Pleasant Lane Elementary School 2002 Science Fair Participants Elementary School District 44 Lombard, Illinois

Student(s)	Grade	Title
Joshua	K	Air Pressure Demonstration

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Why does the air pressure push the balloon up?  Why does the balloon move?
2) What materials did I use?
Balloon, air and scissors
3) What did I do to answer my question?
I had a balloon blown up and a knot was tied at the end.  I then cut the balloon near the knot.  The air pressure was released.
4) What is the answer to my question?
The air pressure in the balloon pushed the balloon up like a rocket.  It flew all over the place.  The air was pushing down and the balloon went up.
5) What new questions has this project raised?
None
6) What books or other information did I use for help?
http://fatlion.com/science/airpressure.html and the Internet public library www.ipl.org

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Where will mold grow faster, in a warm and dark place or in a cold and dark place?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
I think mold will take longer to grow in the refrigerator (cold and dark).
3) What materials did I use?
6 glass jars with lids, pot of water with lid, 3 raw potatoes, tongs, knife, masking tape, 2 large paper bags, 2 strands of hair, toothpick, soil, clothes pin and refrigerator.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
1. Wash the 6 glass jars and lids in the dishwasher.  Screw on the lids to keep the inside clean.
2. Boil water in the pot.  Add the potatoes.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat.  Leave the pot covered while the water cools.  When it has cooled, use tongs to take out the potatoes.
3. Cut the potatoes in half.  Using tongs, put one half of a potato in each jar.  Screw on the lids.
4. Label the jars with masking tape: hair, 1a hair, 1b soil, 1c dirty finger, 2a hair, 2b soil, 2c dirty finger.
5. Label the 2 paper bags: 1 warm, 2 cold.
The jars with the number 1 will go in bag #1 and stay on a table in the kitchen at room temperature.  The jars with number 2 will go in bag #2 and go in the refrigerator to keep cold.
6. Place one piece of hair on each potato in the jars with letter a.  Screw the lids on tightly,
7. Use a toothpick to put soil on the potatoes in the jars with letter b.  Screw the lids on tightly.
8. Rub a finger on the floor under the refrigerator, and wipe this finger onto the potato in the jar with 1c.  Do the same thing for the other potato in the jar with 2c.  Screw the lids on tightly.
9. Put all the jars with a number 1 in the bag with a 1, roll the top down, put a clothes pin on the top, and put this bag on a table in the kitchen.
10.  Put all jars with a number 2 in the bag with a 2, roll the top down, and put this bag in the refrigerator.
11. Check the potatoes in each bag two times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
12. Record the observations on a chart.
Controls  I used potatoes in each jar.  I used the same three materials to grow mold on in each group: hair, soil, and a dirty finger.  I put all the potatoes in the dark. Manipulated variable temperature.  One group of potatoes was in a warm place (a table in the kitchen).  One group of potatoes was in a cold place (the refrigerator).  Responding variable Mold grew sooner on the potatoes I left on the kitchen table at room temperature than the potatoes in the cold.
5) What is the answer to my question?
A. Mold grew faster on the potatoes that were warm.  It only took 2 days.  On some days, there was a big change.
B. Different molds grew on the different types of potatoes.  White fuzz with some green spots is growing on the warm dirty finger potato.  The warm potato with soil is bubbly.  It started out fuzzy.  The warm potato with hair on it has yellowish slimy spots.
C. Mold did start to grow on the cold potatoes, but it took 11 days.  The soil potato grew mold first.  The changes from day to day were slow.
D. Problems.  Some of my jars had small openings, so the tongs didn't fit in the jar.  I used different food jars.  Maybe the dishwasher didn't clean them as well.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
What kind of mold would grow on other things or other foods?  Why did different mold grow on the hair, soil, and dirty finger?  How does this affect my life?  I would use refrigerators to not grow mold as fast on food.  It would make the food last longer because mold likes dark, warm places and the refrigerator is cold.  Did I need to check the potatoes two times a day?  I don't think I needed to check it two times a day.  Once time a day is enough.
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
Beeler, Nelson F. and Branley, Franklyn M. Experiments with a Microscope, 1957.
Vecchione, Glen.  100 Award-winning Science Fair Projects, 2001.

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Do the different flavors of Bubblicious gum all have the same amount of sugar?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
After tasting 5 different flavors of Bubblicious gum I thought that Radical Red and island Breeze would have the least amounts of sugar.
3) What materials did I use?

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Why can I throw some footballs farther than others?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
I thought that smaller footballs could be thrown farther than larger footballs.
3) What materials did I use?
Small Classic Football, Medium Classic Football, Large Classic Football, Tape Measure, Scale, Air Pump, Air pressure Gage, Orange Marking Cone, Paper, Pencil.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
What did I change?  Size of football measured by weight (pounds and kg).  What things did I keep the same?  All 3 footballs were from the same company.  All 3 footballs had pressure at 17 PSI.  Experiment was held in the gym.  I tried very hard to throw the footballs the same way. What changed as a result of what I did?  Distance that the football traveled (feet and meters).
5) What is the answer to my question?
I was right!  I can throw lighter footballs farther than I can throw heavier footballs.  It was hard to throw the balls exactly the same.  If Drew did not catch the ball, it was hard to measure the distance.  I learned how to answer a question using science, how to weigh objects, take pressure readings, and measure distance, how to record data, that scientists use the metric system and about a scientist named Newton.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
Do lighter balls always go farther than heavier balls?  I think it depend on the type of ball.  A wiffle ball is lighter than the small football, but I don't think I could throw it as far.  The slits slow it down.  Does shape matter?  I think balls that are the same weight but different shapes will travel different distances.  Footballs are pointed on the ends and this helps them to travel farther.  Does it make a difference how a ball is thrown?  Yes it does.  There are different way to throw different balls.  Professional athletes practice very hard to throw balls well. Some of my throws were not as good as others and the distance was shorter than it could have been if I threw the football well.  Does it matter what a ball is made of?  I think so.  This would be another good experiment.  Softballs and baseballs are made of different materials and they travel different distances and go different speeds.
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
Interviews conducted before and after the experiment:
Dr. Eric Bergsten: Veterinarian, and science teacher
Uncle Drew Ludwig: Very athletic guy
"Opa" Ross Ludwig: Knows a lot about sports
Hewavisenti, Lakshmi, Measuring with Games and Puzzles. Gloucester Press, 1991.
Patten, J.M., Matter Really Matters, The Rourke Book Co., Inc., 1995.
Pcarcc, Q.L., The Science Almanac for Kids, Lowell House Juvenile, 1998.
After school, I like to throw footballs with my friends.  I use different size footballs.

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Do goldfish change how fast they breathe in different temperature water?
2) What materials did I use?
2 goldfish, goldfish bowl, water, ice, stop watch, thermometer.
3) What did I do to answer my question?
I measured the water temperature and counted how many breaths the goldfish took in 30 seconds.  I then put ice cubes in the water and tested them again.  Last, I put more ice cubes in the water and counted their breaths again.
4) What is the answer to my question?
As the water got colder the goldfish breathed slower.
5) What new questions has this project raised?
Does this work with other types of fish?  Does this work with other cold-blooded animals?  Does it work with warm blooded animals?
6) What books or other information did I use for help?
I Wonder Why Fish Don't Drown
What is a Fish?
Life in the Water
Our Living World-Fish
Science Projects and Ideas About Animal Behavior

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
How plants survive in the desert?
2) What materials did I use?
Paper towels, cookie sheet, water, paper clips and wax paper
3) What did I do to answer my question?
I wet 3 paper towels I placed them on the cookie sheet.  I rolled up one paper towel and attached a paper clip so it stayed rolled up.  I rolled the third paper towel with wax paper and attached a paper clip so it stayed rolled up.  I left them on the sheet for 24 hours.
4) What is the answer to my question?
The towel with the wax paper kept the water from evaporating.  Like the wax covering on some desert plants which keep its water from evaporating into the dry desert air.
5) What new questions has this project raised?
What are other ways desert plants survive?
6) What books or other information did I use for help?
Science Projects & Activities, Peter Rillero, Ph.D.
Desert Plants, Susan Reading
Internet

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
How is the speed of the pendulum effected by the amount of weight hanging from it?
How is the speed of the pendulum effected by the length of the pendulum?
How is the pendulum effected by hanging it from different types of strings or a chain?
If we pull the pendulum back father how does this effect the speed of the pendulum?
Speed will be measured by the number of times the pendulum goes back and forth in 20 seconds.
2) What did I think that answer would be?
Dave thought that the pendulum would go slower with more weight on it and faster with less weight.  Ben thought that the pendulum goes faster with more weight on it and slower with less weight.
Ben and Dave both thought the pendulum would move faster with a shorter string and slower with a longer string.
Ben and Dave both thought that the pendulum would go faster with a lighter weight string and that it would go slower with a chain because the chain weighs more.
Ben and Dave both thought that the pendulum would swing faster if you pulled the string back real far and slower if the string was pulled back a shorter distance.
3) What materials did I use?
2 clamps
washers for weights
shoestring, twine, chain
piece of wood with a screw eye in the end of it
yard stick to measure pendulum length
clips for the ends of the pendulum
stop watch
4) What did I do to answer my question?
First we used 2 weights on the end of a 24" pendulum.  We counted the swings.  Then we used 4 weights on the end of a 24" pendulum.  We counted the swings.  Last we used 6 weights on the end of a 24" pendulum.  We counted the swings.  Our control was length of the pendulum.  Our manipulated variable was weights.  Our responding variable was the number of swings.  We repeated each test 3 times for 20 seconds for each test.

First we used a 12 inch pendulum with 2 weights.  We counted the swings.  Then we used a 6 inch pendulum with 2 weights.  We counted the swings.  Last we used a 24 inch pendulum with 2 weights.  We counted the swings.  Our control was 2 weights.  Our manipulated variable was the length of the pendulum.  Our responding variable was the number of swings.  We repeated our test 3 times for 20 seconds for each test.

First we used a 24" shoestring pendulum and 2 weights.  We counted the swings.  Next we used a 24" twine pendulum and 2 weights.  We counted the swings.  Last we used a 24" chain pendulum and 2 weights.  We counted the swings.  Our control was weight and length.  Our manipulated variable was type of string.  Our responding variable was the number of swings.  We repeated our tests 3 times for 20 seconds each test.

First we used a 24" pendulum with 2 weights.  We pulled it back the regular distance about 18" from the center point.  We counted the swings.  Then we pulled it back to the height of the table using the 24" pendulum with 2 weights.  We counted the swings.  Our control was length and weights.  Our manipulated was the distance that we pulled back the pendulum.  Our responding variable was the number of swings.  We repeated our tests 3 times for 20 seconds each test.
5) What is the answer to my question?
The pendulum is not effected by the amount of weight.
When you shorten the pendulum it goes faster.  When you lengthen the pendulum, it goes slower.
It was not effected by the different types of string, but it when we used the chain, the links of the chain swayed instead of swinging straight.  This caused the chain to swing a little bit faster.
The distance that the pendulum was pulled back had no effect on the speed of the pendulum.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
No new questions were raised.
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
We used no books or other information to help us.

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
How does a volcano erupt?  What happens to the lava?
2) What materials did I use?
chicken wire, a bottle, staple gun, board, Durabond, stain, baking soda, vinegar, food dye
3) What did I do to answer my question?
Built a model of a volcano and put in baking soda and vinegar to show a volcano eruption.
4) What is the answer to my question?
The temperature in the earth's core gets hotter which make the pressure rise and then the volcano erupts.  When the lava hardens, it becomes land.
5) What new questions has this project raised?
Why is there smoke before the volcano erupts?  How does a volcano get there?
6) What books or other information did I use for help?
Science fair projects.

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Which bubble solution makes longer lasting bubbles?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
My hypothesis was that the solution with just water and Dawn soap would make the longest lasting bubbles.
3) What materials did I use?
I used large paper cups, water, Dawn dish soap, glycerin, an electric bubble make, eyedropper, and a time.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
First I learned about atoms and molecules.  Everything is our world is made of atoms.  Atoms are the building blocks of all things.  Molecules are combinations of atoms.  Water is a combination of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.  Bubble molecules are made up of long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms.  A bubble is a layer of soap on the outside, water molecules in the middle, and a layer of soap molecules on the inside.  These three layers surround the air molecules inside the bubble.

Next I learned about surface tension.  This is an invisible force in liquids.  When you fill a glass with water and use a dropper to keep adding more water, you can fill the glass with more water that the glass can actually hold, bulging over the top of the glass.  The surface of the water acts as if it has a skin or covering on top holding in the extra water.  In a bubble, soap molecules are on both sides of the water molecules and these soap molecules make the surface of the bubble able to stretch without breaking, and along with surface tension shapes the water into a sphere.

I then learned about gravity and evaporation.  Gravity is an invisible force that pulls everything on earth down to the ground.  Evaporation is when a liquid is changed to a gas by heat.  When a bubble pops, it is because the force of gravity and evaporation.  After a bubble is blown, the bubble solution will start to move down to the bottom of the bubble and this makes the film on the top of the bubble thinner, and at the same time liquid molecules are evaporating into a gas, this is what makes the bubble pop.  When glycerin is added to the bubble solution, it slows down the movement of the solution to the bottom of the bubble, and slows down evaporation, and this makes the bubble last longer.

My bubble solution was made with one gallon of water and one cpu of Dawn dish soap.  I mixed these together in a big container.  I labeled nine cups with the numbers 0-8.  I put two cups of my bubble solution in each labeled cup.  Then I added different amounts of glycerin to each cup.
 

I did my experiment in my kitchen on the counter.  I used an electric bubble maker to blow all my bubbles because you can get almost the same size bubble each time.  I covered the big window in front of the counter where I was working because I didn't want the heat from the sun to help pop my bubbles by evaporating the bubble solution.  I put some water on the countertop so when the bubbles fell to the surface of the countertop they wouldn't pop.  I blew bubbles on the counter top one at a time and used a timer to time how long it would take for it to pop.  I did this five times for each solution.  I also had to keep my family from walking through the kitchen because the movement of the air would make my bubbles pop faster.  The was really hard for my Dad because he is always hungry!

When it was time to change bubble solutions, I rinsed out the bubble maker tube with water to make sure all of the old bubble solution was gone.  What did I change?  My manipulated variable was the different amounts of glycerin that was added to each cup of bubble solution.  What things did I keep the same?  My controls were the same bubble solution was used, I tried to blow the same size bubble from the electric bubble blower, I started timing as soon as the bubble came off the end of the bubble blower, I covered my window in the kitchen so the sun wouldn't help evaporate the water in the bubble solution and make them pop faster, and I had to keep my family out of the kitchen so that they wouldn't make air waves that would help pop my bubble. What changed as a result of what I did?  My responding variable was the length of time it took for the bubbles to pop.
5) What is the answer to my question?
My hypothesis was wrong.  The solution with only water and Dawn dish soap did not make the longest lasting bubbles; they made bubbles that lasted the least amount of time.  The solution with water, Dawn and 80 drops of glycerin made the bubbles that lasted the longest, almost four minutes.  This is because the glycerin helps to slow down the movement of soap molecules being pulled by gravity, and helps slows down evaporation.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
During my experiment, I had to change bubble solution.  My electric bubble gun had to be cleaned out so that none of the old bubble solution was left in the tubes.  I had to blow bubbles into the sink until the tube was empty and then rinse the tube with water.  The bubbles that I blew into the corners of our sink lasted the longest of them all.  I should have timed them.  My new question  would be, why bubbles last longer when blown into the sink?
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
Adventures with Atoms and Molecules by Robert C. Mebane
Solids, Liquids, & Gases, but Charnan Simon
Air & Other Gases by Roibert C. Mebane
Air Science Tricks by Peter Murray
Matter by Chris Cooper
Experiments with Surface Tension and Bubbles by Alan Ward
Bubbles by Bernie Zubreowski
Bubblemania by Penny Durant

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Which stain remover works best?
2) What did I think the answer would be?
We weren't sure.
3) What materials did I use?
Ketchup, chocolate sauce, tabasco sauce, grape jelly, tee shirt, safety pins and stain remover.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
We used the same products to stain clothing, same measurements and same stain removers.  All clothing was washed in cold water.
5) What is the answer to my question?
We still need to repeat the project three times before we get the outcome.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
What stain was harder to get out?
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
Just hands on.

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Do children have better hand-eye coordination than adults?
2) What materials did I use?
For research I used the Internet and the Encyclopedias at the Helen Plum Library.  For my experiment I built "The man on the moon" which is an electronically charged pair of wires that run from one side of a board to another in a wave pattern with a buzzer attached to it.  A third wire, which is also charged, is held by the person testing.  The person tries to move the third wire from one end of the board to the other without touching the pair of wires.  If the person touches the wires then it completes the circuit which causes the buzzer to sound.
3) What did I do to answer my question?
I tested three kids my age and three adults, having each person try my experiment three times to get an average.
4) What is the answer to my question?
I thought that kids would do better than adults, but in the end, the adults made it across the moon more times than the kids.  Not one kid made it all the way across all three times.  Two of the three adults made it across every time they tried and the third adult made it two of the three.
5) What new questions has this project raised?
What would changing the wire thickness do?  How would adding a different color background change performance?  Would younger people do better?  Would really old people do well?  Would testing more people change the result?  What if I made more waves in the wires?  Do boys do better than girls?
6) What books or other information did I use for help?
Hand Eye recalibration, http://www.amasci.com/elect/elefaq1.html
What is electricity, REALLY?, http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REOIRT/erarchive/1996/November/ERnov.11/11_11_96contenst.html
Brain, Richard Testak, World Book 2002

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Can you create an object that will move with magnetic repulsion?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
Yes if the magnetic poles are properly placed.
3) What materials did I use?
Plexiglas, wood, aluminum and magnets.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
I tried many different positions with my magnets to get the desired effect.
5) What is the answer to my question?
Yes you can, but not as far as I thought I could.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
How can I move my magnets to make it go farther?
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
I used the Internet.

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Which paper airplane flies the furthest?  Which weight will help the airplane go the most distance?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
Our hypothesis was that the paper airplane made out of the lightest paper would fly the furthest.
3) What materials did I use?
Instructions on folding a wing tip model paper airplane, 20 lb copy paper, 24 lb copy paper, onion paper, folders, printed paper, scale and a tape measure.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
First we learned about air molecules and how the air puts pressure on everything around it.  This pressure is part of what makes airplanes able to fly.  Air molecules are far apart from each other compared to the paper molecules that make up the airplane, and air molecules are easily pushed apart when a paper airplane is thrown.

When a plane is flying, it slices the air into two layers, one above and one below the wings.  These two layers are made up of the same number of molecules, but the molecule layer that moves over top curved wing has further to go.  These molecules have to move faster to travel past the top of the wing to catch up with the molecule of air from under the wing; this causes less air pressure on top the wing.  The molecules of air under the wings stay close together and push the plane up.  The difference in the air pressure above and below the wins is higher, and this help to keep the airplane in the air.

When you throw a paper airplane, there are four different forces working on the airplane while it is flying.  These four forces work in pairs and they are lift and gravity, and thrust and drag.

Lift & Gravity Lift is the force of air pressure that flows under the wings of the plane that pushes the plane up.  This same thing happens when you put your hand out of the window of a moving car.  If your hand is flat and your fingers pointed straight ahead, and then you turn your fingers and palm slightly upward, air pushes your hand and lifts it up.  Gravity is the force that pulls everything in the world down to the ground.  Lift from the paper airplanes wings holds it up and the weight of the paper airplane pulls it down.  Gravity and lift are working against each other.  In order for the paper airplane to be able to fly, the lift from the wings must be larger than the force of gravity pulling the airplane down.

Thrust & Drag  The second pair of forces is thrust and drag.  These two forces also work against each other on a paper airplane while it's flying just like lift & gravity do.  Thrust is the force that pushes the paper airplane forward.  We provided this thrust by the energy we used in our arm when we threw the paper airplane.  When the paper airplane is going forward, it pushes the air molecules out of the way.  These air molecules that are pushed out of the way make drag.  The drag is the resistance of air on moving objects.  It slows them down.  Because of drag, it is hard to pedal your bike very fast.  The friction of the air moving over the plane will eventually slow it to a standstill and then gravity will pull the plane to the ground.  Drag works against thrust on a paper airplane when it is flying.  In order for the airplane to be able to fly the thrust must be larger than the drag.

All four of these forces, lift & gravity, and thrust & drag are always working when a paper airplane is flying.

For the first part of our experiment, we picked out the type of paper airplane model we would use.  We chose the Wing Tip model.  All of our paper airplanes would be folded into this model.  The we gathered different types of paper to make the planes, some heavier than the others.  We used 20 lb copy paper, 24 lb copy paper, onion paper, folders and printed paper.  We folded the paper airplanes very carefully and always used crisp folds.  Then we weighed each paper airplane.

We used the gymnasium at Sunset Knolls Recreation Center and flew out paper airplanes.  We picked a standing point, the same place that we would always stand when we threw the airplanes.  Every plane was thrown five times.  After the airplane landed, we measured how far it flew with a 100 foot measuring tape, always measuring from the standing point to the tip of the airplane's nose.  What did we change?  Our manipulated variable was the different kinds of paper we used to make the plane.  What did we keep the same?  Our controls were: 1) the same paper airplane model was used for all planes, 2) we always measured the distance flown at the nose of the plane, 3) the same person threw all of the paper airplanes so we could get as close to the same amount of thrust as possible 4) we threw our paper airplanes indoors at Sunset Knolls Recreation Center so we wouldn't have any wind that would affect the flight of the paper airplanes.  What changes as a result of what we did?  The responding variable is how far each kind of plane was able to fly.
5) What is the answer to my question?
Our hypothesis was wrong, the lightest airplanes did not fly the furthest, the medium weight planes flew the furthest.  The airplanes made with the heavier paper had thicker wings.  When these airplanes are flying and slicing the air molecules into two layers, the air molecules have to work harder and faster to make it past the thicker wings.  This produces more drag, less lift, and a shorter flight.  The lighter weight airplanes were made with flimsy paper.  In flight, the wings of these airplanes moved because the lighter paper isn't stiff enough to cleanly slice through the air molecules.  This produced more more drag, less lift, and a shorter flight.  The airplanes made with the medium weight paper, between .24 and .32 ounces, flew the furthest.  This is because lift and gravity, and thrust and drag were equal to each other for a longer period of time.  The longer these two pairs of forces are equal to each other, the longer the flight of the paper airplane.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
7) What books or other information did I use for help?

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
What temperature water makes dry ice sublimate the fastest?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
My hypothesis is that the boiling water would make the dry ice sublimate the fastest.
3) What materials did I use?
I used dry ice pellets, drinking glasses, water, ice a timer and a thermometer.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
First I had to learn about dry ice, what it is and how it is made.  Dry ice is pure, solid carbon dioxide.  It is a molecule made with one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.  As a gas, carbon dioxide exists naturally in our world, the gas we breathe out of our lungs, it is made when coal and wood are burned, and it is used in plants during photosynthesis to make oxygen.  It is also the same gas that is added to flavored water to make carbonated soda pop.

Dry ice is made in a laboratory.  Liquid carbon dioxide is pressurized into a gas, this liquid evaporates to a gas as the temperature is lowered, and it gets very cold.  This gas cools so much that about half of it turns into "snow flakes" of solid carbon dioxide.  These "snow flakes" is the same "snow" that comes out of a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher.  These flakes are then pressed into blocks or pellets of dry ice.

Dry ice is very , very cold.  It is -109.3 degrees F. and -78.5 degrees C.  Regular water ice is only 32 degrees F. and 0 degrees C.  Because it is so cold it is used to keep food from spoiling.  It is also used to brand animals, remove floor tiles, and to make golf balls.

Dry ice changes directly from a solid to a gas, skipping the liquid form.  This is called sublimation.  Because it skips the wet form, is why it is called dry ice.  The fog that you see when dry ice is sublimating is not carbon dioxide gas.  The carbon dioxide gas is very cold and when these cold carbon dioxide molecules meet the warmer tiny drops of water vapor molecule in the air, the warmer water molecules condense into fog.  This is the sam fog you see by a river or pond early in the morning.  Carbon dioxide gas is invisible, so the fog you see when dry ice sublimates is water vapor and is a sign the cold carbon dioxide gas is there.

I added dry ice pellets to water that was at different temperatures and timed how long it took for the dry ice to sublimate.  I started with four glasses filled with two cups of water.  The first glass had boiling water, the second had room temperature water, the third had cold water, and the forth had ice water.  I took the temperature of the water in each glass, and then I added a dry ice pellet to each of the glasses and timed how long it took for the each pellet to completely sublimate.  I did this ten times for each temperature of water.  What did I change?  My manipulated variable was the different temperatures of water in each glass.  What things did I keep the same?  My controls were the same amount of water was used in each glass, I tried to use the same size dry ice pellet, and I started timing as soon as the dry ice pellet hit the water.  What changed as a result of what I did?  The responding variable is the amount of time ti took for each dry ice pellet to sublimate.
5) What is the answer to my question?
My hypothesis was correct, boiling water made the dry ice sublimate the fastest.  Heat flows faster when there is a bigger temperature difference between something hot and something cold, like between the boiling water and the really cold dry ice.  The hotter the water the faster the sublimation of the very cold dry ice.  There is less of a temperature difference between the ice water and the dry ice, so the dry ice sublimates more slowly.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
I would like to know how fast the sublimation would be if I put the dry ice in water that is constantly boiling in a pot on the stove.  Also, how long it would take for dry ice to sublimate in a glass of ice water put in the freezer.  What I really wanted to do with the dry ice was to make a cloud chamber, but my Mom wouldn't let me do a project that radioactive material!
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
Science Magic, by Ormond McGill
Dry Ice Investigations by Jacqueline Barber
Energy & Chemical Change by Brian Knapp
Matter by Chris Cooper
Solids, Liquids, Gases by Chanan Simon
Air & Other Gases by Robert C. Mebane
I got the dry ice Continental Carbonics at 1743 Paul Ave,. Glendale Heights
I would also like to thank the women who work at the deli counter at Mr. Z's.  They gave me the dry ice that came packed with their Tuesday meat deliveries at the beginning of the school year.

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Why do leaves change color in the fall?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
Our hypothesis was that the weather was getting colder so the leaves were dying from lack of warmth.
3) What materials did I use?
We used fresh spinach leaves, a ceramic cup, a smooth rock, sand, a spoon, fingernail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, scissors, coffee filters, tooth picks, and tape.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
First we did some research on why leaves change from green to red, orange, or yellow, then to brown, and then fall off and die.  After learning about the scientific reasoning for it, we decided to discover the color change ourselves by using a scientific process called chromatography.  Chromatography is a method scientists use to separate materials that are different.
Scientific Steps;
1. First we broke up the spinach leaves and put the pieces into the ceramic mug.
2. Next we added a pinch of sand to the spinach.
3. Using a smooth, round rock, we ground and squished the leaves into smaller pieces.
4. Then we added a spoonful of fingernail polish remover to extract the pigments from the leaves.
5. We kept grinding the leaves with the stone until we could see that the liquid had gained some color from the spinach.
6. Then we used scissors to cut the coffee filter into smaller circles and strips.
7. We used a toothpick to pick up drops of the colored liquid from the leaf grinding.  We placed the drops one inch from the end of the coffee filter bottoms.  Then we let them dry.
8. Next we put ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol into the cup.
9. Then we put the end of the filter paper into the alcohol.  We were careful not to let the colored drop touch the alcohol.
10. The alcohol traveled up the filter paper, separating the different colors in the spinach.  This took about an hour.
11. Once the color stopped moving we removed the filter paper from the alcohol and observed the different colors that were in the spinach leaves.
12. We found different shades of green and some yellow in the spinach leaves.
5) What is the answer to my question?
In the fall the chlorophyll in the tree leaves breaks down, causing the green color to disappear and show the other colors in the leaves.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
The project raised the question:  If the chlorophyll died off and showed the leaf’s other colors, why are some leaves yellow, red, or orange?  Also, why do the trees look more beautiful some summers than in others?
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
Learning About the Changing Seasons, by Dr. Heidi Gold-Dworkin
Fall Autumn Foliage, internet, www.10000inns.com/fall foliage.htm
Factors Behind Color Changes of Autumn, Lombardian Newspaper, Fall 2001
Science Encyclopedia, by Dempsey Parr
Simple Science Experiments With Everyday Materials, by Muriel Mandell
Changing Color, by Dr. Robert Bardon
Encarta Encyclopedia ’97, CD Rom
Grolier Encyclopedia ’99, CD Rom

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
How does the level of the incline affect the speed of the object?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
The steeper the incline, the faster the speed.
3) What materials did I use?
A toy car, a cardboard tube, a watch, masking tape, a marker and Lego platforms (2", 4", 6" and 8" high).
4) What did I do to answer my question?
Build Lego platforms to reach 2, 4, 6, and 8 inches high. Tape the cardboard tubes to the Lego platforms. Put the car inside each tube, and start the timer when you let go of the car. Stop the timer when the car reaches the finish line. Record the data, and find the average speed for each level of incline.  Controlled Variables: The car, the tube, the watch and the distance traveled.  Manipulated Variable: The level of the inclined plane. (2", 4", 6", and 8" high) Responding Variable: The speed of the vehicle.
5) What is the answer to my question?
The steeper the incline, the greater is the force of gravity that pulls the object down.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
How far can the vehicle go when you change the incline?
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
Gardner, Robert, Getting Started in Science: Experiments with Motion, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1995.
Kardos, Thomas, Physical Science Labs Kit: Ready-to-Use Activities and Worksheets for Grades 5-9, New York: THE CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH IN EDUCATION, 1991.
Kerrod, Robin, Science Alive: Moving Things, New Jersey: Silver Burdett Press, 1987.
Van Cleave, Janice, Physics for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments in Motion, Heat, Light, Machines, and Sound, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991.

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
How do hot air balloons fly?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
I thought since hot air and steam rise it could lift a balloon if it was 100 degrees C because that is the boiling temperature of water.
3) What materials did I use?
For this project I used 12 sheets of 20 inches by 7 feet tissue paper, glue, 40 inches of steel wire, a Coleman stove, 3 feet of aluminum chimney, a thermometer and 3 inches of string.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
I built 2 hot air balloons with the tissue paper, glue and steel wire. See Figures 1 and 2.  I measured the temperature outside the balloon. Then I heated the air inside the balloon to see if it would float.  See Figure 3. When the balloon floated, I measured the temperature inside the balloon for 30 seconds.

For control, I used the same thermometer, the same balloons and the same stove and chimney.  I manipulated the temperature inside the balloon with the stove and I manipulated the temperature outside the balloon by doing the experiment on different days in different rooms.  The responding variable was that the balloon would float only if the temperature in the room was cold enough.
5) What is the answer to my question?
My hypothesis was not correct.  The balloons both rose in cooler temperatures.  In warmer temperatures, the smaller balloon wouldn’t float.  But the larger one did.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
Why did the larger balloon fly when the smaller one didn’t?  When the balloon floats, does the temperature inside the balloon have anything to do with the temperature outside the balloon?
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
I used How to Make and Fly Hot-Air Balloons By Ray Morse, Ballooning by Phyllis J. Perry, and Let’s Investigate Beautiful, Bouncy Balloons by Madelyn Carlisle

1) What is the question(s) I wanted to answer?
Is it possible to mix layers and have them stay mixed?
2) What did I think that answer would be?
No.
3) What materials did I use?
2 cups of maple syrup, 2 cups water, 2 cups vegetable oil, a metal pot, freezer, a bowl and a cup.
4) What did I do to answer my question?
First, I poured syrup, water and vegetable oil in a jar.  I shook it up and froze it.  I shook it every 20 minutes.  I let it thaw.  I did the same thing for the oil, except I stirred every minute for 5 minutes.
5) What is the answer to my question?
Only two of the layers mixed.  You now can only see 2 layers instead of one.
6) What new questions has this project raised?
Are there any way to get it to stay mixed?
7) What books or other information did I use for help?
None.