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How does a rocket get into the air?

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Finding the sugar content in different Liquids

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Nic, Jayen                             what drinks hydrate you and give you good energy

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Nic, Jayen                             what drinks hydrate you and give you good energy

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*Note: This is an abbreviated Project Idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated Project Ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.

Abstract

Did you know that a scientific study has shown that chewing Big Red Gum reduces mouth microbes? (ScienceDaily contributors, 2004) The cinnamon oil in the gum is a natural defense against mouth bacteria that cause tooth decay and bad breath. Conduct an experiment to compare products with cinnamon essence in gum, candy, toothpaste, and mouthwash to see if they can decrease mouth germs. Do a before and after swab of the mouth with a Q-tip. Which treatments work the best? Can you find another useful ingredient in other natural oils or essences? What about peppermint, wintergreen, or spearmint?

Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Cinnamon Gum and Mouth Microbes." Science Buddies, 28 July 2017, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/MicroBio_p023/microbiology/cinnamon-gum-and-mouth-microbes. Accessed 3 June 2019.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2017, July 28). Cinnamon Gum and Mouth Microbes. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/MicroBio_p023/microbiology/cinnamon-gum-and-mouth-microbes

Last edit date: 2017-07-28

Ask an Expert

The Ask an Expert Forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that they have been unable to find using other resources. If you have specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

Related Links

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Dental Hygienist

Good oral hygiene protects not only teeth and gums, but the whole body, reducing the risk of infections, heart disease, clogged arteries, and stroke. Dental hygienists help prevent and correct dental problems by taking X-rays, examining teeth and gums, removing plaque, polishing teeth, injecting local anesthetics, and assisting with dental procedures. They also play a key role in educating patients about how and when to brush and floss. Read more

Microbiologist

Microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, algae, and fungi) are the most common life-forms on Earth. They help us digest nutrients; make foods like yogurt, bread, and olives; and create antibiotics. Some microbes also cause diseases. Microbiologists study the growth, structure, development, and general characteristics of microorganisms to promote health, industry, and a basic understanding of cellular functions. Read more

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Cinnamon Gum and Mouth Microbes | Science Project

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Please ensure you have JavaScript enabled in your browser. If you leave JavaScript disabled, you will only access a portion of the content we are providing. Here's how. *Note: This is an abbreviated Project Idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment.

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What is the maximum height for a siphon?

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Difficulty

Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

Wood shop experience is helpful for this project.

Material Availability

Readily available

Safety

Adult supervision required

Abstract

A siphon is a handy device for emptying out a liquid reservoir that has no drain. For example, they're great for cleaning fish tanks. An interesting aspect of a siphon in action is that the liquid flows "uphill" for a portion of its journey through the tube. This project asks the question, is there a maximum height for that uphill part of the siphon?

Objective

The goal of this project is to measure the maximum intermediate height that siphon can achieve and remain functioning.

Credits

Andrew Olson, Ph.D., Science Buddies

This idea for this project is from an entry to the 2007 San Mateo County Science Fair, "Siphoning: What Is the Maximum Height Achievable?" (project authors not identified).

Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "What is the Maximum Intermediate Height for a Siphon?" Science Buddies, 24 Mar. 2018, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Phys_p052/physics/siphon. Accessed 3 June 2019.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2018, March 24). What is the Maximum Intermediate Height for a Siphon? Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Phys_p052/physics/siphon

Last edit date: 2018-03-24

Introduction

If you've ever had to clean out a fish tank, you know the practical value of a siphon. A siphon allows you to drain water from a higher reservoir to a lower one, using a tube that goes up and over the edge of the higher reservoir, then down to the lower one (see Figure 1, below). You can initiate the siphon by applying negative pressure to the lower end of the tube (in other words, sucking on it like a straw). Once the siphon has started, the water will keep flowing on its own.

Figure 1. Illustration of the siphon principle. A closed tube allows water to be drained to a lower reservoir from a higher reservoir. Within the tube, the water level exceeds the height of the higher reservoir. A siphon is usually initiated by applying negative pressure to the lower end of the tube. Once the water is flowing, the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet drives the water through the uphill section of the siphon

For part of the trip, the water flows "uphill" through the tube. How can this be? When you suck on the tube, you create a partial vacuum (lower pressure) inside the tube. Normal air pressure, pushing down on the surface of the liquid in the reservoir, then forces some liquid up into the tube. As soon as the water inside the tube reaches the crest and starts flowing "downhill" to the lower reservoir, the flow keeps going on its own. Now the flowing water itself is creating the lower pressure at the drain end of the tube.

An interesting question to ask is: "How high can the crest of the siphon tube be before the siphon fails and the water stops flowing?" This project is designed to answer that question.

Terms and Concepts

To do this project, you should do research that enables you to understand the following terms and concepts:

How does a siphon allow water to flow "uphill"?

Bibliography

Here are some good sources to get you started on researching siphons:

For information on atmospheric pressure, try these references:

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Materials and Equipment

To do this experiment you will need the following materials and equipment:

2 large buckets: 5 gallon (19 L) size works well

Sturdy table (for raising height of one bucket)

22 m of clear tubing

Water

Food coloring

Two pulleys (one large, one small)

Attachment hardware (e.g., a wood screw) for the small pulley

22 m of heavy string or twine

~10 m tall support for pulleys

One idea is to attach a pulley support to a second-floor balcony.

Another idea is to construct a 10 m long pole from several pieces of 2" x 4" lumber. The pieces can either be glued or screwed together with lap joints (overlapping sections). The pole will need to be attached firmly to some external support.

10 m (or greater) tape measure

Remember Your Display Board Supplies

What is the Maximum Intermediate Height for a Siphon?

www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Phys_p052/physics/siphon

Experimental Procedure

1. Do your background research so that you are familiar with the terms, concepts, and questions, above.

2. Figure 2 below shows the essentials of the experimental apparatus for this project.

Figure 2. Diagram of the experimental apparatus.

1. The source bucket (bucket 1) must be higher the outlet bucket (bucket 2).

2. The source bucket should always contain the same amount of water at the start of each test. Draw a "fill-to" line inside the bucket to make it easy to start with the same water level.

3. Attach the string securely to the large pulley, then pass the string over the small pulley as shown. The string can now be used to raise or lower the large pulley.

4. Pass the tubing over the large pulley so that the tubing can be raised or lowered as desired.

5. Attach the inlet end of the tubing firmly to the side of the source bucket, so that the opening is near the bottom of the bucket.

6. Tip: if you add food coloring to the water it will make it easier to see whether or not it is flowing through the tube.

7. Tip: always start with the same amount of water in the source bucket.

3. Apply negative pressure to the outlet end of the tubing to get the siphon started.

4. Measure the time it takes to siphon a standard amount of water (e.g., two liters) from the source bucket to the outlet bucket.

5. Use the string to raise the tubing to successively higher intermediate heights. Repeat the flow rate measurement at each height. Make at least three measurements (more is better) at each height.

6. Calculate the average flow rate for each height.

7. More advanced students should also calculate the standard deviation.

8. At what height did the siphon stop working?

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Variations

What happens if you use a different starting height for the source bucket?

What happens if you change the water level in the source bucket?

Ask an Expert

The Ask an Expert Forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that they have been unable to find using other resources. If you have specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is the Maximum Intermediate Height for a Siphon? | Science Project

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Please ensure you have JavaScript enabled in your browser. If you leave JavaScript disabled, you will only access a portion of the content we are providing. Here's how. Difficulty Time Required Average (6-10 days) Prerequisites Wood shop experience is helpful for this project.

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How does the power of suggestion effect the taste of different food colouring in the same drink???

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Abstract

You might have heard the saying "The eyes eat before the mouth." The appearance of food, especially its color, certainly affects how we perceive its taste. But can your eyes actually change the way you taste something? In this science project, you will find out by investigating how people perceive the taste of different colored apple juice. How do you think color affects taste?

Summary

Objective

Find out if color changes perception of taste.

Introduction

The taste buds on your tongue detect flavors and food groups, and help you identify the foods you eat. However, other senses play a role in how we experience food. You probably know that the smell of foods can have a strong effect on how they taste, but did you know that the appearance of food also changes how we experience it? Because we usually look at food before we put it in our mouths, the very first information your brain gets about any particular food comes from your eyes!

From an early age, we learn to associate colors with flavors. When something is orange, we expect an orange flavor. If you tasted green pudding, you would be surprised to find that it had a cherry flavor. Discrepancies between the appearance of food and their taste can make it more difficult to identify the flavoring.

Research has shown that the appearance of food can dramatically affect how it tastes. In one study, participants were served a meal of steak and French fries under dim light. All the participants said they enjoyed the food, and it tasted fine. However, when the lights were brightened, it was revealed that the steak was dyed blue, and the fries were dyed green. When they saw this, many of the participants refused to eat any more of the food, and a few even grew sick! In this experiment, you will explore how the appearance of the food we eat affects how it tastes. Do not worry-there will not be any blue steaks!

Terms and Concepts

Questions

Do you prefer certain types of foods that are a certain color? Do you associate that color with a flavor? For example, red cherry-flavored candy instead of green lime-flavored?

Do you think the color of a food or drink will affect how it tastes? What if the color is "unexpected" (for example, if red and green were switched for cherry and lime flavors)?

Bibliography

For help creating graphs, try this website:

National Center for Education Statistics, (n.d.). Create a Graph. Retrieved June 25, 2020.

Materials and Equipment

Volunteers (at least 3)

Large bottle of apple juice

Red, green, and blue food coloring

Clear disposable cups (4 per volunteer)

Permanent marker

Drinking glasses (1 per volunteer)

Water

Table where you and your volunteers can sit

Timer or stopwatch

Lab notebook

Experimental Procedure
Working with Human Test Subjects
There are special considerations when designing an experiment involving human subjects. Fairs affiliated with Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) often require an Informed Consent Form (permission sheet) for every participant who is questioned. Consult the rules and regulations of the science fair that you are entering, prior to performing experiments or surveys. Please refer to the Science Buddies documents Projects Involving Human Subjects and Scientific Review Committee for additional important requirements. If you are working with minors, you must get advance permission from the children's parents or guardians (and teachers if you are performing the test while they are in school) to make sure that it is all right for the children to participate in the science fair project. Here are suggested guidelines for obtaining permission for working with minors:

1. Write a clear description of your science fair project, what you are studying, and what you hope to learn. Include how the child will be tested. Include a paragraph where you get a parent's or guardian's and/or teacher's signature.

2. Print out as many copies as you need for each child you will be surveying.

3. Pass out the permission sheet to the children or to the teachers of the children to give to the parents. You must have permission for all the children in order to be able to use them as test subjects.

Note: It is important that your volunteers do not know that there is apple juice in each cup! You want your volunteers to be unbiased. Therefore, do not let them see you prepare the drinks ahead of time! However, you want the volunteers to be able to see the color of the prepared apple juice, which is why you need to use clear or transparent cups. Without seeing the color before drinking the juice, you won't be able to test if the color of the juice changes the perception of how the volunteers taste the juice.

1. Use your marker to number the clear cups. Label one fourth of the cups with the letter A, the next fourth with the letter B, the next fourth with the letter C, and the final fourth with the letter D.

2. Add about 1/4 cup of apple juice to each clear cup.

3. Line up all the cups labeled 'A' in a row, all cups labeled 'B' in a row, all the cups labeled 'C' in a row, and all the cups labeled 'D' in a row.

4. Add two drops of blue food coloring to the cups labeled A (add more food coloring if the color is not dark enough).

5. Add two drops of green food coloring to the cups labeled B (add more food coloring if the color is not dark enough).

6. Add two drops of red food coloring to the cups labeled C (add more food coloring if the color is not dark enough).

7. Do not add any food coloring to the cups labeled D.

8. Make a copy of Table 1 in your lab notebook.

1. Fill the three drinking glasses with filtered water.

2. Have your first volunteer sit down at the table. Line up a cup labeled A, B, C, and D in front of your volunteer. Also give them a glass of water.

3. Ask them to start by drinking some water to cleanse their palate, which means to clean and refresh their mouth before the experiment starts.

4. Tell your volunteer that you want them to taste the drink in cups A, B, C, and D, drinking water in between each. They have two minutes to taste the drinks. Once they have tasted the drink in each cup, they should rate them from the one they liked the best, to the one the liked the least. Your volunteer can taste each cup more than once, but they should drink water in between each taste.

5. Have your volunteer start the test. When they taste their first cup, start your timer or stopwatch. Do not answer any questions your volunteer asks you, or react to anything they say!

6. After two minutes, stop your timer and tell your volunteer to stop tasting.

7. Ask them which drink was their favorite. Their favorite drink will get 4 points. In the 'Volunteer 1' column, mark their favorite cup with the number '4.' For example, if your volunteer said they liked the drink cup B best, you would write the number 4 in the 'B' row under 'Volunteer 1.'

8. Ask your volunteer which drink they liked second best. Their second favorite drink will get 3 points. In the 'Volunteer 1' column, mark their second favorite cup with the number '3.'

9. Ask your volunteer which drink they liked least. Their least favorite drink will get 1 point. In the 'Volunteer 1' column, mark their least favorite cup with the number '1.'

10. Write the number '2' in the remaining row.

11. Repeat steps 9-17 with your remaining two or more volunteers. Record their responses in the corresponding columns.

12. Add the points across each row and record the totals in the 'Total' column. For example, if cup A was rated a 2, 1, and 2 by the three volunteers, you would record '5' in the Total column for cup A.

13. Which cup has the highest total? Which cup has the lowest total? Were there any patterns in which cup the volunteers seemed to prefer? How does this compare to your prediction about whether color affects taste?

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Variations

Try this experiment with other liquids or solid foods.

Careers

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

There is a fraction of the world's population that doesn't have enough to eat or doesn't have access to food that is nutritionally rich. Food scientists or technologists work to find new sources of food that have the right nutrition levels and that are safe for human consumption. In fact, our nation's food supply depends on food scientists and technologists that test and develop foods that meet and exceed government food safety standards. If you are interested in combining biology, chemistry,... Read more

Good taste, texture, quality, and safety are all very important in the food industry. Food science technicians test and catalog the physical and chemical properties of food to help ensure these aspects. Read more

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Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Arnett, Megan, and Ben Finio. "Does Color Affect Taste?" Science Buddies, 12 Apr. 2022, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/FoodSci_p081/cooking-food-science/does-color-affect-taste. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

APA Style

Arnett, M., & Finio, B. (2022, April 12). Does Color Affect Taste? Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/FoodSci_p081/cooking-food-science/does-color-affect-taste

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Does Color Affect Taste? | Science Project

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Find out of color affects taste in this food science project.