• The Independent variable is the item you are testing within the experiment. • Examples might be: Height of a ramp

Amount of salt

4 cm 6 cm8 cm

1 teaspoon or

10 grams

2 teaspoons or

20 grams

3 teaspoons or

30 grams

• The dependent variable is the item you are using to measure the effect of the independent variable • Examples might be:

60.2 cm

Distance The Car Travelled

Time it takes the salt water to

freeze

Salt Water Ice Cube froze in 27 min 22 sec or

1642 sec

4 cm

Run Distance (cm)

1 145.3

2 146.7

3 144.2

4 147.1

5 145.5

avg 145.8

6 cm 8 cm

Run Distance (cm)

1 157.4

2 159.1

3 158.8

4 157.9

5 158.4

avg 158.3

Run Distance (cm)

1 169.7

2 171.2

3 170.8

4 171.8

5 170.3

avg 170.8Whether we are measuring the distance a car will travel down ramps of different heights, or if we are measuring the time it takes water with different amounts of salt to freeze, the measurements are considered our dependent variable

Amount of Salt (tsp or grams)

Time for ice cube to freeze (seconds)

1 teaspoon or 10 grams 1642 sec

2 teaspoons or 20 grams 1822 sec

3 teaspoons or 30 grams 1983 sec

A list of materials is necessary in case someone wants to perform the experiment

Experiment 1

Experiment 2

Place cardboard on a table

Lift and place one 4cm block under and on one side of the cardboard

Place car at the top of the cardboard ramp

Release car with NO added force

Once car comes to a rest, measure the distance from the bottom of the ramp

to the front of the car

Record the distance and repeat four more times. Calculate and record the

average of the five runs

Repeat steps 2-5 for the 6cm and 8cm block

Place 6 oz or 5oml of water in a jar

Pour 1 teaspoon or 10 grams of salt in the water and stir until salt has

completely dissolved

Pour salt water solution into an ice tray. Be sure to measure the exact

amount and record

Place ice tray into the freezer portion of a refrigerator, close freezer door and

begin recording time as your start time.

Once the ice cube is completely frozen, record the time as your stop time. Calculate the time for the ice

cube to freeze by subtracting the start time from the stop time.

Repeat steps 1-5 for the 2 teaspoon and the 3 teaspoon samples

Height of Ramp (cm)

Avg Distance Car Travelled

(cm)

4 145.8

6 158.3

8 170.8

Experiment 1 Experiment 2

Amount of Salt

(tsp or grams)

Time for ice cube to freeze

(seconds)

1 or 10 1642

2 or 20 1822

3 or 30 1983

A graph is a visual representation which provides a way to easily understand the

data

Dis

tan

ce C

ar T

rave

lled

(cm

)

30

60

90

120

150

180

Height of Ramp (cm)

4cm 6cm 8cm

300

600

900

1200

1500

1800

Amount of salt (grams or tsp)

1 or 10 2 or 20 3 or 30

Tim

e to

Fre

eze

Ice

Cu

be

(sec

on

ds)

2100

Original hypothesis

I think the ice cube with the least amount

of salt (1 tsp) will freeze in the shortest

period of time

ConclusionConclusion

My hypothesis was correct, the ice cube

with the least amount of salt froze in the

shortest period of time. I think the reason this

ice cube froze this quickest is because salt

contains heat energy which slows the rate of temperature change in

the water

Experiment 2

I know a science fair project can seem

overwhelming. I hope this information will be of help.

Just remember to