Christian-Parent.com

Archive for the ‘Science Projects’ Category

by Mort Barish

Will environmentally friendly anti-freeze work as well in your car as commercial products?

Most automobile engines require water to control their temperatures from getting too hot as they run. Way back when, this was difficult because a car’s engine runs at a temperature that is greater than the boiling point of water. So if water was put into a hot engine it simply boiled off and had to be replenished with constant stops to re-supply. The invention of the radiator partially cured this problem as the water was kept under pressure which raised its boiling point and kept it from boiling away. But cars continued to have difficulties with over heating even with the radiator.

Autos also had problems when it becomes very cold out. Instead of boiling away, the water froze inside the engine. When water freezes it expands and takes up more space. Years ago, cars had freeze plugs put into them that popped out when the water froze to protect the engine from cracking under the pressure of expansion.

Modern antifreeze additives solved the problems of overheating and freezing. There are many additives that will alter the boiling and freezing point of water, simple table salt will affect these points. Antifreeze solutions have a greater affect on the boiling and freezing point but they come at a price. Most modern antifreezes are not environmentally safe and must be disposed of as a hazardous waste. In recent years a number of environmentally friendly antifreeze products have come on the market.

This investigation will compare their effectiveness compared to traditional antifreeze products. To do this science experiment, you will need some non-diluted environmentally friendly anti-freeze. You will also need some commercial non-diluted anti-freeze. In addition you will require a thermometer, an outdoor stove or burner, and a freezer with temperature controls.

Start your experiment by taking 500ml of pure water. Put it on the stove and bring to boil. Record this temperature, it will be your boiling control group. Be sure to do this outside as antifreeze will produce unwanted odor in house.

Now put in 5ml of traditional antifreeze into 500ml of water (recheck water level each time as some will boil off). Boil this solution and record temperature. Repeat this step using environmentally friendly antifreeze.

Next repeat previous steps using 10ml of antifreeze in 500ml and record your boiling points. Continue this process through 25ml of antifreeze concentrations.

When you have collected your boiling point data repeat the process varying the concentrations of antifreeze but now freeze them instead of boiling them. Start with pure water. Set your freezer to 310 and put thermometer in water. Check periodically, record temperature when ice first starts to form, do not let water freeze completely. Then put in your 5ml concentrations and put back in freezer. If solutions do not freeze set your freezer at a colder temperature and record temperature when ice first appears. Continue this process through your 25ml solutions.

This is a cool science fair experiment for those interested in cars, the environment or both. For more cool science fair projects, visit http://www.terimore.com

Mort Barish is co-founder of Terimore Institute, Inc. Terimore Institute provides science fair projects for children in grades K-12 to help them successfully compete in science fairs. He has been creating educational materials for children and related graphic communications for almost fifty years. He is the author of seven books and has won numerous awards for his graphic presentations. He was the President and Founder of an award winning Marketing Communications firm for 27 years.

Mort Barish is co-founder of Terimore Institute, Inc. Terimore Institute provides science fair projects for children in grades K-12 to help them successfully compete in science fairs. He has been creating educational materials for children and related graphic communications for almost fifty years. He is the author of seven books and has won numerous awards for his graphic presentations. He was the President and Founder of an award winning Marketing Communications firm for 27 years.

by Mort Barish

Much has been said and argued about music affecting the growth of plants.

Back in 1973 it was reported that geraniums grew faster when they were played Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. In 1991 someone reported that he had stimulated plants to generate more protein by playing audible notes which produced vibrations occurring in molecules during protein formation.

Another experimenter reported that young bean plants subjected to heavy metal music grew faster than those subjected to soft classical music. This result was mentioned to a renowned biologist who commented that one should get the same result using an electric fan in place of a loudspeaker with music. He said that plants in nature grow well and strong with mechanical agitation such as wind and storm. Therefore one might do the right experiment and draw the wrong conclusion.

Well it appears that there is only way to settle the argument and find out once and for all whether plant growth is affected by music. Ready? We’re going to do this project with seeds and with plants.

You are going to need five pots and saucers, potting soil, water, a CD or cassette player and four different types of music. You might try classical (soft), hard rock, country, and Sinatra. You can substitute different music but make your selection of very different kinds of music. You will also need ten bean seeds, five plants of similar type and size, labels, marking pen, camera, and paper.

Get five plants of the same size and type, and put them where they get sun from the east.

Every day, play music for twenty minutes to each plant. Each plant will get a different type of music. You can try country music on one plant, and with the others, play classical, rock and oldies. Water the plants every other day. One of the plants will get no music. This is your experiment control.

Photograph your plants at the beginning of the experiment, and keep careful records of which plant gets what kind of music.

At the same time that you started with the plants, take ten bean seeds and plant two seeds in each pot. You will need five pots in all. Water as needed. Make sure that each gets exposed to one of the four different types of music. One pot should hear no music. Keep careful records, take lots of photographs. Be sure to give all plants the same amount of water and light. After one month, check and see which plant is the tallest.

What have you learned in this fun science project? Does music help plants grow?

Plants and music make great material for winning science fair projects! This and more plant and music science fair project ideas can be found at http://www.terimore.com.

Mort Barish is co-founder of Terimore Institute, Inc. Terimore Institute provides science fair projects for children in grades K-12 to help them successfully compete in science fairs. He has been creating educational materials for children and related graphic communications for almost fifty years. He is the author of seven books and has won numerous awards for his graphic presentations. He was the President and Founder of an award winning Marketing Communications firm for 27 years.