Discussion
In my hypothesis I stated that: If the amount of oil absorbed and contained is dependent on the materials, then the 10 Cotton balls, 1 Spoon, 1 Sponge and the dish soap will absorb 90% of the oil and contain 95% of the oil. My hypothesis was correct as we were able to absorb and contain almost all of the oil from the water. I had predicted that my hypothesis would be correct. I was able to judge which materials would be the best at containing and absorbing the oil because for my science expo lab I had done the same project.
In this lab, we simulated a real oil spill but on a much smaller scale. Only being able to use four materials that we chose. The Independent variable in this experiment were the: materials used to contain and absorb the oil. The dependent variable was the: amount of oil contained and absorbed. The control variables were the: Amount of oil, the amount of water and the type of oil.
Even though our hypothesis was proved correct, we still had some complications during the experiment. We thought the cotton balls would be very effective at absorbing the oil. But, instead they absorbed mostly water. They did end up helping us in a way we did not expect. When you placed a cotton ball into the water it would absorb the water,bringing the oil close the cotton ball. Then which we could use the spoon to collect the oil that was around the cotton balls. All other materials we chose to use worked as expected and made us no further complications.
In conclusion, I would proudly say that this experiment was a great success. The results show us that all of the materials used helped us either contain or absorb the oil. Although some were materials were more effective than others they all aided us in a certain way. In future experiments, I would like to change some of the materials we used to see how the results would vary. For example, If we tried using Baking Soda and Vinegar instead of Dish Soap. Also, I would like to be able to use a more precise way of calculating what percent of oil was being contained and absorbed instead of using just the eye.
In this lab, we simulated a real oil spill but on a much smaller scale. Only being able to use four materials that we chose. The Independent variable in this experiment were the: materials used to contain and absorb the oil. The dependent variable was the: amount of oil contained and absorbed. The control variables were the: Amount of oil, the amount of water and the type of oil.
Even though our hypothesis was proved correct, we still had some complications during the experiment. We thought the cotton balls would be very effective at absorbing the oil. But, instead they absorbed mostly water. They did end up helping us in a way we did not expect. When you placed a cotton ball into the water it would absorb the water,bringing the oil close the cotton ball. Then which we could use the spoon to collect the oil that was around the cotton balls. All other materials we chose to use worked as expected and made us no further complications.
In conclusion, I would proudly say that this experiment was a great success. The results show us that all of the materials used helped us either contain or absorb the oil. Although some were materials were more effective than others they all aided us in a certain way. In future experiments, I would like to change some of the materials we used to see how the results would vary. For example, If we tried using Baking Soda and Vinegar instead of Dish Soap. Also, I would like to be able to use a more precise way of calculating what percent of oil was being contained and absorbed instead of using just the eye.