TRIO UBMS at WSU RESEARCH JOURNAL 2014

TRIO Upward Bound Math Science Center 1845 Fairmount, Box 156 Wichita, KS 67260-0156 (316) 978-3316 (800) 531-4984

Journal of Research Projects Volume 18 ď‚&#x; Summer 2014

JRP The TRIO Upward Bound Math Science Center is funded with $294,545 by the U.S. Department of Education and hosted by Wichita State University. The Center also enjoys support from the Kansas Board of Regents in the amount of $97,872.

The Center has been funded since 1991.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION: Wichita State University does not discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, status as a veteran or disability. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies: Director, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Wichita State University,1845 Fairmount, Wichita KS 67260-0205; Telephone (316) 978-6791.

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A publication of the TRIO Upward Bound Math Science Center Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas

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THANKS SPECIAL THANKS TO: WSU Biology Department WSU Chemistry Department WSU Engineering Department WSU Physics Department WSU Office of Campus Recreation

TRIO Upward Bound Math Science Center at Wichita State University

Journal of Research Projects Summer 2014 Volume 18 Consulting Editor V. Kaye Monk-Morgan, Director Project Editor Karen Rogers, Curriculum Coordinator Acknowledgments The editors wish to thank the students, instructors, and administrative staff of the TRIO Upward Bound Math Science Center for their hard work and dedication. Without their commitment to academic excellence, the creation of this journal would not have been possible.

Publisher TRIO Upward Bound Math Science Center Wichita State University, 1845 N. Fairmount, Campus Box 156 Wichita, KS 67260-0156

The UBMS Journal of Research Projects was inspired by the Research Journal of the Morehouse College Summer Southwestern Regional Math & Science Upward Bound Program.

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Preface The Upward Bound Math Science Center is federally funded and hosted by Wichita State University (WSU) in Wichita, Kansas. With the support of WSU and the cooperation of schools throughout Kansas, the program is designed to serve seventy-four disadvantaged high school students who have the potential to be the first in their family to attend college and earn a four year degree, preferably in a science or mathematics field.

The curriculum of the “Galaxy Experience” is developed to provide students with the opportunity for academic enrichment in a college setting. While living on campus for six weeks, students attend a variety of classes located on the WSU campus, specifically designed to expand their knowledge and stimulate their interests. Classes simulate actual college courses that address topics that are not usually taught at their high schools. Some of the courses offered in 2014 included: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Economics, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, Engineering, Forensic Science, Calculus, Italian, Public Speaking and many more. Moreover, each student’s academic enrichment is supplemented with cultural awareness activities, field trips, academic and career counseling, guest speakers, and tutoring. UBMS students also have access to Wichita State University’s computer, chemistry, physics, and biological sciences labs, Ablah Library, and the Heskett Center for physical fitness activities.

Date Accessed: July 11, 2014 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw-Lt9-WmTg Website Title: Academia.edu Article Title: Iodine Clock Reaction Date Accessed: July 11, 2014 http://www.academia.edu/5141192/Iodine_Clock_Reaction Website Title: Home Version of the Iodine Clock Reaction Article Title: Home Version of the Iodine Clock Reaction Date Accessed: July 11, 2014 http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/iodine_clock_reaction.php Website Title: Academia.edu Article Title: Chemical Kinetics: Iodine Clock Reaction Date Accessed: July 11, 2014 http://www.academia.edu/5877024/Chemical_Kinetics_Iodine_Clock_Reaction

The crowning achievement of the students’ experience each summer is their production and presentation of research projects. The projects are a culmination of what each team has investigated, researched, experimented and/or discovered during the six-week summer session. This journal serves as a record and a celebration of the hard work and commitment put forth by the students of the 2014 summer experience. Each project was presented at the annual UBMS Research Symposium, and the written report is printed in this journal in its original form, therefore allowing the talent and achievement of our students to genuinely shine through.

TRIO UBMS Purpose Statement

“The purpose of the Upward Bound Math Science Center, the “Galaxy Experience,” is to stimulate and advance interest in mathematics, science, and computer technology, challenge students to perform to the best of their ability, provide a unique residential, academic, exploratory, hands-on experience, and encourage high school students to realistically consider the attainment of a post-secondary degree in mathematics or the sciences.”

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seconds. Not far behind was the cooled environment with 38.66 seconds for the average reaction time. Finally, with a reaction time of 102 seconds was the environment with a lower concentration of solution A and B. The reason for the heated environment having the fastest is the fact that when molecules are heated they begin to move faster and faster. With the molecules moving so fast they begin to bounce off one another and cause the reaction to take place quicker. With the catalyst environment, there were more molecules for the molecules reacting to bounce off of, so the reaction took place quicker. The reason the reaction did not change with a new chemical added was the fact that catalyst cannot be chemically changed unless there is enough energy to change them. In the iodine clock reaction there is not enough energy to change Copper (II) sulfate or make it react. The reason the cooled environment was slow was the fact that the molecules moved at a slower rate causing the reaction to take place over a longer period of time. The reason the cooler environment was not as big of an increase from the control as the warmer environment was a decrease was the fact that the warm temperature was 40°C warmer while the cooler was only 10°C cooler. The reason for the experiment with the least amount of concentration of the two solutions was the fact that half of the solution was water and there was less molecules for molecules to react to.

Conclusion In conclusion our hypothesis that environmental conditions will affect the rate at which a chemical reaction can take place, was proven. Our experiment shows that anything in the environment that increased the movement of the molecules or causes the molecules to bounce off one another at a faster rate, causes the reaction to occur quicker. Anything that causes the movement of the molecules to slow or the molecules to not be able to bounce off one another makes the reaction occur at a slower rate.

Bibliography Website Title: Wikipedia Article Title: Iodine clock reaction Publisher: Wikimedia Foundation Electronically Published: May 21, 2014 Date Accessed: July 09, 2014 Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine_clock_reaction Website Title: YouTube Article Title: Iodine Clock Reaction Publisher: YouTube

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TRIO UBMS Center Vision Statement: We are a nationally recognized, intentionally-minded college access program that prepares students for purposeful lives and meaningful careers. We are a leader in empowering students to conscientiously impact the world in which they live.

TRIO UBMS Center Mission Statement: It is the mission of the TRIO Upward Bound Math Science Center to:  Educate students with the propensity for study in STEM areas for postsecondary  Stimulate and sustain interest in STEM careers, and  Motivate low-income and potential first-generation college students to realistically consider the attainment of a post-secondary degree.

TRIO UBMS Center Guiding Principles: The following list of Principles (CD-DIP) were developed and adopted by the 2010 participants.  Conscientious - I make informed decisions, and I accept responsibility for the decisions I make.  Dedicated - I strive for excellence in all aspects of my life.  Discerning - I use my imagination, creativity, and my cognitive skills to set and achieve my goals.  Intentional - I use my given talents and skills to better my life and the lives of others.  Purposeful - I continually pursue personal success and development.

TRIO UBMS Center Guiding Principles (Staff): UBMS staff members shall work to uphold and model the following principles:  Staff will be conscientious with students and service provision, understanding that their work can be life-changing for students when done well.  Staff will dedicate themselves to the concepts of continuous improvement and constant evolution.  Staff will strive to be discerning when evaluating student behaviors and academic abilities, believing that every child can learn if we take the time to teach them.  Staff will plan and implement program services with intention, focused on getting end results and meeting student needs.  Staff will commit to helping each UBMS student and alumni find their ultimate purpose, including, but not limited, to vocation.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Results/Discussion Table

Preface………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4 TRIO UBMS Purpose Statement………………………………………………………………….4 TRIO UBMS Center Vision Statement:………………………………………………………...5 TRIO UBMS Center Mission Statement:………………………………………………………5

Environment

Control

Heated

Cooled

Catalyst

Less Concentration

Experiment 1

34 secs.

9 secs

39 secs

15 secs

90 secs

Experiment 2

35 secs

8 secs

39 secs

17 secs

104 secs

Experiment 3

37 secs

10 secs

38 secs

16 secs

112 secs

35.33 secs

9 secs

38.66 secs

16 secs

102 secs

TRIO UBMS Center Guiding Principles……………………………………………………….5 TRIO UBMS Center Guiding Principles (Staff):…………………………………………...5 Average SECTION ONE – Research Symposium Presentations………………..……………….9 The Aerodynamics of Paper Airplanes……..…………………………...……..…….10 Zerikhun Filatov, Moe Paw, Charles Sayer Mentor: Long Zhao, Engineering Roller Coaster Physics…………………………………………………...……………..…….15 Shayla Bellamy, Dylan Harmon, Matthew Sen Mentor: Devon Lockard, Physics Eye See U - Testing Different Eye Color on Varying Light Levels.............20 Skyler Barnes, Mahalia Clemons, Tara Jackson, Fermina Orosco Mentor: Brandon Williams, Anatomy & Physiology Are You Lying?……………………………………..……………………………………………..27 Andie Burch, Silda Ramos, Theodora Thach Mentor: Monica Gross, Forensic Science Chemical Reactions…………………………..…………………………..……………….……30 Cristian Castro-Lopez, Alonso Romero Mentor: Amanda Alliband, Chemistry FIFA Affects South Africa…………………………………………………………………….34 Ashley Adebiyi, Angelica Delgado, Dursitu Hassen Mentor: GuyFranck Kisangani, Economics

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Discussion After the control and the four different environments were tested, the heated had the fastest reaction time with an average time of nine seconds. The next fastest was the environment with a catalyst, having an average of 16 seconds for the reaction to take place. Next was the control environment with an average time of 35.33

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44. Repeat steps 35-43 two more times 45. Find the average of the three times taken. This average is the cooler temperature average 46. Now take one of the 500 mL beakers and pour 50 mL of solution A and 50 mL of tap water into the beaker. This is now known as beaker A 47. Now take one of the 500 mL beakers and pour 50 mL of solution B and 50 mL of tap water into the beaker. This is now known as beaker B 48. Take beaker A and pour into beaker B. As soon at the two solutions touch start the timer and stir the mixture of A and B with a spatula 49. Stop the timer as soon as the mixture changes tint. The tint could be brown or blue 50. Write down the time it took for it to change tint 51. Clean out Beaker A and B 52. Repeat steps 46-51 two more times 53. Find the average of the three times taken. This average is the less concentrated average 54. Take one 500 mL beaker and put it on the balance 55. Zero out the balance with the beaker on it 56. With the balance zeroed, measure 0.2 grams of Copper (II) sulfate with a spatula into the beaker 57. Now take the beaker with Copper (II) sulfate and pour 100 mL of solution A. This is now known as beaker A 58. Now take the other 500 mL beakers and pour 100 mL of solution B. This is now known as beaker B 59. Take beaker A and pour into beaker B. As soon at the two solutions touch start the timer and stir the mixture of A and B with a spatula 60. Stop the timer as soon as the mixture changes tint. The tint could be brown or blue 61. Write down the time it took for it to change tint 62. Clean out Beaker A and B 63. Repeat steps 54-63 two more times 64. Find the average of the three times taken. This average is the presence of a catalyst average

Absorption of Substances Through Skin..…………………………………………..38 Ethan Caylor, Ron Lam, Zane Storlie Mentor: Brandon Williams, Anatomy & Physiology Battle of The Brands……………………...……………………………………………………47 Almanek (Nikki) Allums, Jessica Griffin, Payton Morgan Mentor: GuyFranck Kisangani, Economics Bullets vs. Books……………….…………………………………………………….…………..56 Cody Coonce, Jacolb Ice, Jayden Levine, Anthony Ruybal Mentor: Long Zhao, Engineering 1, 2, 3, React! The Effects of Coffee Brands on Response Time..………....58 Zainab Dafalla, Vanessa Gonzalez, Lilia Marquez Mentor: Brandon Williams, Anatomy & Physiology Measuring The Speed of Light Through Gelatin……...………………………………….63 Taylor Bishop, Gerald Frayre, Eduardo (Eddie) Ibarra, Veronica Nichols Mentor: Devon Lockard, Physics Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)…………………………...…………………………….69 Solomon Carroll, Shylee Johnson, Steven Robertson, Jr. Mentor: Monica Gross, Forensic Science SECTION TWO – Science Fair/Poster Boards Display…………………………………………77 Carbon Capsule Growth Project…………………....………………………………..…..78 Gabe Carroll, Cameron Morgan, Conner Ratliff Mentor: David Trombold, Environmental Science Cells’ Reaction to Environmental Changes………………...……………………….82 Anautica Bodney, Shenice Canady, Whitney Mayberry Mentor: Brandon Williams, Biology Attributes of Bottle Cars………………………………………………………...…………...84 Areonans Nelson, Jonathan Perez, Christopher Solis Mentor: Long Zhao, Engineering Do Fingerprints Vary Between Ethnicity?…………………………………………..87 Jesus Corral, Armon Jones, Robert Kindred Mentor: Brandon Williams, Biology

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The Influence of Music on The Body……………………………….…………………..89 Tiffany Bass, Gloria Medina, Brenna Storlie Mentor: Brandon Williams, Biology How do Different Colors of Light Affect a Plant’s Growth?...………………92 Devonta Jones, Jesus Manzano-Legarda, Miguel Marin-Segovia Mentor: Brandon Williams, Biology Iodine Clock Reaction…………….……………………………………………………...……94 Pedro Dominguez, Tatyana Hopkins, Kiley Moose Mentor: Amanda Alliband, Chemistry

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the beaker. This is now known as beaker A 16. Now take one of the 500 mL beakers and pour 100 mL of solution B into the beaker. This is now known as beaker B 17. Take beaker A and pour into beaker B. As soon at the two solutions touch start the timer and stir the mixture of A and B with a spatula 18. Stop the timer as soon as the mixture changes tint. The tint could be brown or blue.

19. Write down the time it took for it to change tint 20. Clean out beaker A and B 21. Repeat steps 15-20 two more times 22. Find the average of the three times taken. This average is the control average.

23. Now take one of the 500 mL beakers and pour 100 mL of solution A into the beaker. This is now known as beaker A 24. Now take one of the 500 mL beakers and pour 100 mL of solution B into the beaker. This is now known as beaker B 25. Plug in the heat plate and turn it on 26. Place both Beaker A and B on the heat plate 27. Place the thermometers into both beaker A and B 28. Wait until they both are at 60°C then take them off the heat plate 29. Take beaker A and pour into beaker B. As soon at the two solutions touch start the timer and stir the mixture of A and B with a spatula 30. Stop the timer as soon as the mixture changes tint. The tint could be brown or blue.

31. Write down the time it took for it to change tint 32. Clean out Beaker A and B 33. Repeat steps 23-32 two more times 34. Find the average of the three times taken. This average is the Warmer temperature average.

35. Now take one of the 500 mL beakers and pour 100 mL of solution A into the beaker. This is now known as beaker A 36. Now take one of the 500 mL beakers and pour 100 mL of solution B into the beaker. This is now known as beaker B 37. Place both beakers into the bucket of ice. Do not allow the ice to fall into the beaker.

38. Place thermometers in both beaker A and B 39. Wait until they both are at 10°C then take them out of the bucket 40. Take beaker A and pour into beaker B. As soon at the two solutions touch start the timer and stir the mixture of A and B with a spatula 41. Stop the timer as soon as the mixture changes tint. The tint could be brown or blue.

42. Write down the time it took for it to change tint 43. Clean out Beaker A and B

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               

15 grams of Starch (there will be left overs) 25 grams of citric acid (there will be left overs) 5 grams of Sodium Sulfite (there will be left overs) 1 gram of Copper (II) sulfate (there will be left over) Thermometer Bucket of Ice Heat plate (large enough to hold two 500 mL beakers) Balance (Scale able to read to the hundredth) Available tap water Spatulas (2) Stopwatch Safety goggles Safety gloves Paper Pencil Calculator

Section One:

Methods (Procedure) 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Gather all listed materials Take one 1000 mL beaker and put it on the balance Zero out the balance with the beaker on it With the balance zeroed, measure 4.3 grams of Sodium Iodate with a spatula into the beaker Fill this beaker with 1000 mL of tap water. This beaker is now known as solution A. If you end up needing more of solution A, repeat steps 2-5 Stir solution A with a spatula until the Sodium Iodate has dissolved then set aside With the other empty 1000 mL beaker, repeat step 2-3 With the balance zeroed, measure 1.3 grams of Sodium Sulfite with a new spatula into the beaker Keep the beaker on the balance and rebalance it With the balance zeroed, measure 5 grams of Starch with the spatula into the beaker Keep the beaker on the balance and rebalance it With the balance zeroed, measure 11.5 grams of Citric Acid with the spatula into the beaker Fill this beaker with 1000 mL of tap water. This beaker is now known as solution B. If you end up needing more of solution B repeat steps 7-13 Stir solution B with a spatula until the Sodium Sulfite, Starch and Citric Acid has dissolved then set aside Now take one of the 500 mL beakers and pour 100 mL of solution A into

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Research um i s o p m y S 2014

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The Aerodynamics of Paper Airplanes and Optimal Design for Long Distance Gliding By: Zerikhun Filatov, Moe Paw, Charles Sayer Mentor: Long Zhao, Engineering Abstract Paper airplanes, while simple and easy to make, can provide us with quite an amount of insight into the workings of much larger production airplanes.

The forces acting on airplanes and their overall basic design is more or less the same. As such, we can examine the qualities of paper gliders, and make certain conclusions about the workings of airplane aerodynamics. In this experiment, we tested the designs of six different models of paper gliders. There are numerous variables when considering airplane construction, but the main one we examined was how the aspect ratio (wingspan/fuselage length) affected flight distance. Our hypothesis was a lower aspect ratio would correlate with longer flight distance. After conducting the experiment, we found this to be accurate to an extent, but there are too many confounding variables in this study. While it's feasible to test all of these variables, or at least as many as possible, this would require more time, and a more in-depth study of aerodynamics.

Introduction Metallic behemoths flying through the sky, airplanes confound many people. How is it possible to heft a 50 ton machine through the air with any sort of efficiency or control? While not going too far in depth, studying paper airplanes and their flight can provide some insight to this mystery.

The principles that allow paper airplanes to fly are the same principles that give industrial airplanes the ability of flight. This experiment will delve into these principles and explore the basics of flight. But most importantly is the main point of this experiment; how does the aspect ratio of a paper airplane affect its flight distance? Our main hypothesis for this experiment is, "The distance a paper airplane will fly will correlate negatively with the aspect ratio of the design of the plane."

Background There are four main forces that act on a flying object of any kind: drag, lift, weight, and thrust. Drag is the force that the air exerts to oppose the movement Page 10

The iodine clock reaction exists in several variations. In some variations, the solution will repeatedly cycle from colorless to blue and back to colorless, until the reagents are depleted. This reaction starts from a solution of hydrogen peroxide with sulfuric acid. To this added solutions are mixed. The second reaction causes the triiodide ion to be consumed much faster than it’s generated, and only a small amount of triiodide is present in the dynamic equilibrium. Once the thiosulfate ion has been exhausted, this reaction stops and the blue color caused by the triiodide starch complex appears.

Problem Does the environment of a chemical reaction effect the time it takes for the reaction to take place?

Hypothesis The condition of the environment in which a chemical reaction takes place will affect the time it takes for a chemical reaction to take place.

Variables Control  20°C (room temperature)  100 mL of both solution A and B  No catalyst Independent Variable  Temperature (60°C and 10°C)  Concentration of the mixtures (50 mL of Solutions A and B with 50 mL of water)  Presence of a Catalyst (0.2 grams of Copper (II) sulfate) Dependent Variable The time it takes for the chemical reaction to take place and the mixture to turn blue.

Materials   

2 1000 mL beakers 2 500 mL beakers 10 grams of Sodium Iodate (there will be left overs)

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Iodine Clock Reaction By: Pedro Dominguez, Tatyana Hopkins, Kiley Moose Mentor: Amanda Alliband, Chemistry Abstract Our science research team did the iodine clock reaction experiment, a chemical reaction in which two different clear solutions are mixed together and produce a blue tint, in order to test which different things in the environment would affect the reaction rates of chemical reactions. We tested this by changing the temperature, the concentration and adding a catalyst to the two solutions used in the iodine clock reaction. In doing this, we caused the time for the reaction to occur to change. The test results we collected showed that we not only decreased the time it took for the reaction to take place, but also increased the time it took for the chemical reaction to occur.

Introduction Does the environment of a reaction affect the rate at which the chemicals react?

To answer this question, the iodine clock reaction was placed into four different environments and the time it takes for the two mixtures to react and change color was measured. The iodine clock reaction was first discovered by Hans Heinrich Landolt in 1886, in which he discovered that placing two special mixtures together would produce a blue tint.

One mixture is a simple mixture of 4.3 grams of Sodium Iodate in 1000 mL of water while the other mixture is a combination of 1.3 grams of sodium sulfite, 5 grams of starch, and 11.5 grams of citric acid in 1000 mL of water. Within the test, the independent variable is the environment in which the reaction took place. The dependent variable is how long it takes for the two mixtures to react and change color. Each one of the environments is known to affect things at the molecular level. The different environments the reaction was placed in included a much warmer environment, a colder environment, an environment in which the mixtures were less concentration, and finally an environment that contained a catalyst.

of an object through it. The more aerodynamic and streamlined the object, the less drag it experiences, and as such requires less initial thrust to overcome any possible resistance. The thrust is the forward force that acts on an object in flight. For industrial planes, this force comes from the plane's engines. For the paper airplane, this force comes from the person throwing the plane. Weight is the force of gravity that pulls the airborne mass to the ground. Lift is the force that is created by Bernoulli's principle that uses the air to push the plane towards the area of relatively high velocity air. This is the force that allows planes to stay aloft. When all four of these forces are in balance, the plane becomes stable and flies.

With paper airplanes however, this balance is rather difficult to achieve, since even the most minute error in the folding process can cause the plane to lose stability. It is possible to correct this by adding lifers to the back of the wings, adding a stabilizer tail to the back of the fuselage, folding the nose to increase drag, etc. But these additions also require the utmost precision.

Another reason that these modifications will be kept to a minimum is to avoid variability within the experiment, as the purpose of this experiment is to test aspect ratio, not how modifications to a design affect flight.

Methods We obtained 3 paper airplane designs using the Internet (sources in references), and 3 designs from previous knowledge. We then used regular typing paper (8.5 X 11 inches) to fold the planes, keeping the overall mass the same by using all of the sheet to create the plane. We then tested the planes in a parking lot, on a day with as little wind as possible, to avoid unnecessary variability. We threw the planes from a set location and measured the distance flown from the feet of the thrower to the point of impact of the nose of the plane to the ground. We had 5 trials for each of the 6 airplanes, and recorded the distance for each trial and the average distance flown for the trials. We then compared the distance to the aspect ratio to determine the presence of a correlation between the two.

Background The iodine clock reaction is a classical chemical clock demonstration experiment to display chemical kinetics in action; it was discovered by Hans Heinrich Landolt in 1886. Two colorless solutions are mixed and at first, there is no visible reaction. After a short time delay, the liquid suddenly turns to a shade of dark blue.

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one out of 9 seeds. For my hypothesis, this is bad because chloroplast are supposed to absorb blue and red. Besides that, the results we got were expected.

Results Design 1

Design 2

Design 3

Design 4

Design 5

Design 6

Our data we have is very miniscule due to the fact that the plants were very small and the roots even smaller, for some of them.

Trial 1 (meters)

6.64

6.1

12.75

13.95

9.65

11.76

Trial 2

9.03

7.28

9.15

12

7.9

6.77

Trial 3

9.82

7.7

10.44

9.89

7.2

6.93

Trial 4

10.83

6.3

18.56

13.8

8.81

7.45

Our data showed that the one with the clear filter grew the most and was one of the tallest. In 2nd place was the one with the blue filter. The data also showed that the one with the green filter grew the tallest. This is because when the seedling sprouted, it realized that it wasn’t getting energy (or not enough) that it thought maybe something was shadowing over it. So it didn’t get energy because, remember that plants reflect off green, so its natural reaction was to overgrow the shadow, that’s why it was the tallest. It was using all its energy to overgrow the shadow.

Trial 5

8.68

8.42

11.73

13.85

6.9

7.79

9

8.09

12.53

12.70

8.09

8.14

1.27

1.08

0.6

0.38

0.34

0.28

Average Distance (Mean) Aspect Ratio

Discussion The main problem with this experiment is the inability, or perhaps the difficulty, to control all of the variables within it. Ideally, this experiment would be performed indoors, in a large open area, as opposed to outside, where natural air currents can dramatically affect the flight of the plane. It is also ideal to have the throwing speed, or initial thrust of the planes be as precise and consistent as possible. We tried to be as consistent as possible, but a machine specifically calibrated to launch paper airplanes is needed to be foolproof.

As mentioned before, it is also rather difficult to get the designs of the planes exactly correct, and there are variables other than just aspect ratio that factor into the distance flown by an airplane. One such factor is the build of the plane; more specifically, the thickness of its wings, front relative to back, and nose form and shape. The wing thickness is important because the shape of the wing is crucial in determining how much lift a plane obtains. If the thickness of the front is high relative to the back, then extra lift will be generated, and the plane will either fly further, or somersault to the ground due to the lift forcing it too far upwards. The opposite is also true, where a thin wing can affect the plane’s flight.

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In the end, the plants with the clear filter grew the most and were the ones with better health. What does this mean? This means we should stick to just planting them in the sun. But there is a problem with that, especially for farmers, but it’s easily solved with technology. Farmers can use high-powered white lights to grow plants during the winter and other seasons that can’t be harvested.

My hypothesis for this was proven to be right in some cases. I still don’t know why the ones with red light only grew one seedling. I shall research further during my spare time and maybe it will be in the next experiment I conduct.

In conclusion, the experiment showed that the sun is essential for life. Either way, if we used just blue light, the plant will eventually die because plants need all colors of light to survive. The data proved that the ones with the clear filter is better than any color filter to grow plants.

Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis http://water.usgs.gov/edu/adhesion.html http://homeguides.sfgate.com/plant-light-spectrum-growing-flowering-plants72801.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloroplast http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll

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How do Different Colors of Light Affect a Plant’s Growth?

By: Devonta Jones, Jesus Manzano-Legarda, Miguel Marin Mentor: Brandon Williams, Biology Upward Bound Math Science Today we are going to present our experiment that we conducted this summer with the U.B.M.S. program. Our experiment consists of two main things; photosynthesis and the different energies given off by different colors of light, and the effects of different colors of light on plant growth. For this experiment, we are going to get three boxes with a rectangle cut out on top to place the color filters and only let the assigned color in. There would be three pots inside with three seeds. There would also be four different colors of light: red, green, blue, and clear. Why the clear one? Because the clear one represents the sun. The question for these experiments was, “What colors of light would help the plants grow faster?”

My hypothesis on this experiment is that the lights with the shortest wave lengths will grow the plant quicker due to the fact that shorter wave lengths have more energy. Another thought of mine is that the blue and red light will grow the plants faster because the chloroplast mainly absorbs blue and red light.

Our experiment had many steps, but when it comes down to it, it's pretty simple. One problem we faced is keeping the plant and soil moist without letting any other colors shine on the plants beside the one it was actually assigned.

The way we solved this is by using the water’s cohesion and adhesion properties. Cohesion allows substances to withstand rupture when placed under stress while adhesion is the attraction between water and other molecules. Cohesion holds hydrogen bonds together to create surface tension on water. Since water is attracted to other molecules, adhesive forces pull the water toward other molecules. Water is transported in plants through both cohesive and adhesive forces; these forces pull water and the dissolved minerals from the roots to the leaves and other parts of the plant.

This helps us by keeping the water together and to the piece of cloth. This is called capillary action. This states that if the adhesive actions between the liquid and the substance overcomes the cohesion, it moves the water upward and will keep the cloth moist.

It is difficult to test all these variables with paper airplanes, as the number and quality of designs is limited. It would be necessary to create a model plane from a different medium, such as wood or metal, to test all of these properly.

One thing that doesn't correlate with reality in this experiment is the hypothesis itself. While aspect ratio is usually kept low for paper airplanes, at least to a certain extent as demonstrated by the results, this is not always the case for large scale, industrial airplanes. The reason for the low aspect ratio trend of paper airplanes is due to the low structural integrity of paper. If the wings of the plane were too large, they would not be able to handle the lift and end up folding up in on themselves, or could not support their own weight, and end up collapsing, with the type of problem varying from design to design.

For industrial aircrafts, crafted from aircraft grade aluminum, this stress doesn't matter too much. In fact, many high speed jets incorporate high aspect ratio wings to create lift. The reason we picked aspect ratio as the variable to test is its general ease to vary and control, and the fact that it matters to the designs of paper airplanes, which can't handle the stress that airplanes made of a sturdier material can.

However, it can be seen that aspect ratio doesn't correlate perfectly with average flight distance. The distance flown peaked between 0.6 and 0.38 aspect ratio. Any further drops in the aspect ratio caused a drop in the planes total distance. We believe this to be the case because, as mentioned earlier, aspect ratio isn't the only variable, and as can be seen, likely isn't the most important.

There is also the fact that while it doesn't require much lift due to its low mass, it still needs some lift to keep itself afloat, and too low of an aspect ratio would not provide enough wing area to create this lift. What likely matters the most is the overall design of the plane, with all structural variables taken into account.

If one wanted to conduct a differing version of this experiment, one possibility would be to pick one model of paper airplane and alter its wings to alter the aspect ratio. This would ensure that the aspect ratio would be the only major variable affecting the flight of the plane. This along with control over all the other variables previously mentioned should result in optimal results.

A few days after we planted the seeds, we observed our results. The results we got were expected with the exception of the red light. The red light only sprouted

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References http://www.funpaperairplanes.com http://www.paperplane.org/Aerodynamics/paero.htm http://www.paperairplaneshq.com/basic-aerodynamics.html http://www.paperairplane.org/?fof=Y http://www.arvinsguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/aero.pdf

Discussion Overall, our experiment went really well. There were some different things we could have done better. The room we were provided, while it was quiet, which was what we asked for, had several distractions. We were given an Anatomy lab, with intells and several interactive diagrams. Some of the participants played with the model brains. We could have also gotten a private room. While we were conducting the experiment, several people came in and out and that could have been a factor with our participants’ concentration. We could have also started conducting the experiment early so we could have the correct amount of time. Like we said in the background section, the Mozart session helped the ICU patients with the amount of sedative medication they needed. These results could be used to help treat patients or at least help them in some shape or form. These results can definitely be used in the real world setting.

Conclusion Our hypothesis was that music affects a person’s heart rate, temperature and blood pressure. Our results supported the hypothesis that we concluded. Because heart rate results show that songs with faster tempos make your heart beat faster, and songs with slower tempos make your heart beat slower. So in short, your heart beats to the tempo of the music. According to the results, there wasn’t a pattern in temperature. That means that music doesn’t really have an affect on a person’s body temperature. Blood pressure goes up and down with heart rate. The only exception is hard rock, which presented a lower blood pressure. So yes, music does appear to affect a person’s heart rate and blood pressure, but not the temperature.

Works Cited Brookes, Linda. "Significant New Definitions, Publications, Risks, Benefits." Medscape 2005. Web 24 June 2014 Edelson, Ed. "Music Can Make the Heart Beat Faster." 23 June 2014. Web 24 June 2014 Holt, Betty. "Do Different Types of Music Affect the Heart Rate?" 16 August 2013.

Web 24 June 2014 Lautzenheiser, Tim and Michael Kumer. "How Music Affects Us." Berksmusic 1999. Web 24 June 2014 Roth, Erica. "Relationship Between Music and Heart Rate." 19 August 2013. Web 24 June 2014

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Roller Coaster Physics

Methods and Materials To conduct this experiment, we needed the following materials; thermometer, music, ear buds, blood pressure tool, heart rate meter, people, and computers. We took two people at a time into a quiet room. We had two different computers set up with ear buds so that we could test two people at the same time.

By: Shayla Bellamy, Dylan Harmon, Matthew Sen Mentor: Devon Lockard, Physics

My research group and I gathered six participants to conduct this experiment; there were three boys and three girls with no specific ages. We took the first two participants to the room we were given and proceeded to gather a baseline for each of the dependent variables; heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Each participant then proceeded to a computer we had set up for the each of them. Each computer was set up with a set of ear buds and the playlist we used. They listened to the first song which was played for two minutes and fifty seconds. After the song was completed, they would then go back to the stations for the measure of the dependent variables. Each of these steps was repeated until all five of the songs were completed. These steps were repeated for all six of the participants.

Abstract

Results From the information that we collected, we have concluded that music does not have a big affect on heart rate. The averages stayed closely the same. Although it does not have a big affect on heart rate, it does affect the body temperature of a person. It increased the blood pressure dramatically. The upper blood pressure was not affected but the lower blood pressure was.

Upward Bound Math Science 2014

We tested the physics of roller coasters by creating a miniature roller coaster using pool noodles and marbles. The design was basic with only an initial drop, single loop and straight path to the end. Three checkpoints were at the end of the drop: directly before the loop, directly after the loop, and near the end of the course.

At each checkpoint, we calculated the amount of acceleration, distance, timing, velocity, and the amount of potential energy converting to kinetic energy.

Introduction What causes a roller coaster to go up and go fast? Energy. The amount energy the roller coaster has from the beginning to the end changes. Remember, energy cannot be destroyed or made; it’s constantly changing. We’re calculating how much kinetic energy is turning, from potential energy. Collecting 1.5 in. foam tube insulation, we created a roller coaster course. For our main coaster, a marble. We will set our marble on the highest point, 5 feet, and let it go with 0N acted upon it.

We will calculate how much energy is being changed by using functions we have obtained in our research. We also settled out checkpoints to sum up the amount we receive in the last turn to have an accurate result. We will be testing this 10 times, but as a total of 30; due to changing the height of the course from three different heights to see which will be the best use.

Background The idea of roller coasters started in Russia when thrill seekers rode sleighs down steep hills (Hogan 1). With the knowledge of energy already fresh in our minds discoveries were made on how to be able to make objects continue down a hill and not slow down but to be able to continue through a man-made course.

Kinetic and potential energies that are used in roller coasters and is also seen in everything that moves in any way.

That is why these types of energy is so important. Cody Crane talks about some of the scariest roller coasters that exist in today’s time, and how these coaster push the limits on the laws of physics. Some of these coasters are too fast and wild to comprehend. To be able to accelerate as quickly as some of these coasters do, the ride relies on a launch system similar to those that fling fighter jets off aircraft

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The Influence of Music on the Human Body

carriers (Crane 1). With all of the energy that is used in the beginning of the ride, it is able to stay at a constant speed zooming throughout the entirety of the course.

Many roller coasters have been made to this day and all use the principles of kinetic and potential energy. Energy also affects the passengers’ experience of the ride depending on the different places that each passenger sits (Alberghi). As energy changes, the experience a passenger gets changes. The potential energy affects the front of the roller coaster and kinetic energy affects the back of the roller coaster.

By: Tiffany Bass, Gloria Medina, and Brenna Storlie Mentor: Brandon Williams, Biology Upward Bound Math Science

Hypothesis

Abstract

With a foam roller coaster course with the displacement area of 7ft, there is enough gravitational potential energy in the marble, for the marble to transfer its energy into kinetic energy, allowing it to go through the course with enough energy. We chose this hypothesis because the displacement of 7 ft. is high enough to give the roller coaster with a stable amount of energy. If we were to change the height of the slope, then the amount of kinetic energy being lost will reduce.

We conducted an experiment to tell whether or not music affected the human body. It was concluded that music increases the human body’s heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure. The hypothesis was confirmed with some additional interesting thoughts.

Methods and Procedures

The Digital Revolution is in full swing. There is always a square box in front of someone’s face or the latest gadget being invented to make our lives easier. Music can now be downloaded to your phone, tablet, etc. in a matter of seconds. Does anyone ever stop to wonder if all this technology whirling around us all at once has an effect on the human body? For this experiment, our research group tested to see if music could affect heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.

We took pool noodles and cut them in half lengthwise by hand using a box cutter. We then used a yardstick to measure the cut noodles to determine the length of the roller coaster. Next, we used masking tape to hold the pieces together and secure the roller coaster into place. The roller coaster was 19.9 feet long and had a starting height of 7 feet. We calculated the amount of potential energy at the starting point. Next, the marble was weighed (0.04 kg) and sent through the track 10 times. We then calculated the potential and kinetic energy of the marble at different points in the track. The points where we calculated were at the starting point of the course, the checkpoint that is set before the loop and after the loop, and at the ending of the course. We averaged our data and determined how much energy was being transformed from potential to kinetic energy. The time and distance of the marble going through the track was what we used to calculate speed and velocity.

Data We calculated that the amount of potential energy at the starting point was the potential energy (0.1064574 joules), then decreased at the 1st checkpoint (0.003499), then stayed constant through the 2nd (0.0019992) and 3rd (0.001992) checkpoints. Kinetic energy is increased by a huge amount from the starting point towards checkpoint 1. But as the energy is being transferred, energy is also being lost due to friction. The amount of friction lost is by a huge amount because of the length between the two checkpoints, because of the length the marble had to travel through and the loop that it had to encounter. But as for checkpoints 2 and 3,

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Introduction

Background There were experiments done that were similar to the one that we conducted.

Mobile technology, Barry Franklin, the director of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise laboratories, commented on a group of Italian scientists who tested to see if music affected the heart rate of twenty four volunteers in their mid-twenties. The study they did was over music effects, respiration, and heart rate. They got twentyfour young women and men, half of the group was musically trained and half of them were not trained in the music field.

The researchers’ study results showed that the heart rate and respiration strongly increased in those who had musical background. Dr. Conard did a similar experiment at Harvard Medical School. He used patients that were critically ill in ICU. While the patients weren’t under the influence of medication, they listened to Mozart's piano sonatas for an hour long term. The patients’ heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones, and cytokines were measured before and after the experiment was conducted. The results showed that they needed less of the sedative medication after the Mozart term.

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Asian, Caucasian, and African American and took fingerprints of their right thumb.

Then we recorded the frequency of fingerprint markings.

The way we got the fingerprints is with inkpads, paper, and a pencil. We got all of our supplies from Wal-Mart. When we selected our participants, we put ink on the inkpad and waited five minutes for the ink to soak in. We had pieces of paper and on each paper we had each race on one side. When the inkpad was ready, we got fingerprints of each participant and placed their thumb on the side that had their race. After we were done we recorded the results.

In the Hispanic group, four out of six of the people had linear loops. One out of the six had a tented arch. The last one out of the six had a plain whorl. In the Asian group, three out of six of them had a central pocket whorl. Two out of six of them had ulnar loops. The last one out of six of the group had a plain whorl. In the Caucasian group, four out of six of the group had ulnar loops. Two out of six of the group had a plain whorl. In the African American group, two out of six of them had ulnar loops. One out of six of the group had a plain whorl. One out of six had a tented arch. One out of six had a central pocket whorl. The last one out of the six had a plain arch. These were the fingerprint frequencies of each race we tested.

We thought that each ethnicity would have a majority of one type of fingerprint. The Hispanic group and Caucasian group proved that our hypothesis was right. Four people in the Hispanic group had an ulnar loop fingerprint. Four people in the Caucasian group had ulnar loops. But the other two groups did not support our hypothesis.

energy is losing at a low and constant rate, because no special events are occurring except the conversion of energy. The differences between the two energies, is it has different equations that we would have to use to calculate the change. Gravity can be around -9.8 or 9.8 m/s2, each one will result in a dramatic loss of energy or gain.

Energy is either lost or transforming; energy cannot be destroyed or made.

Analysis The gravitational potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy with the knowledge of the velocity of the marble and outside factors of the course. Energy is also being lost during the ride because of the factors such as, sound, vibration, friction, etc. The velocity decreased throughout the course, as did the speed. The potential energy is decreasing, kinetic energy is increasing. When friction occurs, energy from the producer starts giving out energy like we do. From the sound of the vibration which is created from the movement of the course. The only way that we could fix this situation is to have a stronger tape to secure the roller coaster.

First, we calculated the amount of gravitational potential energy by taking the mass, gravity, and height multiplied. Then we used Newton’s 2nd law that uses force equal mass times acceleration. We calculated the amount of friction being lost by knowing the amount of velocity, distance, and force acted upon it. Next we subtracted the amount of kinetic and friction, combined, to potential energy to find the remaining amount.

Results 2

Source Cited http://www.forensic-medecine.info/fingerprints.html http://www.odec.ca/projects/2004/fren4j0/public_html/fingerprint_patterns.htm http://www.bxscience.edu/publications/forensics/articles/fingerprinting/r-fing01.htm https://www.llnl.gov/str/Forensic.html

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We found the velocity for checkpoint 1 to be 5.35m/ s . The velocity then decreased from 5.35m/s2 (Check Point 1) to 5.213m/s2 (Check Point 2). The final velocity at checkpoint 3 was 4.89 m/s2. The amount of energy lost due to friction was .0299648 joules at checkpoint 1, .0051948 joules at checkpoint 2, and .008208 joules at checkpoint 3. The total amount of energy lost due to friction was .0433676 joules.

The amount of energy lost due to friction was the highest at the first checkpoint. This is because the speed of the marble was quicker and it had a longer distance to travel than the other checkpoints. There was a loss of total energy from checkpoint 1 to checkpoint 2 of .0299684 joules. This loss of energy is due to the instability of the loop, which was between checkpoint 1 and checkpoint 2. Since the loop shifted immensely when the marble went through it, the loss of energy was great and rapid. The total amount of energy for the entire roller coaster was .360698 joules.

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Do Fingerprints Vary Between Ethnicity

Discussion While creating the experiment, we encountered many limitations. The pool noodles and the masking tape were very weak and unstable. This caused the roller coaster to be less secure and to shake, resulting in an energy loss. The amount of time also caused the experiment to be rushed, which could have resulted in miscalculations. Some variables that we could change, if we were to redesign and re-test the experiment, would be the shape of the coaster or to change the slope of the initial drop to see if the marble would still have enough kinetic energy to complete the loop. We could use a different material to construct the roller coaster in order to reduce or possibly increase the friction to see how it would affect the outcome.

A few elements that we could have performed better would be the securing of the roller coaster to reduce shaking or moving and therefore reduce energy loss.

There might have been human error in the releasing of the marble, which could've resulted in a quicker speed and conversion of energy. A way that this could have been prevented would be to automate the releasing of the marble. There are many ways that we could have improved the accuracy of this experiment.

Conclusion The hypothesis has been shown to be correct. The marble had enough energy to reach the bottom of the track successfully. To make this more accurate we could have secured the roller coaster more to reduce shaking, or changed the slope of the initial drop to see if the results would have changed. We could have also raised the end of the roller coaster to see if the marble had enough kinetic energy left over to complete the course.

Some of the limitations we had were the limited amount of time we had to do our experiment, the instability of the pool noodles, the weakness of the tape, and the human error involved in releasing the marble.

Appendix

Jesus Corral, Armon Jones, Robert Kindred Mentor: Brandon Williams, Biology Do fingerprints vary between ethnicity? That is the question we are going to answer. Armon, Robert, and I believe that fingerprints do vary between ethnicity.

We are going to provide you with background information that we used to complete our experiment.

Fingerprints are the traces of the impressions from the friction ridges of any part of the human finger. They form from pressure in a baby’s tiny, developing fingers in the womb. No two people have been found with the same fingerprints.

This was just an idea of what fingerprints are and a little bit about them.

There are three main types of fingerprints which are arches, loops, and whorls.

Arches are found in about 5% of fingerprints encountered. The ridges run from one side to the other of the pattern without making a backwards turn. Loops occur in about 60% to 70% of fingerprints encountered. One or more of the ridges enters on either side of the impression, re-curves, then touches or crosses the line running from the delta to the core and terminates on or in the direction of the side where the ridge or ridges entered. Whorls are seen in about 25% to 35% of fingerprints encountered. In a whorl, some of the ridges make a turn through at least one circuit.

This was a small description of the three main types of fingerprints.

There are many reasons why fingerprints are important. One big reason why fingerprints are important is because they are used in investigating crimes. The reason people can do that is because every fingerprint is unique as I said before.

There have never been two individuals with the same fingerprint. If we have a fingerprint of someone that has committed a crime, it will be easy to track them down with our latest technology.

For example, if there was a robbery and there was a fingerprint found, the fingerprint will be scanned and matched to the individual that has that same fingerprint. This was just one reason why fingerprints are important and now we are going to talk about our experiment.

Methods The question for our experiment is, “Do fingerprints vary between ethnicity?�

The way we tested this was by taking fingerprints of the different races here in the Upward Bound Math Science program. We got six people that were Hispanic,

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Results Series 1 was water, series 2 was Diet Coke and Mentos, and series 3 was baking soda and vinegar.

Bibliography Alberghi, Stefano, et al. "Is It More Thrilling To Ride at the Front or the Back of a Roller Coaster?" Physics Teacher 45.9 (2007): 536-541. ERIC. Web. 24 June 2014.

Bibliography Abel, John H., and Nancy Eisenmenger. "UCSB Science Line Sqtest." UCSB Science Line Sqtest. National Science Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 July 2014. <http:// scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=4147>.

Crane, Cody. "Scream machines: How Four of the World's Most Extreme Roller Coasters Seem to Defy the Laws of Physics." Science World 2012: 12. General OneFile. Web. 24 June 2014.

Hogan, Dan. "Fast Tracks." Current Science 83.16 (1998): 4. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 June 2014.

Bjorklund, Chad. "Potassium Benzoate." Livestrong. Demand Media, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 June 2014. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/424346-what-ispotassium-benzoate/>.

Hoeven van der, Maria. "Unconventional Oil Revolution to Spread Beyond North America by End of Decade." ProQuest Research Library. Targeted News Service, 17 June 2014. Web. 19 June 2014. <http://search.proquest.com/ docview/1536671472/53C65F64FE6E4A56PQ/1?accountid=15042 >

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Eye See U – Testing Light Levels on Different Eye Colors By: Skyler Barnes, Mahalia Clemons, Tara Jackson, Fermina Orosco Mentor: Brandon Williams, Anatomy & Physiology Abstract Asking if eye color truly does affect vision quality in the dark could potentially change how we approach eye-related activities in the future, such as driving or corrective lenses. This experiment is specific to brown, blue, and green-eyed individuals. We randomly selected fifteen people; five with green eyes, five with brown, and five with blue. We had them read a Snellen eye chart to the best of their ability - once in the light and once in a dim setting - and tallied their mistakes while also recording if the individual had corrective lenses or if they had any eye-related illnesses. Once the data was recorded and evaluated, it was determined that browneyed individuals could see better both in the light and in darkened environments.

Introduction How do different eye colors react toward varying light levels? Eye color is dependent upon a person’s genes or chromosomes that provide characteristics from parent to offspring. Eye colors may vary from brown, to blue, to green or a mixture of colors and iris patterns, such as “starbursts.” However, the colored part of the eye, referred to as the iris, does not absorb the light. Light goes through the pupil and is received in the photoreceptors in the retina and enables vision quality.

Melanin is a pigment found in the hair, skin, iris and retina of humans and animals.

Knowing this, eye color will be used as a quantitative representation of the melanin in the retina, considering that the melanin levels cannot be accurately represented in testing. Eye color and vision are not directly linked, therefore a mediator must be used to determine if eye color truly does have an effect on one’s vision.

Aging could be a factor that may affect eye color and vision. Melanin levels decrease with age, which in turn affects the eye color and the retina’s photoreceptors. Therefore, when age increases, vision quality and melanin levels decrease, and in some cases eye color also lightens.

Therefore, there are two possibilities; there is only a relationship between eye color and vision with the use of aging as a mediator, or there is a relationship without the need of a mediator. Using testing in both light and dark, it is possible that the concentration of melanin could explain which eye color performs superiorly in varying light levels and how it affects vision quality with variables of

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     

1 Durable string (to hold down the 2-liter) Mini Fruit Mentos Baking Soda Vinegar Video camera Stop Watch

All of these materials were used to help the project succeed and to turn into what it did.

Steps 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Gather Materials Drink 2 of the 3 2-liter Diet Cokes Build sturdy car base using the robotics kit Fill one of the 2-liter bottles with water Fill the second 2-liter bottle with vinegar Place one of the three two liter bottles on the car base Tie the 2-liter bottle down using durable string Set down all 14 Gatorade caps one meter from each other going down an inclined plane 9. Get video camera ready to film 10. (if it is the baking soda and vinegar or the Diet coke and Mentos add it) 11. Let bottle car go down the inclined plane and start the stopwatch 12. Repeat steps 6-11 Conclusion After doing our experiment, we have concluded that our hypothesis was shown to be false. The Diet Coke and Mentos car performed worse out of the three, going only 2 meters and taking 14 seconds to get there. However, this was due to the fact that the soda we used was flat and held no carbonation. The reaction between Diet Coke and Mentos only uses carbonation that is already there, it doesn’t create any.

So seeing, as the soda had no carbonation it didn’t react well.

Water was second best out of the three. It went 6.13 meters in 21 seconds. Finally, the car that performed best was the baking soda and vinegar, which went 6.17 meters in 20 seconds. The reason this car worked was because, unlike the Diet Coke and Mentos car, this one created its own carbon dioxide to propel itself forward.

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Attributes of Bottle Cars By: Areonans Nelson, Jonathan Perez, Christopher Solis Mentor: Long Zhao, Engineering Upward Bound Math Science Wichita State University July 11, 2014 Abstract We made and tested three different bottle cars; each one was containing a different substance such as water, vinegar/baking soda, or Diet Coke/Mentos. We tested how having different ways to propel the vehicle would affect its results. As the results said, we tested 3 different liquids that have their own reactions to different substances. We measured how far each went and our group was surprised with the results that were presented to us. We found that the one that performed the best was the vinegar/baking soda car, and that the one that performed the worst was the Diet Coke/Mentos car but it has the possibility to do the best if used correctly.

Introduction In my group’s experiment, the question that was posed was, “What are effective substitutes for gasoline?” The substances that were used were water, Diet Coke and Mentos, and baking soda with vinegar. The reason that my group chose these substances is because they seemed the most interesting and the best candidates to propel a 2-liter soda bottle forward with a good speed.

green, blue and brown eyes. Yet, discovering which eye color is prominent in the dark is still to be determined, however considering that melanin affects eye color and vision quality, it seems more likely that brown-eyed people will see better.

Background The determining factor for eye color is genetics, but it is not determined by just one gene, it’s controlled by many. Everybody receives an allele from both their mother and their father and on that allele there is either the genetic coding for the dominant trait or for the recessive trait. Brown eyes are the dominant trait and blue eyes are the recessive trait.

About ninety percent of the world has brown eyes or some variant of brown, and in some populations of the world, brown eyes is the only eye color, whereas only about eight percent of the world has blue eyes. Blue eyes are more common in populations in England, Ireland and northern Europe. In addition to brown and blue eyes, there is the even less common eye color; green. Green eye coloring comes from a trait that is recessive to the dominant brown trait but dominant to the recessive blue trait. Only about two percent of the world has green eyes, and is most common to the Icelandic population and those with Celtic or German ancestry (Eye Doctor Guide).

The basic anterior structure of the eye is made up of the lens and the cornea which are primarily used to focus light into the retina. The retina then contains receptor cells called rods and cones. When stimulated by light the rods and cones send signals to the brain that are then interpreted as vision (Miller II. R. E, et. al 1992). Cones are responsible for responding to bright-light conditions, whereas rods are responsible for responding to low-intensity light (Sacek, V., 2006).

The control was a 2-liter bottle filled to the half way mark with water; the independent variables were the Diet Coke and Mentos, and the baking soda and vinegar. Our hypothesis was that the bottle car would go the furthest and in the shortest amount of time with the Diet Coke and Mentos because of the stream that would propel the bottle car forward. The materials are important to our project as well as the actual experiment.

Aging has an effect on the amount of melanin over time. An enzyme that is produced by the residue of lysosomal digestion has been found to basically eat at the amount of melanin in the eye. Therefore eye coloring may become lighter and may affect the quality of vision over time (Schmidt, S. Y., Peisch, R. D., 1986).

Materials

To perform this experiment, our group collected materials and created a plan to answer the question of which eye color – or concentration of melanin levels – perform better in two varying light levels; one being light and one being nearly dark. We gathered tape, a measuring tape, a common Snellen eye chart, and a room that could vary in light levels.

My group’s materials were made up of:  3 2-liter diet coke bottles  14 Gatorade bottle caps  1 Robotics kit

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Methods and Materials

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For this experiment we gathered three groups of individuals; five with brown eyes, five with green or hazel eyes, and five with blue eyes that were randomly selected and not gender specific. The room we chose was a large classroom with a light dimmer, which we set to 5 only on the front set of lights by the chalkboard.

We then set up our Snellen chart in the back of the classroom away from the lights, which we positioned 4’ from the floor and taped it securely to a blank wall.

Then placing the measuring tape directly under the vision chart, we created a distance of 20 feet. At that distance, we placed another horizontal piece of tape as a marker for the participants to stand behind.

We then called individuals into the room one at a time and had them stand at the tape. We asked each person if they wore corrective lenses and if they had any eye-related illnesses. With the lights completely on, the participant then proceeded to read off each letter out loud to the best of their ability, going to whichever line they could see up to. We then recorded the line of which they stopped reading, and how many letters they had incorrect. After this was done, a member of our group switched off all lights other than the dimmed one, and the participants were to immediately read the letters for a second time. We used the same process of marking mistakes and counting lines. We then repeated the same procedure for each participant at random.

Results The outcomes for the experiment done in the light and in the dim light are shown in graphs below:

 

Dry environment Three Tubs

We got 4 little tubs of water; one with hot water, one with warm water, one with cold water and room temperature water. We cut up the stem of a plant about the same size and placed them into the different water temps, and we waited about 10 minutes. We looked at the dry plant stem under the microscope and we could see the cell membrane pulled away from the cell wall because the cells insides around the edges were pulled in a little bit.

After that, we looked at the hot watered one and it had really thick edges and was darker because the cell wall was taking in more water than normal. Next, we tested the cold water one which had expanded and gotten misshaped. It was more round with some straight edges because water in the cells expand, because water expands when it’s cold. Then we looked at the room temp under the microscope and it was smaller in shape than all the other cells. But it was a normal poly size, a standard polygon.

Our purpose of this project is because it is important to understand what takes place around you and your surroundings. Just so you can be aware of what is taking place around you. Just say if you were to water your plant one day and forget the next. If you decide to water it the next day for the day before and that current day, then that is like not even watering it at all. Just make sure to water your plant every day. Just think of it as not drinking water for a whole day. Your body wouldn’t function right, that is the same thing that you are doing to plants. Just do not forget to water your plants each day. Another example is walking on the grass. If you walk on the grass then the cells are dry. The result of dry cells was that the cell wall separated from the cell membrane and was pulled away not getting any moisture.

So when you walk on the grass, you also kill it.

The problems we had with this experiment was that after 10 minutes the hot water was changing into room temperature water, so we had to kind of rush the experiment a little. We concluded that the cells would react to the environmental changes. The plant cells will also look and react differently. The results that we collected proved that they do react to the environment.

Sources Used http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/plantcell.html http://www.bio.miami.edu/~cmallery/150/unity/cell.text.htm

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Cells’ Reactions To Environment Changes By: Anautica Bodney, Shenice Canady, Whitney Mayberry Mentor: Brandon Williams, Biology Research Project 07-11-14 The cell theory explains that all organisms include one or more cells and all organisms are composed with at least a cell (Schleiden & Schwan, 1839). The cell is the basic structure of a living organism. It contains a membrane, nucleus, and a cytoplasm. The cytoplasm is like protoplasm in the living cell. A membrane is the boundary of a boundary of an organism. A nucleus core of a living organism, it is the structure of growth of the object and activity. Cells react depending on what types of environmental conditions are occurring. A human cell, animal cell, and plant cell have different characteristics and they are also set up differently. But in this particular case, we are only talking about plant cells.

The Cell Theory is involved with Biology. We want to observe if cells will interact with different type of environmental conditions. It will explain what type of cells are active and which ones won’t be. Robert Hooke discovered cells in 1665.

Organisms respond to the environment so the cells should too. Environmental conditions such as moisture and temperature of water will influence the activity of cells by changing how they look and react. The way we plan to construct this experiment is to get plant cells, and test if any type of environmental conditions will affect the plant cells. We believe that the hypothesis will be proven by the results we collect.

Do environmental conditions such as moisture and temperature influence the activity of cells? We hypothesize that, cells will react differently among the environmental conditions. We will test different animals and plant cells in different moisture and temperature water to test our hypothesis.

Methods and Materials  Plant Cells  Microscope  Slides & Slide Covers  Room Temp. Water  Hot Water  Cold Water

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have the greatest effect on plant growth. If this is true, the farmers will be able to grow more crops across the globe. This is also a good step forward in ending world hunger.

Our project tested how to grow plants as efficiently and effectively as possible.

We created capsules with our provided materials. We measured our variables daily and at the end of the week the last variable.

These graphs (above) represent the individual outcomes for each participant.

The bar colors are representative of the eye color and the number on the x-axis represents one participant.

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HEIGHT

DAILY HEIGHT During our experiment, my partners and I discovered a sweet spot with the amount of carbon dioxide to improve the growth rate of plants. In our experiment in between 0.00 and 0.15CC of carbon dioxide, there is an amount that will in theory have the best effect on plant growth. If this is true then we as humans can try to reduce the use of greenhouse gasses and reduce global warming also in an effort to help our plants grow.

Growing plants in this regard will not only have a positive effect on farmers growing crops which will also help any nonprofit organization such as churches, food drives, and homeless shelters. Our project has led on to more than just using carbon dioxide to test the effects of plants, it brings humans a new hope to stopping world hunger one step at a time.

The conclusion Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to base on the research (our hypothesis was wrong, too much carbon dioxide will kill the plant due to the immense amount of heat trapped by the carbon dioxide) is that there is a healthy level of carbon dioxide that should be maintained in the atmosphere.

These graphs (above) are the averages, which put the entirety of the individual results together to be analyzed. To calculate these numbers, we assigned numbers to all the letters on the Snellen chart. For example, the big E at the top would be 1, and the next line would have two more. We then took the number of letters they read all together, minus how many they read incorrectly. We recorded this number, added it to the other four numbers in its category, and divided by 5 to come up with an average. This was done in both the light and the dim settings for each eye color tested.

The results show that brown eyes proved superior to the other two eye colors in the light and dim environments, with an average of 29.6 correct in the light and 6.4 correct in the dark. Blue is a close second with the lights on with 28.4 correct and 4.2 correct in the dim setting. Green remains lower than both blue and brown with 24 correct in the light and 2.8 correct in the dim lighting. Even though the average amount read correctly in the light is significantly higher than that in the dim setting, it displays that each individual group truly does have the same vision quality in both the light and the dim situations.

Discussion

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to form a new hypothesis. If there is a certain percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere then crops will grow in abundance and global warming will not be a problem. Our hypothesis was, if we put 1.5 grams of reacted baking soda in a capsule then it will grow faster than the capsules with 0.15 grams and our hypothesis was incorrect. Between 0.00 and 0.15CC there is a sweet spot that will

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Although the results supported the hypothesis, there are a few factors that could have affected the experiment. For example, some participants leaned over the 20-foot mark, thereby allowing them to see the chart better, or the fact that all participants might not have the same vision quality regardless of corrective lenses.

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These concerns however do lead to further study options.

Results

Forcing the participants to read to the last line regardless of comfort level would allow for more distributed results for further evaluation and better interpretation of the results. Finding participants with the same vision quality would allow for the best results and would allow us to truly find out if eye color does matter. Still, this is the first study of its kind, so there are many possibilities that could render the same results.

This being the first experiment recorded of its kind, we have measured some things that may have never been connected before, such as vision quality with melanin concentration. Our experiment can contribute to future research in the way that maybe some day genes can be altered for better vision or a certain color of eye.

TEMPRATURE

Conclusion

TEMPERATURE IN CAPSULE

This kind of research is important because we have yet to know our own human bodies, and discoveries are still being made today. This information about eyes can be vital to our future generations. Starting now could save us from starting later.

DAILY TEMPERATURE Works Cited Miller II, R. E., & Tredici, T. J. (n.d.). The Eye and Night Vision. The Eye and Night Vision. http://www.aoa.org/optometrists/tools-and-resources/clinicalcare-publications/aviation-vision/the-eye-and-night-vision?sso=y

Schmidt, S. Y., & Peisch, R. D. (n.d.). Melanin Concentration in Normal Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. http://www.iovs.org/content/27/7/1063.full.pdf The Genetics of Eye Color. (n.d.). Eye Color. http://www.eyedoctorguide.com/ eye_general/eye_color_genetics.html

PLANTS MASS

Sacek, V. (2006, July 14). 13.9. Eye spectral response. Eye spectral response. http://www.telescope-optics.net/eye_spectral_response.htm

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

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Carbon Capsule Growth Project

Are You Lying?

By: Gabe Carroll, Cameron Morgan, Conner Ratliff Mentor: David Trombold, Environmental Science

By: Andie Burch, Theodora Thach, Silda Ramos Mentor: Monica Gross, Forensic Science

Abstract

Upward Bound Math Science Summer 2014

Carbon dioxide has many uses but poses a great threat to society. There is currently 0.004% of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and is on an incline. Other greenhouses pose a supporting role that scientists are scared of as well.

Abstract

Introduction For our project, you will all learn about how greenhouse and other carbon dioxide based pollutants harm the atmosphere. Pollution is the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects. We were curious to see the different effects carbon dioxide had on plants and the environment. As a result of this, you will also learn about how carbon dioxide affects plant growth as well as temperature. The plants’ height and biomass will also be measured.

Carbon dioxide is a gas that scientists are worried about increasing in the atmosphere. The current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 0.0004% and increasing. Scientists have predicted that if this continues, global warming will continue to increase. Our project is going to show the effects of carbon dioxide on plant growth.

Water vapor is also a greenhouse gas but it will be a control variable since its level will be constant in each plant growing capsule. Our hypothesis is the plant with the most Co2 in the capsule will have the greatest growth after one week of experimenting. Carbon dioxide, like water vapor, traps heat and doesn’t quite have the energy to get back out of our atmosphere. With the right amount of thermal energy, carbon dioxide could be able to exit out of our atmosphere. The effects of carbon dioxide can be catastrophic under the proper circumstances. Some examples of these catastrophes are forest fires, plane fires and the ice caps melting. If any of this sounds familiar you’d probably guessed it right, global warming.

Global warming is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, water vapor, chlorofluorocarbons and other pollutants. Greenhouse gasses are the main source of carbon pollutant in the atmosphere.

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The research this report covers is over how lying affects blood pressure. It appears that if a person lies, then there will be a rise in blood pressure. This group came up with the idea for the experiment after seeing a documentary on a polygraph machine and how it monitors blood pressure and heart rate to see if it changes while the person answers questions to determine if they are lying. The experiment was conducted in the quiet, slightly darkened computer lab in Fairmont Towers. Six Upward Bound Math Science students volunteered to do the experiment. After signing waivers, the participants were asked ten orienting response questions while their blood pressure was being monitored. After that was conducted, then we took another measurement of their blood pressure while they were sitting still to get a controlled variable. For all the participants who answered the questions and lied on their responses, it was observed that their blood pressure had increased. The hypothesis was shown to be correct, if the participants lied then their blood pressure did rise.

Introduction Is it possible to detect a lie? Italian Criminologist, Cesare Lombroso, the father of criminology, found out that blood pressure can be used to find out the “distinction” of whether a person is lying or not. This led us to ask, “Can blood pressure help us know if a person has lied?” Blood pressure measures your heart while at rest and when it is contracting. So, when a person is stressed or nervous their blood pressure increases.

Procedures The experiment was conducted in the third floor computer lab of Fairmont Towers. Six Upward Bound Math Science students volunteered. Out of those six, three were female and three were male. The computer lab was quiet and the lights were darkened. One at a time, the participants came into the computer lab and sat down. The experiment was then explained to them and they signed a waiver. The sphygmomanometer was placed on their wrist and was then turned on. As the

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sphygmomanometer ran, the students were asked ten orienting response questions.

After the questions, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse per minute rate were recorded. After two minutes the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse per minute rate were checked and recorded again to gain a control variable. While this was being conducted, the participants were asked to sit still and be motionless. The experiment was repeated for all six participants.

Section Two:

Result As a result of our experiment, our data has shown that our hypothesis is correct. The participants’ blood pressure increased. When it increases they appear to have told a lie on one of the questions we had them answer. In conclusion, Cesare Lombroso was heading into the right direction for detecting lies. Detecting lies is not as easy as it seems, but it’s one step closer to understanding how to detect the deceiving person.

SCIENCE FAIR

Discussion Possible errors could have occurred during the experiment. The sphygmomanometer could have been used improperly. According to the instructions on the apparatus, individuals are not supposed to talk or move while blood pressure is being taken. The participants had to respond to questions during the test. Also, the participants’ blood pressure and heart rate could have been abnormal because of the testing environment. It should be noted, that the use of lie detection tests are not completely accurate and will not hold up in a court of law.

Even though the experiment showed changes in blood pressure and heart rate, it is not an effective method to determine someone’s guilt or innocence. So even though it did work for this particular experiment, it does not work accurately enough to be of use in law enforcement.

Conclusion In conclusion, our experiment showed that when someone has lied, their blood pressure tends to increase. We still have to consider other factors in our experiment, but use of a sphygmomanometer can be useful in initially detecting if someone is lying.

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References Gale, Anthony. The Polygraph Test: Lies, Truth, and Science. London: Sage Publications in Association with the British Psychological Society, 1988. Print.

"Checking Your Blood Pressure at Home." WebMD. WebMD, 2014. Web. 02 July 2014.

"Blood Pressure Measurement." - Sphygmomanometers. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2014.

"StoryCorps | Great Questions." StoryCorps | Great Questions. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2014.

"Admissibility of Polygraph Tests in Court." Find a Lawyer. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2014.

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Chemical Reactions

Works Cited

By: Cristian Castro-Lopez, Alonso Romero Mentor: Amanda Alliband, Chemistry

Nunn, Samuel. Touch DNA collection versus Firearm fingerprinting: Comparing Evidence, Production, and Identification Outcomes. Vol. 58. Journal of Forensic Sciences, May 2013. 3 vols.

Student Research Project: 11 July 2014 What causes the colors in fireworks?

Today we will present about the chemical reactions and color, that happens during fireworks.

Literature Review

Crime Museum. (2013). Retrieved July 7, 2014, from www.crimemuseum.org: http://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/fingerprints Crime Museum. (2013). Retrieved July 7, 2014, from www.crimemuseum.org: http://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/fingerprints Stalder T, K. C. (2013, April 12). Retrieved July 7, 2014, from www.medindia.net: http://www.medindia.net/patients/lifestyleandwellness/hairloss/latestpublication-and-research-on-hair-analysis.htm

Fireworks light up the night sky on Independence Day and have become as much a part of the July 4th ritual as American flags and cookouts. But behind the scenes, causing those dazzling explosions, is a combination of oxygen, metals and a whole lot of innovation.

“Fireworks explosions begin at the molecular level,” according to Kenneth Klabunde, distinguished professor of chemistry at Kansas State University. “Most metals are reactive with oxygen, which means they have a tendency to oxidize when exposed to air,” he said. During oxidation, heat is released. The hotter it gets, the more reactive it becomes.

“When a large chunk of a metal is exposed to oxygen, the outer surface oxidizes, protecting the inner metal from oxidation”, Klabunde said. To avoid this, metals are ground into tiny particles to increase the rate of reaction before being packed into the firework to separate the particles from oxygen. From there, it's all left to the chemical reactions at the time of ignition.

"It lights, goes up in the air, causes the rocket to blow apart and throws the metal into the air," Klabunde said. "When released, the metal particles start oxidizing and get so hot they give off light."

In more common fireworks, such as firecrackers or ladyfingers, that just create a flash of light and a loud pop, gunpowder comes into play. "You want it to explode instantly, so you don't have time for air," Klabunde said.

“Gunpowder, which is made of flammable materials such as carbon or coal, provides the needed oxygen for the oxidation of the metal particles,” he said. The

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not necessarily to see, but to collect and see. Because the original powder we used was too thick it was incredibly difficult to properly lift the prints from the crime scene. Thus, the group members had to redo the fingerprint section of the experiment. The fingerprints of the suspects were replaced in their original positions and properly collected and re-examined, and the tests revealed better results than the original comparison.

Conclusion In conclusion, our original hypothesis, “If we use fingerprinting to examine evidence at a crime scene, then it will be much more accurate than other types of examining methods such as hair analysis or intuition, because fingerprinting has more circumstances in which it will be found,” was proven correct.

The original experiment did yield a few unexpected findings. A few things noted were that some of our suspects’ fingerprints were smudged, mainly due to human error. If this experiment were to be done again in the future, a few things would have been done differently. The suspects would have been orientated on how to properly put their prints down. When it came to picking up the prints, the group would use a food coloring instead of powder to be able to better see the prints.

This experiment was a success, and showed that fingerprints on the murder weapon are the best manner of evidence finding, but other types of evidence are equally important in solving any crime.

molecules have excess oxygen and become unstable if heated or jarred. When the fuse is lit, the molecules become unstable and give off oxygen that, in turn, reacts with the small metal particles, resulting in an explosion. "You have two molecules that thermodynamically want to react," Klabunde said. "You just have to jar them, light a fuse or give them an electric shock."

Because the metals react with oxygen, fireworks lose their effectiveness when stored over long periods of time. "Over time, oxygen from the air leaks in and slowly causes degradation," Klabunde said. “To avoid this, fireworks are often stored under nitrogen or argon before distribution,” he said.

But oxidation reactions occur in more than just fireworks -- they even occur in the human body. When people breathe, the oxygen from the air is used for chemical reactions in the body." We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide," he said. "We are oxidizing the food we eat."

Oxidation reactions are also what make TNT explode and the space shuttle take off. "Our civilization has learned to handle compound materials quite well even though we live in a sea of oxygen," Klabunde said.

Did you ever wonder what makes fireworks explode in a rainbow of colors?

The answer: metals. When a metal burns, it emits photons that we see as light.

Because different metals emit photons with different wave lengths as they burn, each metal produces its own individual color of light.

So which metal makes which color?  Red - Strontium and lithium  Orange - Calcium  Gold - Incandescence of iron, charcoal or lampblack  Yellow - Sodium  Electric White - Magnesium or aluminum  Green - Barium plus a chlorine producer  Blue - Copper plus a chlorine producer  Purple - Strontium plus copper  Silver - Aluminum, titanium or magnesium powder or flakes These metals can't do it alone. Most are in compound forms when burning in fireworks.

Problem What causes the different colors in fireworks?

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Hypothesis By using different kinds of metals such as calcium, or potassium, we will get a chemical reaction that will cause energy (different colors).

This table (above) was used to narrow down the suspects even further and provide a further demonstration of how we found the culprit. The hair found at the scene was brown, so this table allowed the group members to narrow down the list to either Suspect C or D.

Variables  The independent variables: the different metal salts  The dependent variables: the color of the flame depends on the metal  The control variables: The same flagrating spoon used, The same burner and position in the flame imparting the same amount of heat to each sample Materials        

2 Deflagration spoon 1 Propone torche 1 Solution of potassium 1 Solution of lithium 1 solution of barium 1 solution of strontium 1 solution of copper 1 solution of magnesium

Procedures 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Decide which metal salt will be used Take Bunsen Burner and set it up at the correct temperature Decide the right amount of metal salt that is going to be used Take deflagration spoon to hold tight the metal salt Expose metal salt to the fire and see how it gives off energy

Summary Fireworks, are the result of excited electrons emitting energy as light when they lose energy. We concluded that depending on the kind of metals we use is the color we got. The amount of energy released, which depends on the element we use, is characterized by a particular wave length of light. Higher energies correspond to shorter wave length light, whose characteristic colors are located in the violet/blue region of the visible spectrum.

Even though we are talking about chemical reactions, we also need to be aware of the accidents that these metals can cause. Fireworks are used in so many

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This graph represents us narrowing the search for our suspect. Here we looked for recurring hair colors taken from our suspects and then compared them with hair found at the scene, which happened to be brown. Noticing that our victim had black hair, we concluded that this murder couldn’t have been a suicide. We then eliminated all other suspects (except our Brown haired suspects) and further went into depth with examining them.

Results Because suspect D's original fingerprint samples aligned perfectly with those found at the crime scene we can conclude that it was her who committed the murder. The use of hair was sufficient in narrowing down and eliminating multiple suspects just based on color and length, but because not all the known samples contained roots there was no DNA we could base our investigation on. So fingerprinting became the most necessary form of evidence analysis.

Because no two people have matching fingerprints, after finding prints at the crime scene, we compared those to the ones found on the murder weapon and matched them up with suspect D. We did learn however that hair is much easier,

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celebrations that it is easy to forget that they are dangerous explosives. Every year more than 8,000 people in the U.S. suffer injuries caused by the personal use of fireworks. Half of the victims are children.

9. 1 Yardstick 10. 9 Sheets of Copy Paper 11. 1 Ink Pad Methods

Conclusion

Our experiment is based upon an experimental design with a complex multivariate solution. We created a faux murder crime scene containing 2 forms of evidence: fingerprints and hair follicles.

The history of fireworks is an evolving process and there is certainly no shame in progress. Since the dawn of time, man has depended on fire and his ability to control it for survival. Although we have come a long way since our hunter days, our ability to control fire, whether for survival or entertainment purposes, will remain a hallmark of our human identity.

First we put up a sign-up sheet in the lobby area of the 3rd floor of Fairmount North Towers to gather participants in helping with our crime scene. We had one participant serve as the victim and seven other participants serve as the “suspects”, having a total of 8 participants. After picking our participants, one member of our group was designated to set up the “crime scene” and set roles and descriptions of each suspect. Each suspect was given a motive as to why they would want to kill our victim. The other two members of our group were unaware of who the killer was, and were told to read the descriptions and make a guess on who they thought the killer was based on said description. This was our first form of evidence analysis: intuition.

After this, a group member (the same one who chose our killer) set up the crime scene. To do that, the murderer was asked to lather their hands in lotion to increase the visibility of their prints. The murderer was then asked to leave prints on the sink, the back of the chair where the victim sat, the book of the victim, and on the firearm that the murderer used to kill the victim.

Sources http://www.sewanee.edu/chem/Chem&Art/Detail_Pages/ColorProjects_2004/ Waffa/Waffa.htm http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/ Phys_p058.shtml#background http://article.wn.com/view/2014/07/04/ The_science_of_fireworks_explained_Chemical_reactions_at_100/

After entering the room and finding the body of our victim, our members had taken fingerprints and hair samples from our suspects. We then had our other two group members come in and search for evidence, which consisted of finding evidence, taking pictures from the point of entry, setting markers, finding hair samples and dusting for fingerprints. Afterwards, our members were told to compare prints found at the scene to prints taken from the suspects. The members also compared hair taken from the suspects to hair found at the scene to eventually find the suspect responsible.

Data

Hair Color

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Suspect A

Suspect B

Suspect C

Suspect D

Suspect E

Suspect F

Suspect G

Suspect H

Black

Black

Brown

Brown

Blonde

Black

Black

Black

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FIFA Affects South Africa By: Ashley Adebiyi, Angelica Delgado, Dursitu Hassen Mentor: GuyFranck Kisangani, Economics Wichita State University TRIO PROGRAMS Upward Bound Math Science 2014 1845 Fairmount St, Wichita, KS 67260

Research Question Which type of Forensic Evidence could best be used in a real world situation to be able to find the perpetrator of the crime?

Hypothesis If we use fingerprinting to examine evidence at a crime scene, then it will be much more accurate than other types of examining methods such as hair analysis or intuition, because fingerprinting has more circumstances in which it will be found.

Variables

Abstract In 2010, the World Cup was held in South Africa for the first time. This study was made to find the economic affects that the FIFA World Cup had on South Africa. Information was found from research using online databases and scholarly journals.

Introduction Soccer, a beautiful sport, is played by 2 teams each with eleven players on the field. It’s played by 250 million players in over 200 countries, making it the most played sport in the world (Sporteology 2014).

Every four years FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) holds the most watched sporting event in the world. “Estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany, and the 2010 event in South Africa was broadcast to 204 countries on 245 different channels” (FIFA 2011).

Countries bid for the rights to host this amazing event, but what leads them to spend billions of dollars to do so? What are the benefits of hosting the world cup?

Does in fact the World Cup affect a country’s economy positively? That is what this study will find. Focusing on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, this study will research and try to find the gains and possible losses the World Cup brought South Africa.

Hypothesis The 2010 FIFA World Cup affected South Africa’s economy positively.

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Independent Variables  The types of Forensic Evidence found at the crime scene  Fingerprinting  Hair analysis  Intuition Dependent Variables  The effectiveness in methods of analysis of Forensic Evidence taken from a real world example  Accuracy of Forensic Evidence  Which Forensic Evidence was more effective Control Variables  The Evidence  The location  Suspects  Temperature  Wind  Materials Used to Analyze Materials 1. 1 box of Gloves 2. 1 Compound Microscope 3. 1 container of Food Coloring 4. 1 bottle of lotion 5. 1 large package of Laffy Taffy (for participants) 6. 1 make up brush 7. Tape 8. Dark Colored Paper

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hair (curly or straight). Hair does not have many variations. Meaning two or more people can have the similar to exact hair follicle. But the DNA in them is what differs. But the only part of the hair that contains DNA is the root. This cannot always be obtained from a crime scene.

Because Forensics is used for collecting evidence from a crime scene, for our project we simulated a crime scene to determine what form of evidence collection is most accurate. Our hypothesis is, using fingerprinting to examine a crime scene provides a much more accurate approach compared to hair examination or intuition.

Background Information

Methods Using the database Econlit, several scholarly journals were found on the World Cup and South Africa’s economy. The variables being researched were stadium revenue, hotel occupancy, airport rates and South Africa’s overall income.

The hotel occupancy before, during and after the World Cup was found and graphed between the times June 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Flight prices were graphed between the times December 2009 to June 2010. Stadium revenue was researched but there was not much information found so there was no way to graph.

Forensic Science. It is one of the most abundantly seen science types in the media, seen in shows such as C.S.I. and Law and Order, movies such as Fingerprints, and many other books, comics, and shows. If one wanted to know more of what it actually was, the definition of Forensics Science is, “any science used for the purposes of the law, therefore providing impartial scientific evidence in a court of law.”

Results

Throughout the last 23 centuries, one form or another of forensics science has been used by humans to solve crimes, with one of the first cases of it being used was the Chinese using fingerprinting (a form of forensics investigation methods) to find criminals involved in burglaries. Forensic science has become one of the most frequent tools used to help officers find criminals in more recent years, thanks to the Locard Exchange Principle, which postulates that when any two items come into contact, there will be an exchange of substances. This principle has allowed forensic specialists to look for many different types of forensic evidence (things such as fingerprinting, DNA or hair analysis, etc.), with fingerprinting becoming the most used of all the forensic evidence.

Although the investments in the World Cup were huge, South Africa benefited socially and economically. The tournament brought more than 309,000 visitors to South Africa and generated more than $520 million dollars in added revenue (CNN 2010). Compared to the costs of hosting the cup, the direct economic benefits were minimal, meaning they really didn’t make a huge difference immediately. But the long term positive impact of the World Cup was pretty significant; tourism was increased and they gained a lot of good publicity.

In 1858, Sir William James Herschel first used fingerprints for his contracts with the natives of Jungipoor, India. Without thought on personal identification, he had a local businessman, Rajyadhar Konai, impress his hand on a contract to scare him into not backing out of the agreement. After this encounter, Herschel began using this method on all of his other contracts with the natives, as they felt it was more personal and he felt it was easier to do.

South Africa spent close to $5 billion dollars bidding to host the World Cup. They spent close to 1 billion dollars in making 5 new stadiums and upgrading 5 older ones. South Africa’s annual revenues are around 75 billion dollars (African Journal of Business and Economic Research 2011).

The World Cup also motivated the country to make improvements in their public transportation system. 20,000 jobs were created because of the construction of the 5 new stadiums and the renovation of the other 5 older ones (African Journal of Business and Economic Research 2011).

Flight prices went extremely up, going all the way to 140,000 dollars. Hotel occupancy didn’t go up as expected. The differences in hotel occupancy between the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 weren’t significant. Hotel occupancy in Durban actually went down then in other years.

After a while, Sir Herschel had noticed that each person had a unique fingerprint special to themselves, and with little background in fingerprinting, eventually started conducting research that led to being able to prove or disprove someone’s identity.

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Figure 1

Crime Scene Investigation Shylee Johnson, Steven Robertson, Solomon Carroll Mentor: Monica Gross, Forensic Science Upward Bound Math Science Wichita State University July 11, 2014 Abstract A research experiment comparing real world crime scene data collection methods was conducted on the 3rd floor of Fairmount North Towers in July of 2014. The purpose of the experiment was to test which one of the data collection methods of fingerprinting, hair analysis, and intuition were faster and more efficient ways of finding a person possibly involved with a crime. The hypothesis, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we use fingerprinting to examine evidence at a crime scene, then it will be much more accurate than other types of examining methods such as hair analysis or intuition, because fingerprinting has more circumstances in which it will be found,â&#x20AC;? was proven correct.

Figure 2

Introduction The study of fingerprinting is dactylography, which is a key component in our research, along with hair follicle analysis. There are multiple forms of fingerprint patterns that a person could have. The three basic patterns are arch, whorl, and the most common, loop. But no two people have the same fingerprints; they may have the same pattern but never the same print. Not even identical twins will have the same fingerprint, because fingerprints are created with friction ridges, which are formed while in the womb and grow proportionally as the fetus grows.

There are three different forms of fingerprints: latent, patent, and plastic fingerprints. Latent is a print left by sweat and oils and is invisible to the naked eye.

Patent is a visible print left behind, such as if one was to touch blood, grease, or ink. The last form of fingerprint is plastic, which is a three-dimensional fingerprint left behind, such as an impression on a bar of soap or wax.

Hair follicle analysis is another form of evidence collection. The study of hair follicles is called a trichogram. All Hair shafts contain 3 components: cuticle, cortex, and the medulla. The cuticle can be used to determine the species, whether the hair is human or animal. The cortex is where the color pigments are located.

Lastly the medulla is a very complex piece, which is used to determine shape of

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References Bekefi, G. Barrett, A. H. (1987). Waves in Dielectrics: §6.5 in Electromagnetic Vibrations, Waves, and Radiation. Physics Forum, pp. 426-440.

Chaplin.M.(2014). Water Structure and Science. Creative Commons Attribution.

Gómez-Guillén.M.C (December 2011). Food Hydrocolloids.Functional and bioactive properties of collagen and gelatin from alternative sources: A review.

ScienceDirect. Volume 25, Issue 8, pp. 1813–1827

Discussion There were many implications during the study. There were only a certain few journals that could be relied on for information. So our data was limited. It was found that finding a country’s exact income is difficult and an exact number was not found. The reliability of the sources and data used could be questionable.

All articles read were very straight forward in how much money South Africa had spent, but the exact amount of money made was not mentioned. All articles stated that South Africa was positively affected but never specified on how.

Overall, there was a lack in data that caused the study to be incomplete.

Lalinský. J. (March 2014). Denser Mediums and The Speed of Light. Optics.

Conclusion Nave, R. (2000). Doing It By The Numbers: Javascript Calculations in Web-Based Instructional Material: Part of the HyperPhysics Project. HyperPhysics.

Smith, D. R. and Kroll, N. (2000). Negative Refractive Index in Left-Handed Materials. Refraction of Light, 85, 2933-2936.

Tat.K.J.(2011). The Speed of Light in Gelatin. California State Science Fair.

The research done for this study has shown that the World Cup did affect South Africa’s economy positively. Hotel occupancy didn’t go up as expected.

Flight prices went up. Stadium revenue and the country’s overall income were difficult to find. Though the many implications in this study, the answer to the ultimate question was found: How did the 2010 World Cup affect South Africa’s economy? It affected South Africa positively.

Wagner, D. J. (1999). The Speed of Light and the Index of Refraction. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, pp. 3-4.

Resources Toews, Jacob C. "South Africa's World Cup – Blessing or Curse?" Weblog post.

South Africa's World Cup – Blessing or Curse? N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2014.

Dev, Boojihawon K. "The Economic Implications of the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa." African Journal of Business and Economic Research AJBER. N.p., 2011. Web Barr, Abigail. "Social Capital and Technical Information Flows in the Ghanaian Manufacturing Sector." Oxford Economic Papers 52.3 (2000): 539-59. Aug. 2010. Web. Bond, Patrick, and Eddie Cottle. "Chapter 2: Economic Promises and Pitfalls of South Africa's World Cup." Academia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2014

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The Absorption of Substances Through Skin By: Ethan D. Caylor, Ron Lam, and Zane W. Storlie Mentor: Brandon Williams, Anatomy & Physiology Wichita State University Upward Bound Math Science Abstract The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the ability of the skin to absorb certain substances. The absorption of substances is performed by the skin’s epidermis and is called the skin barrier function. We show the absorption of water, a salt-water mixture, and oil into and through pig, chicken, and turkey skins. We do this by placing the animal skins on top of a beaker then slowly pouring 5ml of the experimental substance onto each skin. The skins are left for twenty-four hours and then measurements are recorded and analyzed. Oil did not penetrate through the skin. Water was found in the beaker. Skins dried out over the course of the experiment, excluding the areas covered by substance. Oil and water may have been absorbed by the skin. This research may be useful to dieticians, to dermatologists, and to developers of new medicine.

Introduction Take a look at yourself and what do you see? There is a fair chance that you see the largest organ of your body: your skin. As simple as it may seem, your skin plays a major role in your body. The skin holds together and protects the rest of the organs in your body, as well as having a major contribution to homeostasis.

As great as this is, certain substances can and will be absorbed into and through your skin. Common questions are: “What makes it through?” “What happens to the things that do make it through?” and, “Should I be worried about all of this?” An abundance of research has been conducted attempting to answer these questions, and even more research to try to take advantage of this skin function.

Research on the functions and abilities of skin are relevant because many people use make-up, medicine, and lotions on their skins and should be informed of this skin function to get the most use out of their products. The research being presented in this report was conducted to help researchers and the public gain a further understanding of skin absorption.

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waves (Lalinský, 2014). Common belief backed by the success of dispersion theory is that the relation j=cE is valid, where c is a constant dependent on the frequency of the wave, j is current density and E is total macroscopic electric field (all complex phasors).

Maxwell's equations then imply that the resulting wave in the medium will have shorter wavelength, hence lower velocity (for certain interval of frequencies it can have longer wavelength and higher velocity) (Bekefi, Barrett. 1987). Another way to put this is that the simplest picture is that light always travels at the speed of light. But in a material it travels at the speed of light until it hits an atom. It is then absorbed and re-emitted in the same direction, which takes a small amount of time.

The more this happens, the slower the effective average speed. The denser the material, the more atoms there are in the way (Lalinský , 2014).

As in most cases, studies or experiments, there were of course limitations during the process. One of our limitations was the quality of the laser. The laser was the major tool during our experiment and without it, it would have been difficult to take any measurements. If we would have had a better quality of a laser we would have a more accurate speed and visual perspective within our gelatin.

Another major factor that limited our quality and type of data was time.

Formulation studies like ours require enough time to calculate and gather background information for a more in-depth knowledge of Snell's Law and The Index of Refraction.

Conclusion The purpose of our experiment was to show the differences of the speed of light through simple gelatin. In our hypothesis, we stated that the speed of light would change through gelatin, but specifically we hypothesized that the thicker the gelatin, the slower the speed of light would travel. For this study, we used multiple sources and formulas, specifically Snell’s Law. In the end, we found that we had indeed correctly hypothesized our experiment. Although there were many limitations, our group successfully performed and completed the experiment by carefully following each step to acquire the most accurate results.

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second trial measuring 38°. The angle of incidence for each of the trials was held at a constant of 45°. By plugging in our data for each separate trial into the Snell’s Law equation (n1=(sinθ2*n2)/sinθ1), we were able to find estimations of the speed of light through the particular substance being tested.

The two “thicker gelatin” trials for the measurements of the speed of light, averaged to be about 210,802,481.7 m/s, a difference of about 88,989,976.3 m/s from the speed of light through a vacuum. Because the two “thinner gelatin” trials both had a refracted angle of 20°, the speed of light ultimately was calculated and found to be the same, thus having the same measurement and average of 224,731,977.5 m/s, a difference of about 75,060,480.5 m/s.

With these results, we came to the conclusion that we confirmed our hypothesis correct. The light traveled slowest through the thickest gelatin, faster through the thinner gelatin, and the fastest speed was the constant speed of light through a vacuum, as we predicted.

Discussion With the structural and chemical degradation of collagen, which is the main component of connective tissue found in animals, gelatin is produced. Due to this process, gelatin is classified as a derived protein. Like typical polymeric substances, gelatin exhibits essentially the same common properties while it is in its solid state (Gómez-Guillén, 2011). The properties and behaviors of gelatin are influenced by many factors: temperature, acidity/basicity, ash content, method of manufacture, thermal history, and concentration.

Going even more in depth about the physical and chemical properties of gelatin, we will be statistically breaking things down. Obviously, we are aware of gelatin’s absence of taste and odor (unless you have never had gelatin). However, when we take a look at its 8-13 percent moisture as well as its density of 1.3 to 1.4, we can see they correlate to its two most useful properties: gel strength and viscosity. Viscosity simply refers to the gelatin’s thickness, stickiness, and semifluidness in consistency, due to internal friction. The viscosity in gelatin plays a remarkable role in its wide molecular weight distribution. According to the Gelatin Manufacturers Institute of American Handbook, when we observe the elemental components of gelatin, we see that gelatin is composed of 50.5% Carbon, 6.8% Hydrogen, 17.5% Nitrogen, and 25.2% Oxygen (Chaplin, 2014).

All of the properties from the gelatin help change the direction and speed of light passing through the gelatin. The reasoning behind why speed changes depending on a medium is quite simple (Tat, 2000).This is quite a subtle issue. The more charges medium has in unit volume, the more it produces secondary EM

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Background Information Humans have three layers of skin: the epidermis is the outermost layer, the dermis is the middle layer, and the hypodermis is the innermost layer. The epidermis protects from environmental factors, such as disease, sunlight, and temperature. The dermis is the location of the majority of the skin’s functions. The dermis contains hair follicles, sweat glands, veins, various nerves, and muscles. The dermis is responsible for sensing impact, sensing texture, and maintaining homeostasis, among other functions. The hypodermis contains fibroblasts, adipose cells, and macrophages. The hypodermis is mainly responsible for fat storage.

The focus of our experiment is the epidermis. The epidermis has a skin barrier function. (Williams, 2014) The skin barrier function prevents the body from becoming flooded with water and also prevents the body from drying out (Denda, 2000, p. 227). Not only does the skin barrier function maintain liquid content of the body and protect from environmental factors, but it also allows for external matter to enter the body. This part of the skin barrier function allows for the absorption of medicine through the skin as a treatment option. In this experiment we will test the epidermis’ ability to absorb various substances.

Materials and Methods To perform our experiment and answer our questions, we required certain materials. Careful measurements and calculations also needed to be made. Our materials were as follows:        

27 - 250 milliliter beakers 1 - graduated cylinder 9 - 5”x5” chicken skins 9 - 5”x5” turkey skins 9 - 5”x5” pork skins 45 milliliters of pure water 45 milliliters of vegetable oil 45 milliliters of saltwater (5:3 water:salt ratio) (brine)

We made several calculations to make the results easier to interpret during the data analysis stages. We took two direct measurements, and those measurements were subtracted from the total amount of substance used (5 ml of substance per test) to calculate the amount of unaccounted for substance as our third measurement. The averages of three trials were taken and used in our charts. The average percent of total was also calculated for each measurement.

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Procedures  9 groups of beakers with 3 trials each (Figure 1)  3 skin (epidermis) types and 3 substances  Pig, chicken, and turkey skin  Control (water), oil, and saltwater (5:3 water:salt ratio) (brine)  Pour 5 mL of each substance on one of each type of skin  Wait 24 hours  Measure substance remaining on skin and in the beaker Results We returned to the experiment twenty-four hours after beginning the experiment to record our results. We found that there were some visible changes in the skins (Figures 2-4). The skins had lost moisture and dried out in all areas excluding the locations where the substances were present. There was obvious discoloration and deformation where the substances were. The discoloration was very apparent with the control groups and with the saltwater groups. The area of the skins where the substances were present also happened to be slightly thicker, much softer, and had sagged overnight.

Quantitative data was recorded. We measured the amount of substance remaining on top of the skins and the amount of substance in the beaker. Then the unaccounted substances were calculated along with averages and percents for each of these measurements.

Table 1 shows the amount of substance remaining on the skins. Table 2 shows the amount of substance found in the beakers. Table 3 shows the amount of unaccounted substances. Chart 1 corresponds to Table 1, Chart 2 corresponds to Table 2, and Chart 3 corresponds to Table 3.

Discussion Although our research was a quantitative study, we still feel responsible to report discoloration and deformation of the epidermis. The discoloration happened all over the skin. We attribute the discoloration of the dried skin to the loss of liquid and death of skin cells, and the discoloration of the skin with substance on it to saturation of skin by the substance. You may also have noticed that most of the oil remained pooled on top of the skin. This is because oil didn’t penetrate through the skin and because oil doesn’t evaporate quickly at room temperature. We also would like to suggest that the unaccounted for water and water mixtures may have evaporated and been absorbed by the skin.

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of using one cup of boiling water and one cup of cold water, ½ of a cup of boiling water and ½ of a cup of cold water were mixed with the gelatin. This mixture was poured into a container, and this process was also repeated once more, again allowing us to have two possible trials (labeled “thicker, [1]/[2]”). The four containers were then refrigerated overnight.

Next, we placed the laser pointer at an angle of 45° to the plastic container and marked the direction of the laser pointer. We then used the protractor to determine the angle between the “normal” (an imaginary line running perpendicular) from the plastic container and the direction of the laser beam and recorded the data. The next measurement we found was the angle between the normal and the laser beam inside the gelatin. The two angles were different, as expected.

Finding the index of refraction for the gelatin was the most time consuming part of the experiment. In order to properly calculate this measurement, we had to use “Snell’s Law” which is the equation: (sinθ1/sinθ2)=(n2/n1). More commonly, the equation is rewritten as sinθ1*n1=sinθ2*n2. The left side representing the “incident side” and the right side representing the “refracted side.” The “n” represents the index of refraction, the speed of light in vacuum divided by the speed of light in a particular medium (Nave, 2000), in our case, gelatin. The index of refraction for air is 1.000293. This means that the speed of light in air is very close to the speed in vacuum (Wagner, 1999, 3), so the speed of light through air is commonly represented as the speed of light through a vacuum.

We rearranged Snell’s Law once again to set the equation equal to n1, which is the index of refraction for the gelatin or the “unknown.” So, we used the equation the n1=(sinθ2*n2)/sinθ1. Sinθ1 represents the angle between the normal and the beam in the gelatin (angle of refraction), and sinθ2 represents the normal and the beam where it enters the container (angle of incidence).

The index of refraction for air is represented by n2.Using the values we recorded earlier in our procedure, we were able to calculate what the index of refraction was for the particular gelatin being tested. Finally, we divided the speed of light in a vacuum by the index of refraction for gelatin to determine the speed of light through the gelatin. We repeated this procedure with each of the four containers of gelatin and compared our data to the constant speed of light through a vacuum.

Results We first found our angles of refractions by our measurements from the protractor. The “thinner” gelatins’ angles of refraction both measured 20°. The “thicker” gelatins’ angles of refraction resulted in one trial measuring 36°, and the

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substance. We formed the hypothesis that the speed of light would change through gelatin. Specifically, we hypothesized that the light would travel slowest through the thickest gel, faster through a thinner gelatin, and the fastest speed would be the constant speed of light through a vacuum. We were able to measure the speed of light through gelatin. The beauty of this study lies in how we can verify one of the most basic laws of optics, experimentally, by using readily available and inexpensive materials.

Methods Materials For preparation of our experiment, we needed four labeled plastic containers, water, and packages of Knox gelatin. We used four packages of clear, unflavored gelatin to create four different trials, and the containers were used for storing our gelatin. We used one packet for each container. The gelatin had to be clear so that we could see the laser beam and measure as accurately as possible.

Two of the four containers would have the gelatin mix made with more water than the other two containers. This was done so that we would have two “thinner” gelatin trials and two “thicker” gelatin trials. We also acquired a laser pointer to use as our source of light and a mounting device to use as a foundation to keep the laser as stable as possible, for easier and more accurate measurements.

Finally, in order to measure our angles with precision and accuracy, we used a protractor to measure the angles and a sheet of paper to label and create an image of what we had done.

Procedure The first step to any experiment is the process of gathering materials, which were listed and described previously. Next, for preparation of our actual experiment, we had to create two different “types” of gelatin to compare the speed of light through each type. The first type of gelatin that we synthesized was made by boiling one cup of water and turning off the heat to add one package of gelatin.

Next, the combination was mixed together and one cup of cold water was added.

After being mixed thoroughly a second time, the mixture was poured into a container. This exact process was repeated once more, allowing us to have two equally “thick” gelatins and two possible trials for this type of gelatin (labeled “thinner [1]/[2]”).

After the first type of gelatin was made, we followed the same procedure for the second type of gelatin, with the exception of the amount of water used. Instead

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We would like to have weighed the skins to be able to come to a conclusion on the amount of each substance absorbed by the skin, but the scales were not working. The rest of the skin had dried up, so we also would have had nothing to compare masses with because the non-dried out skin would have liquid throughout the skin still. The sagging of the skin may be due to the weight of the substance pressing down on the skin for an extended period of time.

Conclusion The water and water mixture was absorbed by the skin and through the skin.

We are able to claim that the skin absorbed the oil because oil will not evaporate in such large amounts over such a short period of time at room temperature. The water may have been absorbed through the skin because the skin’s function is to prevent the body from drying out and the skin continued to attempt to prevent the body from drying out. The skin also appeared as if it were trying to distribute water across itself, but was unable to get more than about three millimeters from the pool.

Real-Life Applications This experiment has real-life applications. This research provides information about the skin barrier function and could help with developments in medicine, skin treatment, and diet. Some possible applications this research could provide in the field of medicine could include the absorbability of medicine into the skins of humans and animals. This research could aid in the ability of individuals to treat and maintain their skin and to get the best use from skin care products, such as lotions, creams, and washes. This research may be useful for people that are interested in cooking and in making their food tastier, juicier, and healthier by providing information about the skin barrier function and its ability to absorb waters, oils, and other substances.

Future Studies There are several ways to improve the results shown by our experiment. We have some suggestions: use fresher skin, have a better controlled environment, check the experiment at certain intervals of time, use more substances and skins from different animals, and use enough skin to conduct multiple trials. Using fresher skins would provide for one to accurately measure the abilities of the skin barrier function because the skin’s cells would still be alive.

If one could keep the skin from drying out without affecting the results of the experiment, then we encourage them to do so. A better controlled environment would probably be more humid to prevent the skin from drying out.

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We also suggest checking the experiment at one hour intervals. We were unable to record measurements at one hour intervals due to busy schedules during the experiment. More substances would allow us to see the ability of the skin barrier function against multiple substances and concentration of substances. It is also suggested that one use more skin types to test the skin barrier functions of different animals. We were unable to achieve some of these due to oversight and time restraints.

Taylor Bishop, Gerald Frayre, Eduardo Ibarra, and Veronica Nichols Mentor: Devon Lockard, Physics

Appendix

Abstract

Figure 1

Figure 2

Measuring the Speed of Light Through Gelatin

Upward Bound Math Science Wichita State University July 11, 2014

The purpose of our experiment was to show the differences of the speed of light through simple gelatin. We formed the hypothesis that the speed of light would change through gelatin. Specifically, we hypothesized that the light would travel slowest through the thickest gel, faster through a thinner gelatin, and the fastest speed would be the constant speed of light through a vacuum which is 3.00 x 108 m/s. This experiment included the use of Snell’s Law as well as the Index of Refraction, as it is applied to the gelatin. The speed of light can easily be manipulated depending on the environmental factors or what the light hits and/or goes through. The controls of our experiment were the angles at which the gelatin was positioned (angle of incidence), the type of laser used, and the speed of light in air or a vacuum. The independent variable in our experiment was the ratio of the gelatin mix to water, or the composition of gelatin. The ratio was altered in order to see the difference in each refraction, meaning we prepared one type of gelatin with less water than the next type, making that gel thicker. Our exact methods will be explained later in the paper. Lastly, we will highlight the types of conditions the gelatin might have been expressing by explaining different physical and chemical properties of the gelatin.

Measuring the Speed of Light Through Gelatin In a perfect world, light travels in a straight line at a constant speed of around 3.00 x 108 m/s. However, this may change when light hits an object, changing the angle of refraction and the speed at which the light will travel through that object.

The “Law of Refraction,” which is also known as “Snell's Law,” actually applies to everyday life. For example, before you answer the door and see your friend's face through the window, you see light that is refracted through the glass. Snell's Law compactly describes what happens to the trajectory of a beam of light as it passes from one medium, such as air, to another, such as glass (Nave, 2000).

We selected clear, non-flavor gelatin to be our medium, for the simple fact that it can be easily manipulated and it would allow us to see the light pass through the

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Although as the results showed, moderation is key. This is because the Folgers coffee had the least amount of caffeine (95 mg) but provided for the quickest response time. Less is usually better because your body will be better able to overcome the small amount of caffeine that is blocking your receptors.

Figure 3

References Mental performance. (n.d.). Coffee and Health. Retrieved July 9, 2014

Figure 4

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Table 1

Table 2

seconds as well. This shows that the water group had no change and stayed constant with their reaction time, unlike the coffee group.

However, if all of the groups were averaged together by their times, this would represent the control group. The control group average reaction time was 0.1895 seconds. The only category significantly close to the control group is the water group with 0.187 seconds. That’s a difference of 0.0025 seconds. The overall average of coffee is 0.174 seconds. This suggests that those who drink at least 8 oz. of coffee had a faster response time, than those who didn’t drink coffee. Therefore, our hypothesis was supported by our data.

Discussion

Table 3

The data collected showed that the caffeine in all three coffees did affect the response time of all 12 of the participants. Even more so, the response time changed between the coffee brands. The coffee brand that gave the fastest response time between all three coffee groups was Folgers Breakfast Blend. This was surprising to the entire group because out of the three coffees, Folgers had the least amount of caffeine per 8 fluid ounces. Folgers contained 95 mg of caffeine in a 8fluid ounce cup. We expected to find that the coffees with the most milligrams of caffeine per cup would give quicker response times. Although this wasn’t the case with our experiment, there is an explanation as to how this works and this can be found in the brain.

Chart 1

Caffeine acts as a neurotransmitter making nerve impulses fire faster throughout the body. This makes the information traveling throughout the body and to the brain travel faster than normal rates. As documented in the results, the average response time of participants who were tested before drinking the coffee was 0.189 seconds. The average response time after fifteen minutes of having coffee in the participants system was 0.174 seconds. That is a difference of 0.015 seconds.

Conclusion In conclusion, our hypothesis was supported by our data that was collected in the experiment. The coffee brands did give quicker response times. We learned from the literature that caffeine wasn’t the direct result of your body getting hyper.

Caffeine actually inhibits the brain’s ability to stop or hit the brakes. Caffeine blocks Adenosine receptors in neurons, causing adrenaline to come in and raise its levels. The adrenaline levels rise because the adrenal gland is under the assumption that your body is in danger and needs to move faster. This reaction is what actually causes you to feel ‘hyper’ and not the caffeine itself.

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We then arranged the participants into two groups according to the survey. If the participants had marked that they drank coffee at all, then they were automatically put into the coffee drinking group. If they marked in the survey that they did not drink coffee, then they were also automatically set up to be the control participants who would drink water.

Chart 2

The Participants who were evaluated to be the coffee group were then divided into three subgroups in accordance to the coffee brands. Each of the three subgroups contained 4 participants. The coffee subgroups were: the Folgers group, the Dunkin’ Donuts group and the Starbucks group. The coffee groups were given their coffee straight without sugar or creamer so that we could accurately get their response times knowing that only caffeine and different coffee beans were involved.

Procedures Reaction test 1. Acquire meter stick 2. Make sure you have coffee or water ready for participants 3. Tell participant to cup his or her hand in the form of a crab claw 4. Level the meter stick with the top of their thumb and make sure that when it is over the opening of the hand that it is at 0 cm.

5. Drop the meter stick. Do not tell the participant when it will be dropped.

Chart 3

Results: We tested 16 people and out of the 16 people, 12 drank coffee, and four drank water. Participants who drank coffee were given 8 ounces of coffee once a day for 4 days. The caffeine content varied for each product. As a result of this, the Folgers group before time was 0.179 seconds and the result after caffeine consumption with a 15-minute time interval was 0.156 seconds. This shows a reflex difference of 0.023 seconds.

The Dunkin’ Donuts group had a similar result. The average before time for the Dunkin’ Donuts group was 0.201 seconds, and the average time after caffeine consumption was 0.178 seconds. That’s a 0.023 seconds difference just like the Folgers group.

However, the Starbucks group, which contained the most caffeine at 180 mg, had different results compared to the first two groups. The average before time of the Starbucks group was 1.91 seconds, and the after time was 0.167 seconds, which is a difference of 0.024 seconds. The water group had surprising results, the average before time was 0.187 seconds and the average after time was 0.187

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References Rattray, D. (n.d.). Easy baked ham with maple and brown sugar glaze. About.com Southern Food. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://southernfood.about.com/ od/bakedhamrecipes/r/bl51123d.htm Ruhlman, M. (2010, October 7). How to brine chicken (quick brine recipe).

Michael Ruhlman. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://ruhlman.com/2010/10/ how-to-brine-chicken-quick-brine-recipe Structure and function of the skin. (n.d.). Biology of the skin: Merck manual home edition. Retrieved June 25, 2014, from http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/ skin_disorders/biology_of_the_skin/structure_and_function_of_the_skin.html The secret to marinating your turkey. (2008, January 1). Spices Incorporation.

Retrieved June 22, 2014, from http://www.spicesinc.com/p-1371-marinatingyour-turkey.aspx The skin (human anatomy): picture, definition, function, and skin conditions. (n.d.).

WebMD. Retrieved June 25, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/skinproblems-and-treatments/picture-of-the-skin

  

Folgers 16 Styrofoam cups 16 Participants: 9 girls, 6 boys

Methods The experiment was conducted in the second floor lecture room in Devlin Hall and in the Fairmount Towers dormitories. Sixteen Upward Bound Math Science students volunteered. Out of those sixteen, nine were female and seven were male. The participants were then asked to fill out a survey and waiver form agreeing to participate in the experiment.

Participant Survey Please fill this survey out completely. Do not leave any spaces blank.

Name: ___________________________________ Sex: M___ F ___ Age: __________ Do you drink coffee?

Y____ N____ If not, go straight to waiver. If yes, proceed.

How much do you like coffee?

Denda, M. (2000). Skin Barrier Function as a Self-Organizing System. n, 15, 227.

Williams, B. (Director) (2014, July 10). Skin. Anatomy and Physiology. Lecture conducted from Wichita State University, Wichita, KS. How frequently do you drink coffee?

1. Never 2. Once a week 3. Twice a week 4. Every day 5. More than two a day How do you think coffee affects you?

1. No effect 2. Some effect (more energy) 3. Great effect Waiver We are not responsible for anything that happens to you during this experiment. By signing this form you agree to follow procedures and acknowledge that you signed up on your own will that pertains to the research being conducted.

Signature: ___________________________________________ Page 46

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1, 2, 3, React! The Effect of Coffee Brands on Response Time

Battle of the Brands

By: Zainab Dafalla, Vanessa Gonzalez, Lilia Marquez Mentor: Brandon Williams, Anatomy & Physiology

By: Nikki Allums, Jessica Griffin, and Payton Morgan Mentor: GuyFranck Kisangani, Economics

Upward Bound Math Science July 2014

Upward Bound Math Science June 11, 2014

Abstract This report ponders over the effect of caffeine on response times. This study was conducted in an effort to conclude what happens if you consume coffee rather than water. Various studies have shown that coffee affect alertness. Most of the work on coffee consumption and mental performance focuses on caffeine. There are different concentrations of caffeine and different mixtures of coffee beans in each brand. Assuming this, in this experiment all of the coffee brands that will be used will have different reactions on each of the 16 participants. Four groups of 4 people were tested for their reaction times and one group was given a specific brand of coffee to drink while the other group was given water with a wait of 15 minutes after the beverage is consumed to test the reaction time of the participants.

Physics was applied to calculate the results and Physiology was used to explain how the caffeine functions inside the body. Caffeine had a greater impact on reaction time than just drinking water.

Introduction Coffee (an infusion of ground, roasted coffee beans), is a drink that millions of people around the world drink every morning and every day. It provides them with a sense of energy and alertness. Coffee and caffeine are introduced in different brands, such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Folgers. Although coffee is lauded for its aroma and flavor, its caffeine content likely plays a role in its popularity.

In this research experiment we conducted, we used 16 volunteer participants from the Upward Bound Math Science summer program to find if the coffee/ caffeine affected their reaction time before and after they drank it. Our Hypothesis was that the coffee would affect their response times and make their reaction times quicker than before they drank the coffee.

Materials  One Meter stick  Mr. Coffee coffee machine  Starbucks French Roast dark coffee  Dunkin' Donuts original blend

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Literature Review Effects of the Private-Label Invasion in Food Industries. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1-34. Retrieved July 11, 2014. Web. This experiment strives to explore the effects of Private-Labels on Food Industries. This study finds that in order for Name-Brand labels and products to compete with these private labels and products that are on-the-rise, name-brands lower their prices, engage in promotional activity and continuously differentiate their products. The experiment views recent grocery scanner data of private-labels to determine some affects on prices, promotional activities and the diversity of products in 32 various food and beverage industries.

Volpe, Richard. The Relationship Between National Brand and Private Label Food Products: Prices, Promotions, Recessions, and Recoveries ERR-129, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. December 2011.

2014 July 11. Web. The Relationship Between National Brand and Private Label food Products: Prices, Promotions, Recessions and Recoveries by Richard Volpe talks about the recession of 2007-2009. It explains how, to an extent, private brand owners took it upon themselves to protect their brands against the national brands during their commercial production season. They did this by lowering prices to compete with the growing demand of the market.

Some key words that need to be known for the understanding of this article are as followed: retail food prices, supermarket pricing strategy, private labels, national brands, promotions and recessions. It begins by presenting the question, “What is the issue?”

The problem presented is that food retail has been on the rise for private labels, which means that the national brands have to compete with them for production and consumers. The study found that on average, private labels were priced at about 23% lower than National labels.

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Abstract Throughout the years the one question on every shopper’s mind is, “What Brand of product should I purchase?” Through our experiment, we tested what 15 people of the UBMS program thought about these products and what they preferred. With a survey and a taste/sight test, we tested people’s ability to taste and see the difference in the two brands and their respective products as well as testing to see if the participants knew any nutritional value and cost differences in these products. The results were that in the sight test 67%, or 10 out of 15 of the participants, were able to differentiate between the name brand and off brand in Froot Loops. In Frosted Flakes 33% of the participants, or 5 out of 15, were able to differentiate between name brand and off brand and 67% of the participants, or 10 out of 15, also were able to differentiate between name brand and off brand products in Wheat Thins. With the soda 40% of the participants, or 6 out of 15, were able to differentiate between name brand and off brand products. In all, only 2 out of 15, or 13.3% of the participants, could tell the difference in each product through sight. In the taste portion of the test 67%, or 10 out of 15, could taste the difference between the name brand Froot Loops and the off brand Tootie Fruities.

Again 67% of the participants could tell the difference between the name brand product Wheat Thins and the off brand product Thin Wheats. In the two different Frosted Flakes products 54%, or 8 out of 15, of the subjects could taste the difference of each product. Finally in the Pepsi cola versus Sam’s cola 7 out of 15, or 47%, of the subjects could tell the difference in the two drinks. In all only 1 out of 15, or 6 %, of the subjects got everything correct when tasting the different products.

Congressional negotiators reached a modest budget agreement in December 2013 to restore about $63 billion in automatic spending cuts from programs ranging from parks to the Pentagon.

But the country has yet to see a dime or any changes made. Some annual cost for schools is at $1 million in secondary schools. While $2.5 million go to elementary schools that are thirty-two percent of what they have now in secondary schools, and sixty-eight percent in elementary.

All the money we put into buying ammunition for military spending and defense can be cut and go for books and supplies in our school systems. For instance, a common carried Berretta 9mm handgun, which obviously shoots 9mm ammunition, sells a box of 50 rounds for $22.

In conclusion, the American government spends too much money on something that isn’t needed as much at this very moment, so to say. And how we can put that money into the education budget and get more money for scholarships for people that are low-income, such as the individuals from the UBMS family nation-wide.

Introduction When buying groceries and other products, how do you know which product to buy? Do you buy the first thing in sight, or are you consistent with your brand because you’ve bought it before? Are you one who can afford to buy the big brands or are you a bargain shopper? Are you aware of the differences and similarities between Name or National brand products and Generic or Private Brands and labels?

This economics study seeks participants to see if they are able to differentiate between the name brands and generic brands. A brand is a name, term, design, or symbol. Many companies use logos or brands as a marketing strategy in order for their consumers to remember their products and buy more of it. We most commonly become aware of brands through advertising, and the largest way to advertise to mass media is by commercials.

Elasticity is how sensitive a product is to price change. Elasticity also refers to

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Bullets vs. Books By: Cody Coonce, Jacob Ice, Jayden Levine, Anthony Ruybal Mentor: Long Zhao, Engineering WSU Upward Bound Math Science 7/11/14 The history of America is a long one. In the beginning there was us and there was Great Britain. We needed a line of defense to protect ourselves from an over whelming force of Britain. Because of this threat, we were not worried about our education and what that could have done for us. Years later, those who did attend public schools were rich white people. As the nation grew, schools progressed spreading far in numbers and in size. It would go from just rich white people to the “Little Rock Nine” in 1957, when schools became desegregated.

Now, the nation was becoming more interested in the education side rather than the military defense. Until the next war, it would keep changing our priorities such as world war one and two.

As you may know from history class, America was worried about the fight over in Europe. As a nation we put all our time in building and supplying those fighting on our side. We did not hear however that education was put to the side and had no room for growth.

Now in the twenty-first century, we lead the world in military defense overall.

We put twenty-two percent of the country’s money into defending ourselves, and only three percent into education. Not to mention that China, a country twice our size and triple the population count, is only putting eleven percent of their country’s money in defending it.

If America decreases the defense budget and increases the education budget, then the country’s economy will increase drastically. As of this year, we have put six hundred and forty billion dollars ($640 billion) into our military defense.

Compared to China, which is in second place with one hundred and eighty-eight billion dollars ($188 billion), that is a third of ours. Meanwhile, we put a hundred and thirty billion dollars ($130 billion) in education. Now a “billion dollars” is a lot of money, and you would never have to worry about any financial problems. You would have a comfortable life for you and your posterity.

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how essential a product is to the consumer. In the American economy, when the economy is booming, it causes people to buy more of name brand products. Their available income will also determine this. Elasticity is based on consumer demand, consumer income and available supply. There are many substitutions in the market.

Substitutes have the same concept of Name Brand items but they are typically cheaper and on average healthier. The more substitutes a product has, the more elastic it will become. This means that the more replacements created for a product, mainly generic products, then the name brand does not even matter to the consumer anymore.

Methods Design The experiment was set up such that each participant identified interest in the experiment by signing their names on a sheet of paper which advertised that we were in need of participants to take part in an experiment in which free food was involved. This was a voluntary experiment. All participants were Upward Bound Math Science students. All of the participants were asked to sign an informed consent form identifying that they knew the realms of the experiment. They were notified that there would be little to no harm caused to them by the experiment; the form also had a space for them to explain any allergies they may have had, doing this would insure that none of the food would cause them any harm.

There were four types of products chosen, each product had a name brand and a generic brand associated with it. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if students could accurately tell the difference between name brand products and generic brand products using the senses of taste and sight. The students were blindfolded for the taste test. Each student was tested individually and asked to complete a survey after they finished.

Materials  Box of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes (33 oz.)  Package of Malt-O-Meal Frosted Flakes (40.5 oz.)  Box of Kellogg’s Froot Loops (26 oz.)  Package of Malt-O-Meal Tootie Fruties (33 oz.)  Box of Nabisco Wheat Thins (9.1 oz.)  Box of Great Value Thin Wheats (9 oz.)  12 pack of Pepsi (12-12 fl. oz. cans)  12 pack of Sam’s Cola (12-12 fl. oz. cans)  20 Disposable paper cups (8 oz.)  95 Disposable paper bowls  Blind folds Page 49

Procedures To begin, each participant was asked to sign an informed consent form that informed him or her of what would be taking place during the experiment. After this, they were asked to enter the room in which the experiment would take place, and then they were blindfolded.

The taste test consisted of tasting a total of eight products in four food categories. The first category consisted of Kellogg’s Froot Loops and Malt-O-Meal Tootie Fruties. The second category was Nabisco Wheat Thins and Great Value Thin Wheats. The third category was Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Malt-O-Meal Frosted Flakes. The fourth consisted of Pepsi Cola and Sam’s Cola.

The products were either labeled option A or option B. The participants were asked which one they preferred, then they were asked to state which one they believed to be the generic one and which one they believed to be the name brand one. This was done for each category. After this, the blindfolds were taken off of the participants. The participants then completed a sight experiment, following the same procedures. They were asked to complete a survey afterwards. The survey was used to gather information on how much they believed name brand products and generic products to cost at regular retail value. The responses of the participants were then recorded and analyzed.

Results For the taste test, 67% of the participants were able to accurately distinguish between name brand products and generic brand products for categories one and two. For category three, only 54% of the participants were able to accurately distinguish between the name brand products and generic brand products. For category four, 47% of the participants were able to accurately distinguish between the name brand products and the generic brand products. Only 6% of the participants were able to do this for all of the food groups using the taste test.

Appendix II Informed Consent Purpose of Study: A taste testing experiment will be conducted by an Upward Bound Math Science research team, which will include the participation of 15 UBMS students. The purpose of this experiment is to examine the ability of students to differentiate between food brands.

What will be done?

Participants will be blindfolded, and asked to taste four sets of food (a total of eight products). They will not be told which food is of which brand. They will only be notified by “Option A” and “Option B”. After they identify which one they prefer, it will be recorded.

I _______________________________ understand that I will be taking part in a taste testing survey that will require me to taste a total of eight products. There will be a total of four cereal products, two soda products, and one cracker product. I will be asked for my opinion of each product. The foods may or may not contain chocolate, corn, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. If I have any allergies to these products or other things, I understand that I am instructed to list those allergies in the box located at the bottom of this page.

X_________________________________ Date______/_________/______

For the sight test, 67% of the participants were able to accurately distinguish between name brand and generic brand products for categories one and three. For category two, only 30% of the participants were able to accurately distinguish between name brand and generic brand products. For category four, only 40% of the participants were able to correctly distinguish between the two brands.

The survey that was administered to the participants after the taste and sight test asked four introductory questions and it asked for them to estimate the price of the eight products (not the same products as that in the taste and sight test). The first question was, “Do you prefer generic brand products or name brand

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Appendix I Survey 1) Do you prefer generic brand products (ex. Great Value, Kroger) better than name brand products (ex. Kellogg’s) 2) Which brand do you believe to be healthier: Generic or Name?

products?” Eleven of the participants chose name brand products, and the other four participants chose generic brand products. The second question asked, “Which brand do you believe to be healthier, generic or name brand?’ In response to this question, eight participants responded name brand and 7 participants responded generic brand. The third question asked, “On a scale of 1-10, with 1 not at all likely and 10 being very likely, when buying a product how likely are you to read the nutritional value facts?”

3) On a scale from 1-10, with 1 not at all likely and 10 being highly likely, when buying a product how likely are you to read the nutritional value facts?

The mode of this dataset displayed 7. This means that 7 was the number that occurred the most. On the section that asked for them to estimate prices based on pictures, the participants (on average) said that the name brand products cost 42% more than the generic brand products.

1) Do you know of and named brand producers? If so, list them below.

Discussion

1) Estimate the price of each product:

In our everyday lives we make the decision to either purchase the name brand products, such as Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Wheat Thins, and Pepsi or we purchase the generic brand products, such as Frosted Flakes, Tootie Fruities, Thin Wheats, and Sam’s Cola. Typically, as consumers we don’t really pay much attention to the cost or the difference in nutritional value of these products.

Depending on how you were raised and the influence of societal views, consumers may buy the name brand products because of their exposure to the commercials advertising the same products, and/or the generation they grew up in traditionally tended to buy the same products.

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Our group decided to test and find out what the difference really was through a sight test, taste test, and a survey. On average out of our 15 participants, half could tell the difference between at least one of the brands through sight, same for taste.

In each of the different categories, 45% or more of the participants could tell the difference between each.

When it came to nutrition, it all depended on the specific product; one could be healthier than the other and it didn’t matter on the type of brand. When it came to the cost of the individual products, the prices were nearly the same and only varied by a dollar.

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In conclusion, our group found that while there were multiple differences, these products were not too different. They cost nearly the same, with at least a 42% difference in price between the generic and name brand products. The two brands looked as well and tasted as well (or the same) as the other.

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Conclusion The participants were, for the most part, able to distinguish between brands by just taste and sight. They identified that the name brand products displayed on the survey that was given to them were more expensive by an average of about 43%.

This leads us to believe that some people can tell the difference between name brand and generic brand products, while other people cannot. This also leads us to believe that there is not a strong correlation between the participants that were able to correctly distinguish between brands using taste vs. those that were able to distinguish correctly using sight.

This is a raw data chart displaying the participants’ responses to the sight test.

The red indicates that they were unable to accurately distinguish between brands.

The name brand products are in the green color and the generic brand products are in the blue color.

When conducting the experiment, we used the words “name brand” and “off brand” for the products used. If we would have used the words “private brand” and “international brand”, that may have changed the responses of the participants because in some cases the term “off brand” may have been seen as bad. We also could have tried to do two studies; one blind, and one not blind. Here we could have asked them to choose which one they would like based on the package it was bought in, then had them taste without seeing the package to determine if they really liked what they thought they would like.

Tables and Figures This is a raw data chart displaying the participants’ responses to the taste test.

The red indicates that they were not able to accurately distinguish between brands.

The name brand products are in the green color and the generic brand products are in the blue color.

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