Thursday, June 17, 2010
FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have finally finished my report, it took me longer that i thought, but here is the last set of tables and graphs:
Monday, June 14, 2010
HELP!!!
say MOLD!
i forgot what each of them were and when they were taken so these are just for your enjoyment.
results! results finally!
i gave up organising the pictures and also click on the images for a clearer look. i guess you can call this my raw datasheet. well it's the one i used to record my results.
if your wondering how i worked out the percentages. well all i did was some vague mystical movements then BAM! MAGIC!!!. the secret is some calculator punching and i got the idea from a previous California science fair project(which i previously mentioned before :D http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2006/Projects/J1305.pdf
what i did was i made this 1x1cm grid (shown below) and everytime i measured, i calculated how many and how much of the squares it took and i calculated the % covered in mould by dividing the amount of squares covered in mould with the total surface area of each slice (which i found varied a bit) and convert into a percentage.
and i also forgot to mention that i didn't have time to do a second trial but im going to count my trial with the dust and water as my second trial. hmmm i hope this works out
i like to move it move it
i also realised that forgot to mention some of the risks involving the experiment. here are some of the things that could have killed me:
- ingesting the mould is dangerous as it is a bacteria so i have to always where gloves if handling with mould and to keep it away from the eating table. i used a closed box to make sure that the mould woudn't contaminate other areas of the house
- sharp objects were used such as scissors and needed to use carefully
EXPERIMENTT
1. the materials were collected:
i thought i will mention this i kinda stole my grandpa's box of zip lock bags, the bag of cotton swabs, the box of gloves and i borrowed the cup. the ruler, marker and scissors are mine. the dropper i got from the chemistry kit box that i put in the background, which i asked my mum to buy when i was young but i never did any of the experiments (maybe when i finish the srp i should do some of them). please ignore the toothpick container thing.
2. i realised that i couldn't really cut 10x10x2cm squares so i decided to cut 8x8x2cm squares, the depth of the slices were roughly the same. what i did was, i used the crust that no one likes and i ruled the lines and i cut a sample. i used this sample as a guide to cut the rest of the slices. 10 with preservatives and 10 without.
4. 5 slices with preservatives where each put in the
'Preserv clean' zip lock bags and 5 slices of bread without preservatives where each put into the 'Non-preserv' clean' zip lock bags.
6. Repeat step 5 with the bread slices without preservatives.
7. 2 boxes were obtained. one labelled 'clean' the other 'dust'. the zip lock bags labelled with 'preserv clean' and 'non-preserv clean' were placed in the 'clean' box. The other bags were placed in the 'dust' box.
8. the boxes were put side by side in a dark covered spot.
it's getting serious!
okay today i have a long list of things i need to do like A LOT. i plan to finish uploading the information on my experiment, the results and the tables and graphs, AND to finish my report which will require some more research.
TIME TO GET TO WORK!! oh and i need a beanie
Also i would also like to thank the Queen. You are my hero. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!
I WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! and eternal happiness.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Growth of Mould
"Microscopic parts of the bread mold fungi, called as spores, are present in the air all around us. They can be found on any surface and in any condition. It appears on the surface of bread that may be left open in normal conditions, say on the kitchen countertop. These spores germinate to form hyphae that begin to grow on the bread surface absorbing all the moisture and nutrients from the bread. With adequate nutrients from the bread they develop into mature fungi that consists of rhizoids. These rhizoids penetrate into the bread surface and hold the fungus to the organic material. It then develops fruiting structures known as sporangium, where small spores grow and are released in the surrounding areas. This is how the cycle of bread mold growth continues."
and this site:http://www.kidzone.ws/science/is-mold.htm
with the picture below, i didn't really have time to crop it into the parts that i wanted so im just going to tell you that paragraphs 2, 3, 5 and maybe 6 is relevant.
what is MOULD?
Anyways, back on topic, what is MOULD?
according to this site: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/bread-mold-growth.html
it is "Mold growing on the bread can be microscopic fungi belonging to different species like Penicillium, Rhizopus, Aspergillus, Monascus and Fusarum. They are of different shapes and colors depending on the species. Rhizopus stolonifer is the most common and fast growing bread mold. It is also known as black mold as it appears dark green or black in color. It causes rotting of some fruits and some infections in humans."
that didn't really explain much to me so i searched around for more meanings...
this site: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mold.htm states,
"Mold is a type of fungus that grows on plants and fibers and is most often associated with damp, musty locations such as bathrooms, basements and attics. Mold travels through the air as tiny spores which like to make their home in wet areas, where they will breed."
and this site: http://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/healthy-spaces/mould_en.php
"Mould is part of the fungus family, along with mushrooms and yeast. Mould spores are very small and they travel easily through the air."
and good ol' wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold) says
"Mold are fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments, called hyphae.[1] In contrast, microscopic fungi that grow as single cells are called yeasts. A connected network of these tubular branching hyphae has multiple, genetically identical nuclei and is considered a single organism, referred to as a colony or in more technical terms a mycelium.
Molds do not form a specific taxonomic or phylogenetic grouping, but can be found in the divisions Zygomycota, Deuteromycota and Ascomycota. Some molds cause disease or food spoilage, others play an important role in biodegradation or in the production of various foods, beverages, antibiotics and enzymes."
Saturday, June 12, 2010
dedicated to my followers!!
btw: i found out if you add a y and a u to srp, you get SYRUP :D
Preservative (282)
so this is the site http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/Fact282.htm
here's my little summary of it that is relevant to my experiment:
- Preservative (282) is actually calcium propianate and it is the most commonly used preservative in bread.
- it is used mostly in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia
- "Contrary to what the food industry would like you to believe, this additive is not to keep your bread fresh. Calcium propionate (282) is added to inhibit the growth of mould. There is no mould on a freshly baked loaf of bread, so why use a mould inhibitor? Bakers who keep their work benches and slicer blades clean and mould-free, by wiping with vinegar every day, do not need this additive. However, bakers in large factories prefer the less time-consuming method of "fogging" their equipment with a chemical spray. Putting hot loaves in plastic bags makes the problem worse. Preservative 282 allows for sloppy hygiene. It is for the convenience of the manufacturer not the consumer."
- propianate can have serious affects on the consumer depending on the different doses.
do you like my new look?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
So here's the story
One factor that i wasn't really happy about was that there were not the same brands, so they weren't made in the same place or used the same ingredient, which i will mention in my results. A factors that were the same for both loaves of bread were they were both white breads. Also the date that both loaves were made is unsure but the best before date are the same so I assume both loaves were made at the same time.
bottom:Woolworths Home brand- without preservative 282
Thursday, May 13, 2010
the 5:05 post
it says "Mold commonly grows on bread faster in warm, dark, moist conditions. However, mold can grow in light, and some molds can even grow on frozen foods. Molds grow in varying conditions, at varying speeds, in every color you can think of."
That is pretty cool that you can have mold in any colour you want like it can be a RAINBOW :D
so i was thinking for my experiment i cant really find a place that is warm constantly but i can put it into a dark place. My house is considerably moist so i hope my mould will grow.
the 4:59 post literally
i just want to add that in the similar experiment done by someone else, she saw a change and mold started to grow in 27 days so i am going to let my mold grow for 27 days and record my last results then.
Aim, Hypothesis, Material, Method
Hypothesis: the bread without the preservatives will grow the mold the fastest.
Materials:
- 2 bread loaves- with preservatives and without
- cotton swab
- dropper
- zip lock bags
- gloves
- knife
- low tray
Method:
- Buy the same type of bread with and without preservatives of the same brand.
- Cut 10 slices of 10x10x2 cm of bread from the center of the bread loaf without preservatives.
- place 5 cuts of the non preservative bread in sealed, labelled zip lock bags
- Get a cotton swab and collect some dust and swab on each slice of bread and then add 5 droplets of water, using a dropper, to each slice of non preservative bread
- do this to 5 slices and place in sealed, labelled zip lick bags.
- Check every day at approx. the same time and record observations and results if any.
- Place all samples in zip lock bags in a low tray away from the light.
- Repeat steps 3-7 with bread that contains preservatives.
- Repeat experiment with a new batch of breads.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
MOLD- isn't it colourful
according to this site: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/bread-mold-growth.html
"Dust that was put on the bread carried spores to the bread which led to the bread mold growth on it." and they also put droplets of water on each slice of bread as mold grows best in moist conditions.
i was thinking i could combine this as part of my experiment to quicken up the process of the mold growth.
http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2006/Projects/J1305.pdf
but of course my one will be different :D
the decision
The variables are:
- independent variable- the type of bread used (with and without preservatives)
- dependent variable- the time and how much mold grew
- controlled variable- the size of bread used -the storage of the bread slices -the environment where the bread are placed -results to be taken at the same time -the amount if light (heat) they reaceive
CHANGE
i was talking to my mum the other night how if i should change my experiment and she asked me why i didn't do an experiment on bread as she owns a bakery. So i followed her advice and looked for experiments relating to bread. The only thing i could find using bread is something to do with mold and i think that looks do-able and interesting.
The 2 topics that caught my eye was
How Much Longer Does It Take Bread with Preservatives to Grow Mold Than It Takes Bread without Preservatives?
and
Does temperature affect the growth of mold?
I'm going to do some research and come up with a decision..
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
CLIMATE GRAPH
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Reaction Time
"Reaction time is the time that elapses between a sensory stimulus and the response to that stimulus. Thus, it is a measure of the total time necessary for a chain of internal events:
- the stimulus activates one or more sensory receptors,
- the receptor(s) send a signal to the central nervous system (CNS),
- the CNS processes the incoming signal and elicits a neural response,
- which must then travel to the appropriate muscles in order to generate the physical response.
i did some research on the different methods of the ruler drop experiment to test reaction time and came up with one my self:
1. the sitter should be seated with her arm resting on the table with just the hand over the table.
2. The top of the 1m ruler is held between the outstretched thumb and index finger.
3.. the bottom of the ruler is dangling in between the testers thumb and index finger.
4. the tester is to keep watch the top of the ruler
5. When the ruler is dropped the tester is to grab the ruler as fast as possible
6. Measure and record the reaults
7. Analyse resluts (i.e. conver to m/s using the formula d = vt + ½at² where; d = distance in metres, v = initial velocity = 0, a = acceleration due to gravity = 9.81m/s², t = time in seconds)
8. Repeat steps 1-7 three times and calculate the average for each.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
THE POST!
Some problems that i think may arise are that i wont get enough people and my phone bills.
Developing EVERYTHING
okay here all my ideas developed:
1. HOW DOES A PHONE CONVERSATION AFFECT REACTION TIME???
i googled this and found this site and it had tips on how to do this experiment so I'm going to use this site as a reference
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/HumBeh_p009.shtml
i researched further and found that there were actually two ways to measure reaction time. i could use a ruler to measure or i could use a reaction measuring device on the internet; http://getyourwebsitehere.com/jswb/rttest01.html
so here are the variables;
- independent variable- the different distractions (i.e. using hands free or hands on mobile phone and no distractions-control)
- dependent variable- the reaction time
- controlled variable- the questions asked - the same indication of when to drop the ruler - gender - age - length of where the ruler is dropped - height at which the hand is to catch the ruler - which hand is being used - same questions being asked through the phone
2. Next idea, i think it should be how different types of water affects plants growth;
- independent variable- the type of water used (i.e. tap water, milk, tea, coffee, orange juice)
- dependent variable- how long the stem grows
- controlled variable- what type of seed is used - the amount of solution used everyday for every seed - the same location/ same amount of sunlight - same time of day when it is getting watered
- independent variable- the length of sting between the cups
- dependent variable- the sound coming from one can to another
- controlled variable - the size of the can - the type of string used - the same words or sentence being talked through - the type of cup being used(plastic, paper, tin can)
- independent variable- the colour of the pot
- dependent variable- the growth of the plant
- controlled variables- the type of pot - the same location - the same amount of water being used - same soil - same seed - same amount of sunlight
this idea was suggested by someone in a forum; http://classroom.all-science-fair-projects.com/forum/showthread.php?t=687
- independent variable- the temperature (freezer or under the sun)
- dependent variable- the change in colour or texture
- controlled variable- the tube that is going to be painted - the colour - the type of paint - how it is placed in the different areas
Monday, March 8, 2010
other IDEAS!
- The effect of temperature on paint
- Does the colour of the pot effect the growth of the plant
- Does the presence of digital noise reduce out ability to recognise images on television
TELEPHONE???
another IDEA
This idea led to another idea of what water is best used to grow plants like orange juice or milk(always wondered if the calcium would make the plant grow more) or tap water or boiled water...
RING A LING??
Since i put my title as RING A LING you would probably wonder why i like that title. Well 1. Its a good song 2. its my ring tone and 3. I LOVE THE NAME!!! but just so you wouldn't think that i was a crazy, obsessed lunatic or a very random person i thought i would do my srp on that goes ring a ling...a PHONE
Went searching and found this really good one that has something to do with a phone. found this awesome website http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/pages/sciencefairzone/topics.asp and found one that was very interesting; How does talking on a cell phone or listening to music affect reaction time? i think we tested reaction time in year 8??? but this experiment involves a lot of people and that means a lot of paperwork. but looks doable