping the timer and my boat was the last boat standing.

JPS125: 3, 2, 1 Take Off! I did this project because I have always been interested in aviation. I solved what type of paper airplane folds fly the best. I had to do many steps to do this project. First, I took the paper and folded it into my airplanes. Then, I designed and built my launching device. After that, I took my airplanes and tested each one three times using my original launching device that I made. Finally, I recorded my results. Airplane D flew the best overall. In conclusion, I met my goal for this project. I will use this knowledge for futures problems.



JPS126: Which Salt Melts Ice Quickest What type of salt melts ice the fastest, sea, table, or specially formulated rock salt? I first poured 1 cup of water into each 8” by 8” pan. When those were done freezing, I measured 2 tablespoons of salt and spread it around the ice. I repeated this process for each salt. The table salt took 52 minutes and 57 seconds. The sea salt took 83 minutes and 23 seconds. The rock salt took 78 minutes and 58 seconds. The control had no salt and took 99 minutes and 43 seconds. The table salt was faster than the rock salt.

JPS127: How Does Inflation Of A Soccer Ball Effect How The Ball Is Kicked? People say that more air pressure in soccer balls affect how far a soccer ball travels when it is kicked. This project looks at how different PSI affects how far soccer balls travel in low, medium , and high PSI. The air pressure was tested in two different size soccer balls by inflating each ball to three different PSI settings. My hypothesis was that the soccer ball with the higher PSI would travel the furthest in either soccer ball. The experiment results support my hypothesis by proving that the higher the PSI, the further the soccer ball travels when kicked. The experiment showed that lower PSI in soccer balls don't travel as far when kicked.

JPS128: Cereal Surprise The purpose of this experiment is to determine if there is more iron in healthier cereals than there is in unhealthy, sugary cereals. To conduct the experiment, a slurry was made using equal parts of cereal and distilled water. The slurry was passed over a magnet attached to a clear plastic bottle in order to collect the iron. The bottles were allowed to dry and then weighed to determine the amount of iron collected. The experimental trials were measured both by eye and with an analytical balance. The results of the experiment confirm that the healthier cereals do contain more iron than sugary cereals.

JPS129: The Egg Drop The purpose of my experiment was the see which material is the strongest to prevent an egg from cracking. My hypothesis was that if I drop an egg in bubble wrap, then it will not break. THe materials that I used to complete this experiment were: notebook, pen, bubble wrap, spongebob cereal, baggies, eggs, foil, and a ladder. My results were that cereal was the one that never broke. My conclusion is that cereal is a good insulator that keeps materials from breaking

JPS130: Which Sponge is the Most Absorbant? For my experiment I tested which sponge is the most absorbant. I chose this because people buy different types of sponges, but lots of people do not know which sponge will absorb the most liquid. To conduct this experiment, I submerged cellulose, sea, polyurethane, polyester, and polyether sponges in one liter of water for 10 seconds each, then let the sponges drip over the bowl of water for 30 seconds. Finally I measured how much water was left in the bowl and subtracted that amount from the original one liter. My results showed that cellulose absorbed the most amount of water with an average of 250 mL.

JPS131: Electrified The original purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of different temperatures on the strength of electromagnets. The manipulated variable was the changing temperatures, and the responding variable was how much mass the electromagnet could pick up. To measure the responding variable I determined the mass it could lift by counting how many large staples the electromagnet could pick up. The results of the experiment were, that the warmer the electromagnet was the stronger it became. When at room temperature it picked up an average of 97 staples. Immediately after it was in boiled water it picked up an average of 131 staples. When frozen in dry ice it only picked up an average of 34 staples.

JPS132: It's Greasy My question was which brand of potato chips had more grease. My hypothesis was I thought Lay's potato chips. What I did was I laid 2 pieces of graph paper together. Then I weighed potato chips on a piece of wax paper on the scale. Then record the weight of potato chips. Place potato chips between graph paper and place a clean piece of wax paper on chips. Then crush down on wax paper and crush potato chips using a rolling pin. Last you would let potato chips set for 2 minutes. My conclusion was my project was what brand of potato chips had more grease. Then I explained what I did to get my numbers on the graph. The brand of potato chips that held the most grease was Herr's.

JPS133: Hands of the Future I have created a model robotic hand that I will use to test which size object it can best pick up.

JPS134: How my soft toys float in the air Please visit student's exhibit on Fair Day for abstract.



JPS135: Sweet or Salty-What's Nice for Ice? I chose to do this experiment since it looked very interesting, and I wanted to see if my hypothesis was correct. My hypothesis was that the salt would make the ice melt faster than the other materials would. I did this experiment by adding the same amount of salt, sugar, and sand to the same size and amount of ice in the same shape in identical bowls. I observed that my hypothesis was correct. The salt did melt the ice faster than the other materials, the sand had the exact results as the control, and the sugar worked pretty well.

JPS136: Which Freezes Fastest? This paper is about which freezes fastest. Hypothesis~ If you put salt water, alcohol, plain- water, and pop in the freezer then, plain-water would freeze faster because water has nothing in it to prevent it from freezing. To test my hypothesis, I used half a cup of each liquid in the same cups and put them in the freezer for six hours checking every ten minutes. My independent variables were different liquids, salt in the water and no salt in the water. The dependent variable was that I measured the time it took for each of them to freeze. First, I put ½ cup of each liquid in a foam cup. Then, I froze each for six hours. My charts indicated that the alcohol was not going to freeze in six hours but, the other liquids did. Some observations I noticed was that the alcohol was not freezing. Also, I noticed that the plain-water froze fastest. The salt water never froze all the way it remained as slush. I found that my hypothesis was supported. My data led to accept my hypothesis because I noticed that the water began to freeze before any other liquid. There were no problems in my research.

JPS137: Hyper Worms My project involved giving worms 30 milliliters of three different kinds of energy drink. I wanted to complete this experiment because I was interested in seeing which energy drink gives the most energy. My hypothesis was that if I gave three different kinds of energy drink, then the worms would all slither the same amount. The three energy drinks that I used were: Rockstar, Monster, and Red Bull. Each worm was given the 30mL for one half hour before testing. My results were that Rockstar had the most movement followed by Monster and Red Bull. My conclusion is that Rockstar gives you the most energy of the three energy drinks tested.

JPS138: Does Size Matter My question was which set of blades would generate the most power? The hypothesis of my experiment was that the blade with the longest length would generate the most power. In my experiment, I discovered that the blade set that was the shortest in length produced the most energy. the second shortest blade set produced the second most amount of energy, and the longest blade set produced the least amount of energy. In conclusion, I have found that the blade set with the shortest length generated the most power. My hypothesis was proven incorrect. If I were to repeat the experiment, I would have more of a gradual blade difference between sizes.

JPS139: Bullseye The purpose of this experiment is to see what is more accurate, carbon fiber or aluminum bolts. To conduct this experiment I will shoot groupings of aluminum and carbon fiber bolts. The experiment results were measured by which groupings average is closer to the center. The results of the experiment show which bolt is more accurate. The results indicate the hypothesis is not proven, carbon fiber bolts were not more accurate than aluminum bolts

JPS140: The Egg-Titanic My experiment was seeing either a hard-boiled egg or an uncooked egg sank. The reason for my experiment was because I wondered which egg would sink. I did my experiment by hard boiling an egg and getting an uncooked egg, and dropping both of the eggs in a beaker that was filled with 500mL of water. The results of my experiment were that both of the eggs sank to the bottom of the beaker, and stayed there. I was incorrect with my hypothesis; because, I predicted that only the uncooked egg would sink; because, the density is greater.

JPS142: S.O.S Save Our Skin The purpose of my experiment is to find out which sunscreen is most effective against powerful UV rays: Banana Boat, Nuetrogena, or Up&Up? Fifty UV beads were placed in four bags, one for control, while the other three were slathered with two tablespoons of sunscreen. Bags were placed outside and color changes were recorded in fifteen minute intervals. In two hours, Neutrogena and Banana Boat wore off, while Up&Up lasted fifteen minutes longer. That proves that Up&Up lasts the longest in blocking UV rays out of the three sunscreens.

JPS143: Extracting Onion DNA How can I extract DNA from in onion in a way that it can be seen without a microscope? In my experiment, I heated a chopped onion and a solution in a hot water bath together; then cooled them in an ice bath. Next, I filtered the onion mixture overnight to separate the foam and solution. After filtering, I put the solution in a test tube and added chilled 95% ethanol. The DNA precipitated out from the ethanol layer and I was able to observe it. The DNA had the appearance of a stringy mucus.



JPS144: Dude, Where’s My Battery!? As people use their cellphone for more purposes, saving battery becomes essential. The goal of my experiment is to evaluate battery saving tips that actually work. I researched battery saving tips from expert sources and identified the most popular tips. Then I listed the variables involved in the battery saving tips. I tested each variable one at a time, using multiple trials. I calculated the unit rate of battery usage associated with each variable. I was able to conclude the most effective combination of battery saving tips. This will help me to build an easy to use battery saving app.

JPS145: The Art Bot The purpose of this experiment was to find which battery would have the better accuracy in the drawing. To conduct this experiment I had to put two AA batteries in one robot and a 9 volt battery in another robot to see which robot would produce a better drawing. To measure the accuracy I did three trials to see which battery would produce the better drawing. The results of this experiment were that the 9 volt battery had a better accuracy. My hypothesis did agree with my results. My hypothesis stated that the 9 volt battery would be the most accurate and powerful battery.

JPS146: Does Air Matter? The purpose of this experiment is to find the optimal air pressure (PSI) for kicking a soccer ball the farthest. To conduct this experiment, a soccer ball was kicked with the same force 27 times testing 9 different PSIs. The results were measured by finding the distance the ball travelled with each kick. The results of the experiment are that the ball inflated to 12 PSI travelled the farthest.

JPS147: Freezing Gatorade There are a lot of different ways to lower water’s freezing point. But what about Gatorade? My project is about why gatorade is so hard to freeze? The process of my project is that we will add salt and sugar to water for each molar mass. The higher the molar mass is, the more salt and sugar we add. We will then freeze the solutions with Ice. The results were that the bigger the molar mass, the lower the freezing point would be. Now we know that the solution of salt and sugar makes gatorade hard to freeze.

JPS148: Cleaning Coins Coins can become dirty over time from wear and use. My experiment shows what solution will clean the coins the best. I wanted to find out which solution best cleaned dirty coins. To do that, I picked seven different liquids: orange juice, lemon juice, cola, dish soap, baking soda paste, water, and bleach. Then I got seven pennies, seven nickels, seven dimes, and seven quarters that were all tarnished. I let them soak in the liquids overnight. In the morning, I found that the orange juice cleaned the coins the best.

JPS149: Which Metal is More Resistant? When you leave your bike outside in the rain it starts to rust. And that's not a good thing. In this project, I wanted to see what was more resistant between steel wool and copper wool. To see what was more resistant I used different acids like vinegar and they act as acid rain models. My procedure is to soak both copper and steel wool into the acid rain models. Then record the length of the rust on the wool. My hypothesis is the copper wool is more resistant.

JPS150: Will you bank the shot at a certain angle from the hoop? “Basketball Will You Bank the Shot?” is basically a test of knowledge. It asks you what the best place to shoot a basketball is and where it isn’t. By testing the distances with a poster board, 50cm tube, a toilet paper roll, and a 4.5 diameter ball you can see where you will most likely make it. You will learn when you’re done, that from a close distance the 0° position and the 90° position is where you will most likely make most your shots. From a further distance you will most likely make it at the 90° position.

JPS151: Bubble Solution The purpose of making your own bubble solution is amusing, however, it can be much more difficult than going to the store to buy a pre-made bubble solution. Using the recipe for the experiment can maximize and deplete the size and density of the bubbles. The procedure was to mix distilled water with glycerin, dishwashing soap and light corn syrup to test the longevity of the bubbles survival. The results varied in both time and size of the bubbles. In conclusion, I found that the dish soap made the best bubbles with having a higher longevity of the 3 solutions.

JPS152: Does the Temperature Matter Have you ever wondered what time of the year is the safest to drive over a bridge? If you did I have the answer. I built three bridges made out of Balsa wood. I put one in a refrigerator for one hour, one in the oven for an hour, and kept one at room temperature. I concluded that the cold bridge held the most, 6600 grams. I made the bridges different temperatures to represent three different seasons, hot would be summer, cold would be winter, and room temperature would be fall or spring.



JPS153: Which bilge keel is the most effective? The purpose of this experiment was to determine which bilge keel is the most effective at stopping a boat from oscillating. My hypothesis was that the longest bilge keels would be the most effective. I made a plastic boat from 2 liter bottles and attached bilge keels of different lengths. Then I tested them in water. My hypothesis was correct, the 4cm bilge keel was the most effective. The biggest difference in oscillations was between 0cm, to 1cm, from there up there wasn't much of a difference in the number of oscillations, only in the total time of oscillation.

JPS154: The Power of a Potato The purpose of this experiment is to see if a potato can generate enough electricity to control a remote controlled car. To conduct this experiment I will test three different sizes of potatoes. The experimental results were measured by seeing what size of potato will generate the most electricity. The results of my experiment was wrong because the size of the potato did not matter because the car did not move at all. The results indicate that my hypothesis was wrong because the car did not move.

JPS155: Balsa Wood Birds Birds are very adept and agile flyers. I wanted to see if I could apply that to planes. I started by shaping the wings of balsa wood airplanes like three different types of bird wings: passive soaring wings, active soaring wings, and high speed wings (with one control plane). Then I went to an open space and threw each five times. The control plane flew the farthest rejecting my hypothesis that the passive soaring wings would fly the farthest. In conclusion, several variables control how far the planes fly and a more complicated experiment is required to separate various effects.

JPS156: Use Air Cushioning to Chg Direction Friction has both disadvantages and advantages. One one hand it resists relative motion between bodies. On the other hand it allows change of direction in road transportation. My experiment was to try to marry both. By forcing air into a box with tiny holes on its base I produces air cushioning. Closing the holes on one side introduced friction and made the box turn in that direction. This concept can be used to build high efficiency air cushioned cars. The steering wheel would electro-mechanically control the amount of air flow and allow change of directions. This can revolutionize road transportation.

JPS157: The Best Blade A curve was put on the blade of a hockey stick in the 1960’s to help improve accuracy. My experiment was to find out which hockey stick curve on the blade has better accuracy. In my experiment I took four hockey sticks all with different curves (including a flat bladed stick). I then had participants shoot from 21 feet away at targets four feet off the ground. The stick with the second biggest curve had the best accuracy. This proved my hypothesis to be incorrect, that was the biggest curve would have the best accuracy.

JPS158: Solar Energy During my experiment I was able to move water with nothing but light from the base tank to the upper tank with only 7 volts and 65 watts of solar energy. I was able to observe how the angle of light changes the voltage. A solar panel starts absorbing light the moment the light turns on. Also, when the light turns on the solar panel already starts to absorb light, but that does not mean that the light energy is producing the amount of watts needed to spin the motor. When you change the angle of light you will either decrease or increase the amount of watts that are produced, as the angle of the light source increases from 0-90 degrees.

JPS159: Food Preservation Mold is something people worry about growing on their food. People also want to figure out the best way to stop it. Though there is many ways, to prevent it, it can be pretty confusing trying to find the best one. I tested refrigeration, drying, brining, and vacuum sealing on raw beef and spinach. I thought that refrigeration was the best, but it turns out that the only method to grow mold was drying. That proves that I wasn’t right, because the best methods were everything but drying.

JPS160: Football I will be testing how does age effect the distance that a football can be thrown.

JPS161: Nothing But Net The experiment will evaluate the efficiency of free throw success when a basketball is launched from different heights.



JPS162: Natural Materials vs Plastic Silt Fence Plastic silt fences are used to prevent disturbed soil from polluting nearby streams. Many times, the silt fence is left in place long after the work is done, potentially polluting the environment. In this study, biodegradable alternatives to plastic silt fences were evaluated. Five filter materials were studied to determine how well they filtered water when compared to a plastic silt fence. The materials studied included pine needles, gravel, grass seed pods, cattail fluff, and sand. The study concluded that filters made from natural materials performed significantly better than the plastic silt fence in terms of filtration time and efficiency.

JPS163: Aerodynamics and the shapes of paper airplanes The purpose of this aerodynamics study was to determine how the different shapes of paper airplanes affected how it flew. The study hypothesized that a wider paper airplane would fly farther than a longer one. Three different plane shapes were thrown five times each. The wider plane and the shorter plane flew in the same pattern and distance. The longer plane flight results were different. It was concluded the longer plane flew farther than both the wider and shorter planes. The experiment results proved that the shapes and lengths of planes can affect the aircraft’s flight patterns and distance.

JPS164: Basketball Shot I will be testing how rotation of the basketball relates to the effectiveness of making a basket.

JPS165: Meterorites Go Boom My question is will the size of a crater be the same as the size of the meterorite that created it? I hypothesized that the diameter of the crater is going to be larger than the sphere object or the meterorite. In my project I let the three type of spherical shapes drop from my hand 50 (CM) above. I need to measure the diameter of the crater it left behind. In my conclusion the rubber ball had the same measurement every trial. For the baseball and round fruit the (cm) went over and under the diameter of the object.

JPS166: Sugary Cost I did this experiment to find out which kind of sugar damages your teeth the most. I used pencils, string, brown sugar, regular sugar, fructose, chalk, and water. I tied the chalk to the pencils, and mixed the water with the different sugars, separately. I let the solutions sit for 8 hours, then checked the damage to the chalk. The results from this experiment were that the fructose did the most damage to the chalk, the brown sugar did the second worst damage, and the regular sugar did the least damage overall.

JPS167: The Geyser Effect This experiment was conducted to determine how different sodas react with Mentos candies. First, the bottle of sprite will be opened and a test tube containing three Mentos will be placed on top of the bottle. A fishing rod is used to pull a pin inside the test tube away, thus releasing the Mentos into the Sprite. A tester is standing 40 feet away to take video of each explosion.The same process will be done with Coke, Diet Coke and Mt. Dew. Diet Coke had the most significant explosion

JPS168: Killing Phantom Power - Go Green! Save Green! The purpose of this experiment is to investigate how much energy and money can be saved by unplugging appliances and computer peripherals when they are not being used. My hypothesis is that we would use less energy and save a sizable amount if we unplugged them when not in use. This would also mean that we would use less fossil fuel and be more ecofriendly. My plan is to use a Kill – A – Watt meter to measure the energy consumed by these appliances when left on for a specific time repeatedly. I would then compile, analyze and present the data along with my exhibit on PRSEF Day.

JPS169: Bounce, Bounce, Bounce If two bouncing balls get dropped on the ground without using force the small ball will go higher because the small ball holds more force and air pressure. First, drop the balls one by one. Next, record how high they went. Last, go threw to see which one went higher. At first the bigger ball went higher because it was so big but after that the small ball went higher. In conclusion from doing this project three times to conclude that the small more pressurized ball went higher without using force on either bouncy balls.

JPS170: Which Type of Water is Hardest? The purpose of this project will be to determine which type of water (tap, distilled or spring) is the hardest.

JPS171: Boat Float The Purpose of my experiment was to learn how much weight a boat can support depending on its shape. I placed each boat into a bowl, one at a time, and then slowly placed pennies into the boats. The rowboat held 12 pennies, the speedboat held 21, and the barge held 51. I learned why row boats aren’t used to carry cargo and why barges are used to do so. Speed boats are built to move quickly but not to carry large amounts of weight, while rowboats are meant for transportation, and barges are meant for moving cargo.



JPS172: Nutty Energy Nutrition is important to our health and we think about it in our everyday lives. My experiment provides information about which type of nut has the most calories, because calories give you energy. To find this I got cashews, almonds, and peanuts, and built a calorimeter with water. I burned the nuts inside of the calorimeter to see the temperature increase of the water. I found that peanut had the most energy relative to its mass, rejecting my hypothesis of the almond. This information helps society to see the energy content of foods we eat.

JPS173: Ready Set Drop The question for my project is "Is the velocity in which a parachute falls, affected by the material used?" My hypothesis is "I hypothesize that a plastic parachute will be the slowest in time." For my project I got wax paper, plactic and cloth. So I got string and taped the different types of materials to it. Then at the bottom of the strings I attached a spool to them. Last I dropped them and did that three times with every material. Since my project worked out I think if I would use the same material but different amounts.

JPS174: Attractions Ferromanetic Metals The testable question is if a magnet can hold a magnetic key, paperclip, scissors, and a different magnet. The hypothesis is if a magnet is related to magnetic key, a different magnet, scissors, and paperclip then the magnet will carry or hold the magnetic material because magnets are made out of ferromagnetic metal, which allows it to attach. The steps to do this experiment was to put the yardstick down on the ground then grab the magnet. Next to attach the dependent variables to the magnet, then go across the stick, in the air. When it drops record the number, but if it stays on record it like this, 99cm-. The charts and graphs indicates that the key and paperclip have more ferromagnetic metal than the magnet and scissors. The data is key-99cm-, paperclip-99cm-, scissors-14cm, and the magnet-22cm. The hypothesis was partially rejected and partially accepted because the key and paperclip worked, but the scissors and magnet didn’t. The problems were the project was going too fast, or too slow, and the hand kept shaking.

JPS175: How Much Heat can Chocolate Take? Did you ever wonder which chocolate melts faster? I melted three types of chocolate in the oven milk, dark, and white. I thought that the milk chocolate was going to melt faster than white and dark chocolate by an earlier time. The white chocolate melted faster than both milk and dark. The melting time of white chocolate was three minutes. The dark and milk chocolate melting time was between nine to twelve minutes. My hypothesis was not supported by the data: white chocolate melted faster in the oven than dark and milk.

JPS176: Alka Effects The purpose of my project is to find out which temperatures cause Alka-Seltzer to dissolve the fastest. I filled jars with 250ml of water, with temperatures varying of hot, cold, and ice water. After finding the temperature of the water, I timed how long it took for an Alka-Seltzer tablet to be dropped in and completely dissolve. As a result, I discovered that Alka-Seltzer dissolves the fastest in hot water, and the slowest in ice water. My hypothesis was correct.

JPS177: Pip and Peet Like To Eat The purpose of my experiment was to test the weight changes of hampsters if they eat different foods. My hypothesis was that if you feed hampsters sugary and fatty foods, then they will gain weight quicker. The materials needed to complete this experiment were: hampsters, cage, Pop cereal, scale, and normal hampster food. The results of my experiment were that the hampster that ate the fatty foods weighed more after a six week time period. My conclusion is that if you feed hampsters fatty foods, then they will gain weight quicker. To keep hampsters healthy, it is important to feed them vegetables and their proper food.

JPS178: How can a stream of air make a ball levitate? The Bernoulli Principle is one scientific principle used in aeronautics that helps engineers design aircrafts to fly. It states the air pressure on the bottom wing lifts the wing up and the air on the top pushes down to keep the wing more stable. My science experiment gives an example of how a stream of air can make a plane fly by using a ping pong ball and a hair-dryer. The ping pong ball will be placed in the airflow of the blow dryer. The outcome will be that the ball will float in the stream of air without falling out.

JPS179: Dirt Magnet I wondered: “why does our car have an oil filter, but our lawnmower does not?” Dirty motor oil is a leading cause of engine failure. Engines are constantly shedding debris inside. Most of the debris is made of iron filings from parts that wear inside the engine. A model was built to see if a magnet could attract ferrous debris through oil. The first test was successful, so a magnetic drain plug was made and placed into a “real world” test inside an engine for five hours. The magnet successfully removed debris from the oil.



JPS180: Electrolyte Content of Various Fluids Taking electrolytes into the human body is essential. Management of electrolyte concentration is essential because changes in concentration can be harmful to the body. A variety of fluids, including waters, coffee, milk, fruit juice, soda, energy drinks, balsamic vinegar, and Italian salad dressings will be evaluated with a multimeter for conductance.

JPS181: What Detergent Cleans Best? This experiment was to determine the best kind of laundry detergent. I used Arm & Hammer + Oxi Clean detergent, Tide pods, and Dreft. I did this project to help anyone who wants to know what laundry detergent works best. To do this experiment I took 3 white t-shirts and got them dirty in the same way. I put mud on them, then splattered them with prune juice, and put mascara stains on them. In the end, my hypothesis was completely wrong. The Tide pod cleaned the best. Tide pod is the best out of the three.

JPS182: How does gravity work? This experiment was designed to test if a heavier object falls faster than a lighter object, following an experiment by Galileo Galilei. The experiment used balls of different weights but the same size rolling down an inclined plane or dropping from a height. Timing the runs showed that the heavier ball fell no faster than the lighter one. This confirms the hypothesis. There were no obvious issues or problems during this experiment, although several things lead to differences in timing.

JPS183: Coolin' it Down! Sometimes you may wonder from where pollution starts. One major reason is a man made refrigerant, by name chlorofluorocarbons. I have been trying to figure out which refrigerator is the best out of chosen options through data collection, experiments, and a survey. Through this data collection and experimentation, I have figured out that valid options are ice refrigerators, CFC, HFC, HCFC, and carbon dioxide. I figured that the best option out of the chosen ideas is ice, has a 0 global warming potential, 0 ozone depletion potential, and is wonderful with people.

JPS184: Improve Your Kick With Physics The purpose of my project was to find out whether the laces, toe, indide, or outside of the foot kicks a soccer ball the farthest. I've been playing soccer for 8 years and I've always wondered, what part of the foot kicks a soccer ball the farthest. My conclusion is when kicking with the laces, the surface area is the greatest, therefore giving the most force. When increasing force, you increase acceleration, proving the laces are the most effective in kicking a soccer ball for distance.

JPS185: I think that if I measure windspeed at ground level (1 meter above ground level and 15 meters above ground level) then wind is going to be faster higher above ground because there are fewer obstacles for wind up there.

JPS186: Step Right Up Everyone has tried to win a prize at the carnival but left empty handed. My experiment gives people a better understanding of one carnival game in particular, the bottle toss. It is hard to win this game because of the physics of where bottles are placed. I used three stacked bottles that were either full or empty. I threw the ball and tracked which bottle was hit and which bottles were knocked off the table. My experiment proved my hypothesis was correct that it was hardest to win when there was one empty and one full on the bottom.

JPS188: The Hockey Puck I tested the effect that temperature of a hockey puck has on the distance it travels across an ice rink. I chose this subject is because I like the sport hockey and I love to play hockey. Using an outdoor ice rink, I completed trials testing 10 pucks of three different temperatures. The warmest pucks traveled the shortest distance, and on average, the coldest pucks traveled nearly twice as far as the warmest pucks. My experiment was completed at the outdoor ice rink at North Park. To improve on my work, I would complete the same experiment at an indoor rink.

JPS189: Hockey Helmets I am testing how the padding of a hockey helmet creates forces on impact.

JPS190: Unbalanced Marshmallows Please visit student's exhibit on Fair Day for abstract.

JPS191: Racing Brislebots The purpose of my experiment was to figure out which bristlebot had the hardest bristle. My hypothesis was that if I test several strengths of toothbrush bristles, then the hard bristle will perform the best. To complete my experiment, I needed tape, watch batteries, bristles of different hardnesses, a race track, and a data chart. The results of my experiment were that the hard, straight bristles won and traveled the fastest in the least amount of time. I conclude that my hypothesis was incorrect. The straight bristles traveled the fastest.

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JPS192: How Does Weight Matter to the First Law of Motion To use science to prove that area you object is less affectedby an outside force when using Newton's First law of motion. I will push the car and observe and record the results. I will do this 10 times with the light ball and 10 times with the heavy ball turn on the fan. I will push the car 10 times with the light ball and 10 times with the heavy ball. This experiment proves Newton's first law of motion which is an object in rest tends to stay in rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted by an outside force. It proves that the heavier object is not affected by the outside forces. Ugh as the lighter object.

JPS193: Fruit iPod Charger Has your electronic device ever run out of battery and you had nothing to charge it? For this experiment I tested whether fruits were able to charge an iPod. I used a combination of a banana, an apple, and an orange then separately tested a lemon. I hooked the fruits together using electrical wire, copper, and zinc. I then let them sit for fifteen minutes before I plugged in the iPod. I tried the experiment both ways but it failed. I believe it was, because, the fruits weren’t good conductors, maybe if I used potatoes it would work.

JPS194: W.O.W Water, Oil, Water? Athletes want to win races, so they reduce friction with wax. I tested water, oil, and wax to check if wax is the best to reduce friction. I covered a ramp in water, oil or wax and rolled a car down to see which liquid reduced the most friction. Water reduced the most friction, so the car went the fastest down the ramp.

JPS195: Melting Ice? I tested to see which kind of ice kept popsicles frozen for the longer time.

JPS300: The Drop of Time Everybody knows that most balls bounce, but for how long? Our experiment is to find out which type of sports ball will bounce the longest. To figure that out, we dropped a basketball, a tennis ball, a soccer ball, and a football off of a 17.5 foot high terrace 15 times each. We took the average time of each ball’s trials. After all of the tests and calculations, the basketball bounced for the longest time, proving our hypothesis correct.

JPS301: The Freezing Points of Different Liquids We discovered that if you attempt to freeze different liquids, they will freeze at different temperatures. Our hypothesis was that they freeze at different points because of their acidity, salinity, and sugar levels. We tested this hypothesis by putting one ounce of each liquid in an adjustable (in degrees)freezer. The seven liquids we used (in lowest to highest temperatures)were Gatorade, 2% milk, Perrier, salt water, water, juice, and olive oil. Finally our hypothesis was proved correct. We did this study so that scientists or other people wouldn't destroy their liquids.

JPS302: Loading Up Lincoln The purpose of our project is to see which type of water has the greatest molecular attraction. Our hypothesis is that salty water has the greatest molecular structure because the molecules are fully positive and fully negative. Some materials include tap water, sugar, salt, rubbing alcohol, and soap. We will dip the pipettes in the different waters and extract some to drop onto the penny. Then, we will see how many got on the penny. Finally, we will find the means and compare them to see which one has the strongest molecular structure. We are still continuing this project.

JPS303: Light Box We used materials found around the house such as bins, mirrors, and LED lights. We did this project because we thought it would be an education experience. We did this project by putting mirrors on the inside of the box and turning on the LED lights that we strung across the top of the bin. Our results were right on task as we had predicted, the lights had reflected off the mirrors making an illusions that made the lights went on forever. In conclusion, we are still researching our project to make improvements.

JPS304: The Pacisounder Our team has a strong interest in infant development. We are all certified babysitters with many hours of experience. Collectively, we have tried many strategies to soothe a crying infant. We believe that a pacifier that plays music upon the onset of crying can aid in soothing an infant. We will design a prototype pacifier that plays music in response to a noise decibel approximating an infants cry. We will test the Pacisounder against several thresholds of noise and share our data with parents. Parent response will aide in determining future direction for the Pacisounder concept.

JPS305: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a box! The purpose of our project was to determine how high a tiny box could fly and how much weight it could hold. We made three different prototypes (tiny boxes) and bought three different balloons. Each balloon had different amounts of helium in them. So we did one experiment with a different balloon with each box. One box was saran wrap, one box aluminum foil, and one box was paper. The saran wrap box was the hardest to shape, make, and tape. While doing this project, we had discovered that saran wrap is lighter than paper and aluminum foil.



JPS306: The Strength of Different Frozen Liquids Have you ever wondered how strong frozen liquids are? For our project, we decided to measure how much weight, when frozen, different liquids could hold. Our hypothesis is that frozen water will hold the most weight because it doesn't have any air bubbles or other variables that could make it weaker.The procedures are; first freezing the liquids, then doing 3 trials for each liquid, later finding the average weight each can hold. The results were that club soda held the most, then water, then sugar water then Pepsi, and lastly Saltwater. These results proved our hypothesis incorrect.

JPS307: Illusion Confusion For our project, we will be testing whether different genders see optical illusions differently. Each of our illusions can be seen in two separate ways. Noting this, first, we found the illusions we are using to test the volunteers with. Whilst keeping our journal up to date, we proceeded to gather our volunteers who wanted to be tested. Next, we will begin testing and compare the results. Finally, we are going to set up the board and prepare to explain our project to its recipients. Our results will be reported at the fair.


Junior – Life Science (JLS) – 6th Grade

JLS100: Soils Effects on Biodegradability The purpose of this project is to examine the biodegradability of objects (paper, cabbage, plastic, cloth) in different soils (potting soil, clay soil, and sandy soil). Biodegradability involves the breakdown of matter by biological means, and is important to waste management. My hypothesis is that under constant conditions, matter covered in potting soil will biodegrade fastest because it has materials that accelerate biodegradation. The procedure involves measuring biodegradation by using a transparent grid. Experimentation is ongoing. Results will be available on Fair Day.

JLS101: Preserving Bread Purpose -The purpose of this research is to see which way us better for preserving bread. Hypothesis – If you put two breads in the fridge two in the refrigerator and to in a room then the bread in the freezer will last longer than the breads because it keeps more germs from going in the food. Procedures: 1. First put two breads in the fridge, freezer and in a room 2. Then put a thermometer in each place over night 3. Then next day, record what you see that happens to each bread , record the time ,date and the temperature 4. Bread will be thrown out first site of mold

JLS102: Are We The Same or Unique I chose my experiment because I was really interested to find out if fingerprints can be inherited. For my supplies I used an ink pad, ink, paper towels, nail polish remover, and my eight subjects willing to participate in my experiment. For my conclusion I discovered that even siblings don't have identical fingerprint patterns. But I discovered that people in general whether related or not they can have similar fingerprints. I also learned that there are nine types of fingerprints.

JLS103: The Five Second Rule The purpose of my experiment is to test The Five Second Rule to validate if your food is truly protected from bacteria if dropped on floor for five seconds. To conduct my experiment I will drop food on the floor for five seconds and test if bacteria is found on the food. The experimental results were measured by the amount of colonies of bacteria on food dropped. The results of the experiment proved that the Five second rule does not protect your food from bacteria. The results indicate that my hypothesis is correct, the five second rule is not valid.

JLS104: Plant Reaction to Caffeine All plants react to water normally, but have you every wondered what happens to it when its given caffeine? My experiment was to test the effects of caffeine on plants. My hypothesis was that there would be an abnormal amount of growth during the week I experimented. I predicted that the plant given caffeine instead of water would grow more quickly. A week slowly passed and as luck would have it, I was right! There was an extra amount of growth during the week I fed the plant caffeine, but its health was not very impressive. There were a lot of brown spots on my plant’s leaves and it did not look as healthy. I did not expect this effect on the plant.

JLS105: Moon Phases and Human Emotion The phases of the Moon affect us emotionally. They affect genders and age groups differently. Children might be affected more in sadness during the full Moon or females might be affected more in happiness during the new Moon. The different phases also cause people to do strange things or have strange feelings. In one phase you could want to sleep all day and in another phase you have so much energy that you cannot fall asleep. Each phase affects humans differently and my project will explain how different categories of people feel during these different time periods.

JLS106: Under Pressure I did this project by getting three people of different age groups. Then I will see what their temperature is . After that I will give them each a different test. Then I will test their temperature again. I learned that physical stress is a lot different then mental stress. I got this idea for this project after I was searching science fair ideas and I came up with it. Then I found something that went with my interests.

JLS107: Peculiar Flowers. I'm doing this experiment because I want to know does the color of the of the dye will affect the color of the flowers. PROCEDURE: 1. I’m going to buy a bouquet of white flowers 2. Put the flowers in 4 different vases. 3. Water them with the colored water 4. I’m going to keep track in my notebook. HYPOTHESIS: I think the color of the die and water will change the color of the flowers. CONCLUSION: The final result will be shown on fair day.


JLS108: Effects of Colored Lights on Plant Growth It is important to know what light is best to grow plants for food, so I investigated Pinto beans grown under different colored lights. I thought red and blue would work best because plants absorb these, and green light would be the worst because it is reflected. I grew sprouts under colored lights and measured the leaves and stems. Blue, purple, ultra-violet and no-light produced taller plants with smaller leaves. Red, yellow, green, orange and white light gave shorter plants with bigger leaves. Spectrographs showed that I was using mixtures of wavelengths, not pure colors, so this affected the results.

JLS109: Gender and Short Term Memory The purpose of this project is to determine if there is a difference between the way girls and boys remember information for a short period of time. The hypothesis is that girls will have better short term memory if they see information and boys will have better short term memory if they hear information. The project experiment involved fourteen school-aged subjects, seven girls and seven boys. Each were given a list of four words to remember over a ten-second period of time. After being distracted for one minute, the subjects were asked to recall the words on the list. Each subject was given six tests in an auditory format and the same six tests in a visual format. The correct number of auditory and visual recall was compared between the girls and the boys. The words were unrelated and were not biased based on gender or age. The results of my experiment show that the girls demonstrated more accurate short term memory when given information in an auditory format. The girls had 140 correct answers out of a possible 168 answers in the auditory test. The girls had 138 correct answers out of a possible 168 answers in the visual test. The boys had more accurate short term memory when information was presented in a written format. The boys had 130 correct answers out of a possible 168 answers in the auditory test. The boys had 139 correct answers out of a possible 168 answers in the visual test. The results do not confirm my hypothesis that girls have better short term memory if they see information and boys have better short term memory if they hear information. In conclusion, this science experiment met my goals of understanding that girls and boys remember things for a short period of time in different ways. These results are important in helping us communicate with each other and understanding how to present information for better recall.

JLS110: Cats and Colors: Do They Care? I was curious if cats have a favorite color. For my project, I placed three bath towels and three food bowls: one red, one blue, and one yellow. I watched my cats to see which towels they chose to sit on and which bowls they chose to eat out of. I rotated the position of the towels and the bowls. I concluded that cats do have some color preference, but the color preference isn’t so strong that the cat will refuse to go near a color that it dislikes.

JLS111: Do You Need Your Sense of Sight To Play A Video Game The purpose of this experiment is to figure out if the blind can play a video game. To conduct this experiment I will blindfold the test subjects and have them play the video game. The experiment results will be measured by seeing who has the better score blinded or the sighted.

JLS112: Effects of Vitamins on Soybeans Soybeans are a major product of the world, but like all plants, they take a long time to grow. In my experiment, I tested soybean plants with and without soil while watering them with different vitamins with water mixture. I recorded their height and length of leaves for 15 days. In the end, vitamin E grew the tallest with soil and vitamin A grew the tallest without soil. The leaves on all the soybean plants were all similar. This proved my hypothesis wrong that vitamin D make the soybean plants grow tallest wrong.

JLS113: Brainwave: Analyzing Brainwave Patterns to Design Biofeedback Mechanisms Within the brain, neurons fire chemical and electrical signals, called synapses. The voltage generated can be measured by an EEG. I hypothesized that I will have distinguishable changes in my brainwave patterns during different activities and that I will be able to determine these patterns and use them for biofeedback. To prove this, I recorded my brainwave patterns for different activities. I performed statistical analysis on data collected to determine a pattern for specific activities like doing homework or reading for pleasure. I used these patterns to provide a feedback mechanism that alerts me when I get distracted while working.

JLS114: What Type of Dance Burns the Most Calories? For my science fair project, I experimented with a Fitbit calorie burner to test out which type of dance from ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop burned the most calories. I chose this experiment because I dance all of these different dances and was very interested in which type burned the most calories. I did this by attaching a Fitbit to my arm and I then danced these dances three times, one time each week. Hip Hop burned the most calories out of the dances which shocked me at because I thought tap would win this amusing experiment.

JLS115: Slowing the Rot in Bananas Bananas seem to rot quickly, so I wanted to find the best way to keep bananas fresh. To find that out, I placed bananas in a paper bag, a plastic bag, in the freezer, on a hanger, and I put duct tape around the stem of another, and placed the last banana in the refrigerator. Every day for one week, I documented the progress. I found that the banana in the freezer rotted the quickest, while banana on the hanger rotted the slowest. I predicted that the banana in the freezer would rot the slowest, and the plastic bag would rot the fastest. My original predictions were not supported.


JLS116: Swabbing the School In the winter there are many more people getting illnesses. For that reason, in my experiment I wanted to see where and when my school has the most bacteria. To do that, I swabbed 5 different places in my school in the morning and afternoon. I tested before winter break as well as after. My results showed that I was right and wrong about parts of my hypothesis. I was correct that the dirtiest place overall was the technology lab keyboard. However, I was wrong that my school is the dirtiest after break.

JLS117: Hey Mrs.Stough, will the beans grow? The purpose of my experiment was to see if microwave radiation would impact bean growth. My hypothesis was that if I microwave bean seeds and water them daily, then they will grow faster than a non-microwaved seed. To complete my experiment, I needed a microwave, bean seeds, cups, water, and a data chart. My results were that only one cup of 45 grew into a plant. None of the other plants grew at all. My conclusion is that something could have happened to the seeds while being microwaved or they could have been old seeds that were not going to grow well.

JLS118: Let if Grow! Growing plants is important because much of what we eat is dependent on agricultural success. My experiment tested what type of water helps a bean plant grow the best. I used distilled water, tap water and microwaved water to try to answer this question. I answered this question by sprouting bean seeds in plastic bags and planting them in soil. Each plant only received one type of water. I proved my hypothesis because the plants given distilled water grew the best growing an average of 60mm higher than the others.

JLS119: Carbonated/ Tap Water The purpose of this experiment is to see if carbonated water freezes quicker than tap water and which type of water changes state to a liquid(melting) fastest. To conduct this experiment I will freeze both types of water and record the time, temperature, and all observable features. I will then observe the time it takes for the waters to melt. The experimental results were measured by seeing which type of water froze the fastest, using time, and which type of water returned to a liquid fastest, using time. The results of my experimentation should be accepted because both the types of water froze at the same rate but melted at different rates.

JLS120: Does Color Affect Germination? Maybe it’s time to figure out how we can grow plants faster and easier. My experiment is about how seed color will affect plant germination using Indian Corn. I separated the kernels that are dark and light and observed the differences in the gemination by measuring the size of roots and stems. A total of 108 kernels were observed for 5 days. The results showed that the darker kernels germinated faster which proved my hypothesis to be correct. I concluded that color does affect plant germination, specifically that the darker the seed, the faster to germinate.

JLS121: Is the Stroop Effect Real? Middle school students will be tested to determine if the Stroop Effect is a real or imagined phenomenon.

JLS122: How does lighting affect a plant's height? Light enables plants to carry on photosynthesis, the food making process in the leaves. When light hits plants leaves, a chemical called chlorophyll in the leaves cell trap the energy in the light. This energy is used to produce chemical reaction in the plant that produces a type of sugar called glucose. Glucose is used for growth. The shape of leaves makes it easier for plants to capture the essential light. Most leaves are flat so that they can collect as much as possible. Many plants can also turn their leaves toward the light throughout the day.

JLS123: Farming Revolution The reason that I chose this topic is because I always had an interest in farming. The goal of this experiment is to find out which type of water makes plants grow the best. The other reason I chose this topic is because if I can figure out which type of water will make the plants grow the best it could be a farming revolution. I planted tomato seeds in 6 different containers and watered them with 3 different types of water. My conclusion was that the micro waved water worked best

JLS124: Frozen Fighting When it comes to lunches, everyone wants cold water. The purpose of my experiment is to see which water freezes and melts the fastest: flavored, salt, or tap water. I collected the data over a three day period and found that tap water freezes the fastest, then flavored, then the saltwater, which did not freeze. The saltwater did not need to be melted, but the flavored water melted faster than the tap water.

JLS125: Protect Your Teeth . . . Tooth decay and staining by unhealthy liquids is a big problem in the United States. This experiment was made to search and find the drink that stained teeth the most, and find the most unhealthy for your teeth. I took some of the most popular drinks and tested them with lamb (mammal) teeth to see which stained the most: Gatorade (Lemon Lime), Coca-Cola, Sprite, Coffee, and Water (Control). I hypothesized that the two sodas would be the worst. We found after one week of exposure, that Coca-Cola stained the darkest, then there was Gatorade, Sprite, and of course water.


JLS126: Global Warming and Plants. PURPOSE: I am doing this experiment to find out if plants can reduce the temperature of the Earth. PROCEDURE: 1. I will have two boxes, one with a thermometer, and one with a thermometer and a plant. 2. Start by taking the boxes and putting them under the sun. 3. Put an ice cube in both of the boxes, and see which one melts faster. 4. Measure the temperature twice a day. HYPOTHESIS: I think that the temperature of the box with the thermometer and the plant will be less. CONCLUSION: The result will be available in the fair day.

JLS127: How Does Soil Affect Plant Growth? How does soil affect plant growth? It effects it by knowing what type of soil will best grow your plants. Depending on what type of plant you use. For example loamy soil is used for vegetables. But for my project I tested how does soil effect plant growth? And I found that the best soil that supports plant growth is the soil that is a mixture of all three main soils which are clay, loamy, and sandy. I did this by following my procedure. The biggest impact that I had happened to my plants is that the clay soil died.

JLS128: Fake Fast Food? In my experiment, I determined that Giant Eagle’s ingredients are fresher than Five Guys’ or McDonald’s’, having grown mold the fastest in all three trials. The mold was able to grow quickly; because, of the naturalness and freshness in their ingredients. McDonald’s’ bun clearly had the slowest mold growth in trial 1 and trial 2, but tied with Five Guys’ bun in trial 3. Five Guys and/or McDonald’s might have inconsistent ingredients because of their tie in trial 3. Five Guys’ buns grew mold slowly. These results could be because of fake fast food.

JLS129: Two Heads - Better Than One? The purpose of this project was to find out if fraternal twins really think alike. My procedure was as follows:First I got three pairs of twins. Second I labeled each twin in the pair as either twin A or twin B. I then asked each twin the same set of questions. I gave each pair of twins a point each time they give the same answer. The result of this test was 42% out of all the pairs. My conclusion is that its true that twins think alike.

JLS130: Can ideo games affect spatial intelligence? Hypothesis: Most studies have found that the average adolescent’s intelligence can be enhanced by playing certain video games that require thinking “outside the box”. The effects of playing video games on spatial intelligence is unclear. I tested if playing video games increases one's spatial intelligence, as measured by a spatial ability (SA) test. I hypothesized that scores of spatial intelligence will increase after 30 minutes of playing video games.Methods: I enrolled 12 adolescents, ages 11-17 years old, as study subjects. A 10 question SA test was administered to them. They played the video game for 30 minutes, following which they took the test once again. I also enrolled five control subjects, who took the SA test twice, 30 minutes apart, but did not play video games in between the tests. I analyzed the change in test scores in both groups. Results: Among the 12 study subjects, the average SA test score at baseline was 4.6+/-1.6 and increased to 6.5+/-1.4 after playing the video game. Among the controls, the average SA score was 5.6+/-2.2 and 5.6+/-1.3 on serial testing. By t-test the p value was 0.003 for the difference in study subjects and p=0.5 for difference in control subjects. Conclusions: Based on the results of my experiment, I proved the hypothesis that spatial intelligence scores increase after playing video games in the short-term. This result needs to be confirmed in larger studies and if proven can lead to video game design that can benefit video game developers and players alike.

JLS131: Dog Training 101 My project is about training a dog with positive reinforcements. I used the most common types of positive reinforcement, which are treats, hand gestures, and physical movements. I performed each positive reinforcement on a puppy and dog nine times each and recorded my data. My results showed that treats worked the best on the dog, while physical movements worked best on the puppy. My results proved my hypothesis wrong, in which I thought treats would work best on both animals. So next time you go to use a certain type of positive reinforcement, think twice about the type you use!

JLS132: Sensible Senses The purpose of this experiment is to figure out which senses are enhanced when you go blind. To conduct this experiment I will put a blindfold on my subjects to see if they can identify the object , sound, or smell. The experimental results were measured by which sense was the best. The results of the experiment were that hearing was enhanced more than smelling and touching. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be changed because hearing was able to identify the sound quicker than smelling with a smell and touching with an object


JLS133: Glade Run Creek vs Deer Creek First, we went to Glade Run Creek. We took the pH, temperature, and water samples. We went looking for different animals next. We looked under rocks for crayfish or fish. We looked along the banks for snakes and salamander. We also stood still in the water to see if we were scaring any animals by moving. Then, to Deer Creek! There, we took the temperature, pH, and water samples. Then, we walked along the bank to see if we could find any snake holes or salamanders. We also looked for ducks because a member had seen some there before.

JLS134: Maybe I Should Clean That! Although I live in a clean house, I know bacteria live everywhere and I wonder where they accumulate. The experiment will this by swabbing five common places in the house and observing bacterial growth in petri dishes. The experiment will take 10 days and will begin on January 19th, 2015. During the experiment, photographs of the petri dishes will be taken and analyzed using software o calculate how much bacteria has grown during the test period. The results for each test area will be compared and a conclusion will be drawn from the results.

JLS135: Magnificent Mold I did this experiment to find out what type of bread, wheat or white, would grow mold first. This experiment will benefit people because they will know what bread lasts longer. To do this experiment, I put white and wheat bread in different labeled Ziploc bags. These bags were placed in a dark, damp room where I observed which bread grew mold first. In the end, the wheat bread grew mold after four days, and the white bread grew mold after six days.

JLS136: Beats Per Minute The purpose of my experiment was to determine whether the number of beats per minute within a song, could determine which genre of music it came from. The procedure I followed was to listen to two songs from each genre, count the BPM for each song, and compare those numbers. The two songs from the Blues genre had the same BPM even though they were in the same genre of music. In conclusion, the number of BPM in a song does not determine the genre of music it belongs to.

JLS137: Do blindfolded subjects told to walk in a straight line consistently walk in circles? My experiment was to see if blindfolded subjects, told to walk in a straight path, consistently walk in circles. The research I found suggested if the day is cloudy for the experiment, and the sun wasn’t out, they would walk in circles. On a cloudy day I took 10 subjects to an open field. I blindfolded each subject and asked him or her to walk in a straight path. Each subject walked in a circle, which showed that my hypothesis and research were correct. I observed that as the subjects walked further, their steps began to turn more drastically. That is what subjects do when they are blindfolded and told to walk straight.

JLS138: When Life Gives You Lemons...Make an All-Purpose Cleaner! Many families use organic cleaners because they are non-toxic and healthier, but the real question is, do they kill as much or more bacteria than a store-bought cleaner? A few sources state that vinegar or lemons/limes can kill bacteria fairly well, but maybe not as well a commercial product. I thought that perhaps combining vinegar with these citrus fruits might work as well as commercial cleaners that may contain harmful chemicals. My hypothesis thus states that if cleaning three surfaces with an organic, homemade cleaner and a commercial cleaner then the organic cleaner will be as effective or more effective than the commercial cleaner. To study this, I made a homemade cleaner with the above ingredients and tested them against a store-bought cleaner. A control was done using no cleaner. Far more bacteria/mold grew when no cleaning was done (57 colonies), representing seven species. Sixty-eight percent of species could be harmful to humans. Homemade and store-bought cleaners yielded a similar number of colonies (seven vs. five, respectively), each having five of six trials with few or no growth. The only potentially harmful bacteria cultured after using either cleaner is strongly suspected to be from an error in technique. It thus appears that both cleaners yield only a small amount of non-harmful bacteria. My hypothesis is thus accepted.

JLS139: DNA - Standard Paternity Test DNA tests that provide information about person's short tandem repeat (STR) DNA profile are used for determination of genetic relatedness between people - DNA kinship testing. The goal of my project is to create a software tool, which will help consumers to better understand results of DNA kinship analysis tests. I am planning it as a multi-year project starting with automating statistical calculations for a single DNA-STR marker (CSF1PO). I obtained frequency of CSF1PO alleles from the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) website and, using Python software, linked them to the formulae for calculating parentage indices.

JLS140: Does Music Affect Memory? The purpose of this project will be to evaluate whether or not music has an impact on a person's ability to memorize written information.


JLS141: Are Finerprint Patterns Inherited? For my research, I used a variety of biology books from my library. I discovered that there are three main types of fingerprints and ridge patterns in each fingerprint pattern. I thought fingerprint patterns were inherited because other characteristics like hair color are inherited. For my experiment, I asked five families to be fingerprinted and got eighteen participants' thumb prints to see if I could find any connections. For my results, more than half showed that they could have inherited fingerprints patterns. I also found out that gender may play a role in determining these characteristics.

JLS142: How does the Stroop Effect influence a person's accuracy in stating the correct color? The purpose of this experiment is to test the accuracy of the brain when under the Stroop effect. To conduct I will show people a card and tell them to read the word. The Experimental results were measured is how many people got the word on the card right. The results of the experiment was very interesting because not person (but one) got all the words right. The results of the experiment indicate that the hypothesis should be agreed with because not anyone (but one person) got all of the words right

JLS143: Abiotic & Biotic Fuels The purpose for doing my science fair project is to investigate the probability of fuels being all fossil-based and verify my research data to confirm that fuels are abiotic. My science fair project consists of researching the elements of coal and comparing the elements of coal to the elements of plant and animal life. I will test both and produce real data to analyze. I predict the elements of coal will not match those of plants and animals; making coal and abiotic fuel.

JLS144: Growth Race Please visit student's exhibit on Fair Day for abstract.

JLS145: Cats & Dogs-Favorite Color Have you ever wondered what dogs' and cats' favorite colors are? Most scientists say that dogs and cats are colorblind, so I wanted to find out if they really are. I did this by laying out five different colored sheets of paper with dog or cat treats on them, then I let the dog or cat in and observed what color they went to first. My dog, Buzz, went to orange three times out of five and my cat, Blair, went to both orange and green two times out of five. I found out that they are not colorblind.

JLS146: H2O: Which Water Will Win? Did you ever wonder which type of water plants would grow better with? This was the purpose of my experiment. The procedures I used during my experiment were watering sprouts with 4 different types of water. My data consisted of increase and decrease of plant growth. At the end of my experiment I could conclude that the tap water help plants grow tall and strong. I can also conclude that the salt water caused plants to get weaker or die. I think my experiment was an overall success.

JLS300: Future Energy: Algae Based Biofuel: Biomass from algae can be used to produce biofuel and has the potential to reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels. In this study we examined the best conditions for growing Spirulina algae over eight days. We tested three variables (nutrient level, agitation, and water temperature) to see which combination would yield the most algae. We used ten miniature bioreactors, with eight experimental conditions and two controls. The results showed that high temperature (85 F), low agitation, and either low (1 ml) or high (2 ml) nutrient levels generated the most algae.

JLS301: Double Creek Craziness The objective of this research was to determine whether Squaw Run or Saw Mill Run is the healthier creek. In each creek, we looked for wildlife to determine the health of the creek. We also tested the following chemical indicators of water quality: pH, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and alkalinity. While the chemical parameters were fairly healthy in both creeks, Squaw Run was slightly healthier. Far more wildlife existed at Squaw Run than at Saw Mill. We conclude that Squaw Run is the healthier creek.

JLS302: Is Bottled Water Worth It? Every year Americans spend over 11.8 billion dollars on bottled water and millions of dollars to clean up water bottles. For our study, we compared the quality of Pittsburgh tap water to different brands of bottled water. We tested for levels of nitrates, nitrites, pH, hardness, chlorine, pesticides and bacteria, and surveyed 6th graders about their attitudes toward bottled water. Both water types met EPA standards, except both tap and bottled water exceeded the EPA threshold for hardness. Hardness is associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer. Most 6th graders think bottled water is healthier, but it’s not.

JLS303: Exercise to the Max! Gymnasiums can be hard to find. Some people don’t have an indoor exercise space in winter close to their house. We wanted to find a solution to that problem. We tested kids and adults on a Wii playing Wii Sports Resort and compared their heart rate with the same group doing the sport in a Gym or outside. We found that half of the subjects had increased their heart rate more in a gym and the other half in Wii. We could not conclude much because of the similarity in the data. In conclusion, both are about the same exercise.


JLS304: Bright and Shiny or Dark and Dingy When we first started the project we had to research what would happen in the project. Our original hypothesis was that coffee would stain teeth the most. The question that we had before we started the project,"What beverages stain teeth more than others?" Another question was, "How are teeth stained?" We made our project to see what beverage would stain teeth the most or would leave the hardest stain on teeth. Therefore our results were different then we had predicted.

JLS305: Seed Manipulation for Faster Growth We were curious about how seeds grow. Our experiment was manipulating crispy crunchy radish seeds. We wanted to find out which manipulation would make the seeds grow the fastest. We grew seeds with 5 manipulations, some soaked in water or white vinegar, some frozen, some scarred, and some untreated. We recorded data for 2 weeks and averaged out our data. Altogether the seeds soaked in water grew the fastest, but really all the seeds grew around the same rate except for the seeds soaked in vinegar, they died.

JLS306: Fern Hollow Creek Health Is Fern Hollow Creek healthy? How will this creek's health affect the animals in it? Hypothesis: Fern Hollow Creek will have a pH of a number between 6 and 7.5. It will have a dissolved oxygen level greater than 10. The group will find 10 salamanders and will find a few tolerant macro-invertebrates.

Junior – Consumer Science (JCS) – 6th Grade



JCS100: Bubble Up Will the kind or brand of soap affect the making of bubbles? I hypothesized that Dawn Liquid will make the most bubbles. I took 3 different brands of soap, then saw how many bubbles were made from each brand of soap. My prediction was wrong because Palmolive had the most bubbles and I predicted Dawn would.

JCS101: The effect of various beverages on the loss of tooth enamel Purpose: I am doing this experiment because it is important to have clean healthy teeth. And usually people get cavities because they do not brush their teeth after they eat or drink something with sugar or acid. Procedure: 1. I will pour different beverages into jars. 2. Put an egg in each jar and let it sit for a while 3. Check on them once in a while and record what is happening. Conclusion: the final results will be available on the fair day Hypothesis: I think the Mountain-Dew will affect the egg the most.

JCS102: What Is The Strongest Wood Glue? Wood glue is important for fixing things around the house. There are many wood glues to choose from, and I wanted to find out which one was the strongest. My experiment tested different wood glues to determine which one was the strongest. To do this I glued two strips of wood together with different types of glue: Liquid Nails, Gorilla Glue, and Super Glue. Then I put weight on them to gauge which could hold the most weight and be the strongest. I found out the strongest wood glue was Super Glue.

JCS103: [Deleted]

JCS104: What improves/blocks Wi-Fi Signals? Have you ever been annoyed by poor Wi-Fi reception for your phone, tablet, or laptop? Certain materials can actually block a Wi-Fi signal, while a parabolic reflector would enhance it. I predict a parabolic reflector will enhance the Wi-Fi signal and solid objects will block the Wi-Fi signal. To conduct this experiment, I tested many materials on their ability to block or enhance the Wi-Fi signal. The parabolic reflector improves the Wi-Fi signal, while the aluminum foil, the cardboard, and the stainless steel sauce pan lid blocked the signal. That means my hypothesis was, in fact, correct!

JCS105: What Hairdryer? The purpose of this experiment is to see what hairdryer works the best. To conduct this experiment I will wet the hair for 10 seconds and see what hairdryer works the best in the given time. The experiment results were measured by which hairdryer dry's the hair the best. The results of this experiment is that both hairdryer worked the best. The results indicate that my hypothesis should be rejected.

JCS106: Ethanol, Is it a Reality or a Green Pipedream? The purpose of this project is to determine whether ethanol has a higher Btu or energy content then gasoline and diesel, today’s conventional fuels. My hypothesis is that ethanol will have a higher Btu based on race cars are more powerful running on ethanol. The procedure consists of conducting six trials per fuel. Each trial is used to measure the amount of Btu. This is done by measuring the water’s temperature before and after soaking wicks with each of the tested fuels, lighting them in fire, then taking the difference of the temperature. Findings will be available on Fair Day!

JCS107: Which Fabric Dries the Quickest? For my experiment I was testing which fabric dries the quickest. I had to soak my fabric but before I could do that I had to get the materials. The fabric was hard to get because I had to find 100% of everything and trying to make each fabric piece the same size was really hard. I left the fabric to dry in my basement so I had to go up and down my stairs feeling it. When the project was over I was shocked with the results. My hypothesis was wrong and my conclusion was that Nylon dries the quickest. That was my project on “which fabric dries the quickest.”

JCS108: Adaptive Knives People who have disabilities that effect their hands or arms may have trouble cutting their food. It can be embarrassing to have to ask for help with such a simple task. Increasing independence for people with disabilities is the goal of this project. I will be engineering a mini battery powered table knife that will assist people with motor difficulities in cutting their own food.

JCS109: Frozen Sports My experiment is being done because I always want a cold drink at halftime. What I am doing with this experiment is I froze 4 sports drinks and timed there freezing time. Another thing I am doing with this experiment is when I am letting them thaw; I wait every forty minutes and I measure the liquid coming out in ounces. When I am done I will see the drinks and look at which ones thaw the quickest and how much. My experiment is not yet completed it is still being worked on.



JCS110: Keeping Baby Bottoms Dry Disposable diapers will be tested to determine which will hold the most moisture and thus, keep baby bottoms the driest.

JCS111: To Clean or Not to Clean No one is perfect. That's where cleaning products come in. Even though they're useful, the chemicals can affect your health. I wanted to find out if natural products were any better than the chemical ones in cleaning a common stain. I took 18 6x6 inch carpet squares and covered them with a teaspoon of ketchup. Then, I put a tablespoon of cleaner on a cleaning rag and scrubbed for one minute. I measured the results with a chart and recorded them. The chemicals proved themselves to be better than the natural products, disproving my hypothesis.

JCS112: Set for Life or Removable Stains Stains on clothes are a regular part of our daily lives. I tested Tide, Gain and Method to see which one would remove stains of ketchup, mustard, dirt and coffee the best. The stains were smeared on white cotton t-shirts and left to set for about four hours. Each shirt was washed with one of the detergents in a washing machine on a hot wash and cold rinse cycle. In comparing the washed t-shirts, my hypothesis was confirmed when Tide clearly did the best at removing stains.

JCS113: The Heat Is On Consumers are always looking for the best value for their money. In this experiment, I chose air filters to see if consumers were getting better value for higher prices. I used four different quality/price air filters of the same brand. I weighed each air filter and then placed each in the furnace for two weeks. After two weeks, I weighed them again. I looked at the difference in weight to determine which filters trapped more pollutants. The most expensive air filter was not better than the second most expensive filter but better than the cheapest two air filters.

JCS114: Short Term Memory The purpose of the project was to find if short term memory is better in younger or older people. Is short term memory better in kids, adults, or seniors. I think that it would be better in adults because as you get older it is harder to remember things, and children's’ brains are not fully developed yet. I made 3 different tests which I then tested on 3 different age groups. I found out that adults remember pictures and words better than kids and seniors, but seniors remembered more about the story then kids and adults. My hypothesis was write for the first 2 tests.

JCS115: Shine, Shinier, Shiniest The purpose of this experiment is to find out what cleaners clean the tarnished silver the best. To conduct this experiment I will place my homemade cleaners and store bought cleaners on the silver to see which one cleans the silver the best. The experimental results were measured by comparing the different cleaners to see which one took the tarnish off the best. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be rejected because the hypothesis stated that the silver cleaner would clean the silver but the ketchup cleaned the silver the best.

JCS116: Iron Content in Fruits and Vegetables. PURPOSE: I am doing this experiment to find out how much iron contents are in our drinks, because iron is part of all cells and needed in our bodies. PROCEDURE: 1. I will make tea, asparagus juice, and spinach juice. 2. Pour the juices in separate cups. 3. Add tea to all the cups. 4. Stir the juices with tea using different spoons. 5. Let the juices set for 3 h, check on them every 20 min. HYPOTHESIS: The pineapple juice has most iron contents in it. CONCLUSION: The final results will be available on the fair day.

JCS117: Does color affect the burn rate of a candle? The purpose of this experiment is to see which type of candles burn faster. To conduct this experiment I will test a white candle and a colored candle by burning each one for the same amount of time. The experimental results were measured by seeing what colored candle burns the fastest. The results of this experiment was that they both burn the same. The results indicate that the hypothesis should be incorrect because they burn the same.

JCS118: The Lip Balm Effect! I can’t stand when my lips are chapped and I don’t have any lip balm. It’s annoying, and hurts. So, I decided to use five brands that you probably know: Blistex, Carmex, Vaseline, DHC, and Burt’s Bees. I found out which was the most effective at preventing moisture loss by smearing a container of each treatment onto an apple. I weighed the apples for 7 days and then compared the weights. I found the percentages to see which lost the most mass. The results are: Blistex best, Vaseline was second best, and the other three are the same.



JCS119: What is the most effective sunscreen? On a sunny day, I recorded the UV index with an electronic reading tool. Next, I placed UV detector beads in a clear bag without sunscreen. I recorded the color change and intensity on a scale of 1 to 5. I then placed the beads in five separate bags and applied the different brands of sunscreen and SPF values to each bag. I recorded the results. I repeated the procedure and recorded the results three times. I learned that the higher SPF was not the best and the application of the sunscreen plays a big role in protecting the skin.

JCS120: What Water is Best to Drink I conducted this water experiment to try and determine what water would be cleanest and healthiest for consumers to drink. I began by choosing tap, fountain, and bottled water. The tap water came from my house, the bottled was Deer Park brand, and the fountain came from a local grocery store. To test my experiment I used PH strips, a microscope, and food coloring. After comparing, I found tap water to be the cleanest, bottled came in second, and fountain in last.

JCS121: What Chocolate Melts First? In my research paper, I will summarize my project. In the introduction, I included my hypothesis, my research/background, the explanation of my project, how I got the idea, and what I hoped to achieve when I started my project. The experimental methods used will include the methods I used to collect my data and observations. I will describe this information in detail. Also, graphs and photographs will be included in this section. The next part of my report will be the discussion. In this section, I will analyze my results. I will also write about the difference between what I expected and my results and what I would do if I did the project again. The next section, the conclusion, will summarize my results. The last sections are the acknowledgments and references. I will include a thank you to everyone that helped me and list the resources I used.

JCS122: Stepping Stones If you are the owner of an iPhone-5S or another Apple device and are looking for a pedometer, go no further. I tested the accuracy of four pedometers. My hypothesis was that the FitBit would be the most accurate of four different pedometers. My procedures included running, walking, and driving to record the amount of steps each pedometer counted. My hypothesis was proved wrong as the iPhone-5S had a 2.5% error out of about 6000 steps. My science fair project proves that if you have an Apple product, you should not waste your money on an expensive pedometer.

JCS123: What Cleans the Jeans? To find out which detergent works the most effectively on stains. Buy jeans and shirt, cut into pieces and stain with each piece with the following strains: mustard, grease, grass, and ink. Wash pieces in each of the 4 detergents and survey 6th and 8th graders as to effectiveness of detergents.

JCS124: Take Your Medicine Will jr. acetaminophen dissolve faster in lemonade than in water? The materials included two glasses, water, lemonade, two jr. acetaminophen tablets, a camera, and a record sheet. During the experiment, I prepared materials, filled both glasses with 100 mL of the liquids, and dropped in tablets. I observed, took one picture every 30 seconds, and recorded the results. My hypothesis was not supported. It took 150 seconds for the jr. acetaminophen to dissolve in room temperature lemonade versus 90 in water. In 480 seconds, refrigerated lemonade dissolved the tablet, versus 210 in refrigerated water.

JCS125: Homework vs. Dreams: How Homework Affects a Student's Dreams Since I was very little, I have always wondered if homework affects the dreams of a child. So, for my project this year, I decided to research just that. My hypothesis is that students get scary dreams or dreams about school when they do not finish their homework. I have created a survey asking my test subjects about the amount of homework they had and their dreams. This survey was sent out twice, once when the test subjects were in school and once when the test subjects are out on school. I will have my final results on the day of the fair. My plan is to have various graphs that shows the different variables tested.

JCS126: Which is Most Pure? I bet you drink water most of the day and wonder how clean it is. I tested different waters to see which one was most pure; because, I drink water daily. I used test strips and dipped them into the water to test the pH, alkalinity, and chlorine. Finally, I compared the water to the chart on the side of the bottle. When I finished comparing Jeannette tap water, North Huntingdon tap water, Smart water, Crystal Spring’s water, and Creek water; I discovered that North Huntingdon tap water was most pure.

JCS127: What's the Wrap? In my project I took Debbie Meyer Green bags, Ziplock bags, Tinfoil, and Saran Wrap, and investigated which one can keep an apple slice fresh the longest. I put an apple slice in each wrapping making three trials. I then watched the apple slices browning rate for one week. I thought that Ziplock bags would keep an apple slice fresh the longest because it had a double zipper. At the end of my experiment the Saran Wrap kept an apple slice fresh the longest. This proved my hypothesis wrong.



JCS128: What's In Your Water? The quality of our water not only affects our everyday life, but our health too. If we drink a certain kind of water it may affect our later life. We need to have awareness of what is in our water. If our water is polluted it could lead to stomach aches, or even major problems like delays in physical or mental development, or even kidney problems for older adults. We really can't take some of the major risks that some of the water elements give us.

JCS129: Which baseball bat material hits baseballs the farthest, wood or aluminum? This experiment was to determine which bat material hits baseballs the farthest, wood or aluminum. The materials included: a baseball field, a baseball tee, baseballs, two bats (one wood and one aluminum), baby powder, blue tape, a hitter, an outfield assistant, and a wheel measure. The blue tape was used to mark three locations on the bat: above, within, and below the sweet spot. The baseballs were rolled in baby powder to mark where the ball hit the bat. After each hit, we recorded how far the ball went. In this experiment we found aluminum bats hit farther than wood.

JCS130: Which Paper Towel is the Strongest? Various paper towels will be evaluated to determine which will hold the greatest mass when wet.

JCS131: Which Washable Marker is Best for Washing Out of Clothes? This experiment was done using detergent with and without bleach and three brands of markers. Using the same color marker from each pack put an A, B and C on three different shirts. Wash the shirts using the detergent without bleach. Using the same colored markers put an A1, B1 and C1 on three shirts and wash in the detergent with bleach. Both Crayola and Yoobi markers washed out completely with both detergents. The Up&Up brand did not wash out using either detergent. Yoobi markers cost less than Crayola so parents can save money and get the same results.

JCS132: Childproof Bottles They say that the bottle is "childproof," but just how correct are they? I will be testing preschool aged students from age 4-5. They will try to open four different "childproof" medicine bottles.

JCS133: Vitamin C in Fruits and Vegetables by Cooking, Steaming, and Microwaving People consume fruits and vegetables for the vitamins and nutrients in them. The amount of vitamins and nutrients retained in the fruit or vegetable, when they are consumed, depends on the cooking method. Furthermore, the vitamin C content depends on the type of fruit or vegetable. This study is aimed at determining the optimal way to cook fruits and vegetables-steaming, microwaving, or stovetop cooking. Several different fruits and vegetables will be used in this study. Preliminary results indicate that steaming retains the most vitamin C when cooking fruits and vegetables. More detailed results will be presented.

JCS134: A Sticky Situation Have you ever wanted a stronger tape? In this experiment I proved that some tapes are stronger than others! I tested different brands of tapes to see which would hold the most weight. I hung tape on a pole and added weight to the other end. I predicted that the Scotch tape would hold the most weight. I proved my hypothesis because the Scotch tape held more than the Duck and Jot tapes and held about 1500 grams. All of the tapes were strong but the Scotch was the strongest.

JCS300: Flat as a Pancake! The purpose of our study was to investigate and determine if we could make a healthier pancake without changing the texture or “fluffiness” of the pancake. Adding 0, ¼, ½, ¾, and 1 tsp of flaxseed to five trials of pancake batter, we predicted that pancakes with the least amount of flaxseed would make the fluffiest pancakes. Our results showed that our hypothesis was supported by our data – that less flaxseed in the batter makes fluffier pancakes. However, we conclude that since the differences are less than one millimeter, that the results of adding flaxseed would be highly beneficial.

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2015 Junior Division

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