i was talking to my mum the other day about how sad i was about the eggs not being able to fit into the cups.

she said she found another set of containers that could fit eggs, and whether or not i wanted to buy it. but because we like to save money, it means that i can only buy the new set if i know what to use them for when the experiment is done
she also said if i didn't want to buy another set of containers that she could get smaller eggs. apparently they're cheaper then normal eggs and will be able to fit into my 10 cent cups. i guess that's what I'll do then- use smaller eggs

I'm not sure whether or not it'll affect the results. but i highly doubt it because I'll be using the same brand and type of egg throughout the whole experiment.

so..YAY!!

well, since our first blog was due and we have no further instructions of what to do...
I'm guessing we're meant to be researching

but as i am having trouble with picking the topic,
i will be...thinking.. about ..stuff
yes, that's what I'll do- think!!

umm, ok so i am heading towards idea number 4
(and unless i change my mind, i WILL be doing idea number 4)

today i picked up some containers for the experiment at the second hand store around the corner(yes, i know, very asian).
it cost 20 cents for a pack of cups and was on a 50% discount offer (for those who can't do the maths, yes, that's 10 cents )
but then, something bad happened, something very bad...
i went home, picked up an egg and attempted to put it in the container
and guess what happened next... that's right..sniff sniff* it didn't fit
it was literally so very close to fitting in
i was sooo sad
cause it meant that we have to buy more containers

i was looking though some blogs just then, and i realised that a lot of people have similar ideas to me. and now I'm very sad cause it might mean that i have competition or that my experiment isn't unique :(

please note: changes to the experimental methods below may change according to the amount of time we have to complete the experiment, access to resources (eg containers, volume of liquids)

been stressing over this- just hope it was worth it

how I'm going to do these experiments -(method) :

idea number 1: the affect of temperature on the elasticity of a rubber band
1. gather 24 rubber bands(12 thick, 12 thin), separating them evenly into 4 groups.(ie 3 thick and 3 thin in each group)
2. leave one group in the freezer, another in the fridge, another at room temperature and the last under a lamp. set them aside for 3 days
3. line up a hanging hook next to a 30cm ruler then collect one group of rubber bands
4. sit one of them on the hanging hook
5. hang a 100g weight at the end of the rubber band and measure the distance between the beginning and end of the rubber band
6. record the results in a table (remembering to draw up a 'thick' and 'thin' column)
7. repeat steps 4-6 for the other 5 rubber bands
8. repeat steps 4-7 for the other groups

idea number 2: does temperature affect density
1. collect the materials- different liquids of different densities (oil, water, dish-washing liquid) and 4 containers
2. pour in 50mls of each liquid into one container (ie. 50mls of oil, water and dish-washing liquid will be together in the one container)
3. complete step 2 another 3 times (should end up with 4 lots of mixed liquids)
4. swirl the liquids with the end of a pair of chopsticks and add a ball (don't know the name or how to describe the ball- sorry)
5. place one of these containers under a lamp, another at room temperature , another in the fridge and the last in the freezer
6. leave the containers undisturbed for 3 days
7. observe and record the results in a table- what are the layers of the liquid? what layer is the ball sitting in?
8. repeat steps

idea number 3: what type of acid has the most effect on egg shells
1. collect a dozen eggs (uncooked) and three lots of 200mls of vinegar,orange juice, lemon juice and cocoa cola
2. pour one 'lot' of liquids into the containers and gently place the eggs (4) inside
3. leave the eggs in the containers for 3 days
4. observe the egg- how transparent is the shell? how soft/hard is it? is it rubbery? etc
5. record the results in a table
6. rinse the containers before starting a new trail
7. repeat steps 2-6 for the next 2 trials

idea number 4: what type of solution best protects egg shells from acids
1. collect a dozen eggs (uncooked), 200mls of coke, lemonade and fanta, containers (8) and three lots of 200mls of Listerine, toothpaste and water in ratio 1:5 , salted water in ratio 2:5 and tap water
2. take a picture of the first 4 eggs(for colour reference- at the end)- note remember which egg is which
3. fill up 4 containers of one 'lot' of solvents (Listerine, toothpaste compound, salt water and tap water)
4. soak the eggs (4) in the solvents for 2 days
5. pick up the eggs slowly, placing them on a stand to dry. note: do not wipe them dry
6. place the eggs in separate containers of coke and leave aside for 1 day
7. pick up the eggs and, with a towel,lightly dry them.
7. observe the eggs- what is the colour difference compared to the matching photo taken in step 2
8. record the results in a table
9. repeat steps 2-8 for the rest of the eggs,this time placing them in lemonade and fanta instead of coke

idea number 5: what solvents will remove permanent marker ink best
1. collect all the materials- plastic, permanent marker pens (3), ruler, solvents (4)- water, vinegar, alcohol, and dish washing detergent and containers
2. draw a 2cm by 2cm square on the piece of plastic with one of the 3 brands of marker pens
3. pour the liquids into the separate containers
4. sink the plastic into the solvents and leave for a week undisturbed
5. pick it out off the containers slowly and rinse under water
6. record results (area of permanent marker left) in a table and take pictures
7. rinse containers before starting a different brand of permanent marker
8. repeat steps 2-7 for the other permanent marker brands

note: because i do not know how long we have to complete this experiment, the time may be adjusted/changed so that i can complete it in time
these methods may sound confusing now, but if you really think about it.. it's..not

my independent, dependent and controlled variables!!

idea number 1: the affect of temperature on the elasticity of a rubber band
independent variable: temperature and thickness of rubber band
dependent variable: elasticity of the rubber band
controlled variables: time, 'brand' of rubber band and measuring tool(ruler)

idea number 2: does temperature affect density
independent variable: temperature and liquids of different densities(water, oil, etc)
dependent variable: density- will it float or sink
controlled variables: time, container, object and volume of liquid

idea number 3: what type of acid has the most effect on egg shells
independent variable: acid (vinegar, orange juice, etc)
dependent variable: effect on the egg shell- how thin/hard the egg shell will be
controlled variables: time, container, volume of acids and 'brand' of eggs

idea number 4: what type of solution best protects egg shells from acids
independent variable: solution (Listerine, toothpaste, etc) and sugar-acid drinks
dependent variable: effect on the egg shell- if the egg shell has changed(in term of colour, thickness of shell,etc)
controlled variables: time, container, volume of solutions/acids and 'brand' of egg, ,

idea number 5: what solvents will remove permanent marker ink best
independent variable: solvents (water, alcohol, vinegar, etc) and permanent marker pens
dependent variable: removal of permanent marker ink
controlled variables: time, container, volume of solvents, area of ink spot and piece of plastic


PS. i find it really ridiculous that, just because i can't make up my mind about what to do, i have to do this for all the ideas i have for the experiment :(

it would be greatly appreciated if anyone can help me narrow down the options

Thankyou!! :)