Discussion
In our hypothesis, we stated that we could contain 60% of the oil and absorb 90%. We were incorrect, as we contained more than we thought and absorbed less. Our predictions happened to be a little bit off of what the results were, but we weren't too far off. At first, we researched through the article about the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill, and we wanted to know more. After surfing through several websites, this is what we found out. By only being able to choose 4 items, it is kind of like simulating a real oil spill because it is like a budget. If we had been able to pick all of the items, we do not doubt the fact that we would have been able to clean up more. We feel as if we could have picked different choices, to see the different results, and to see whether or not we can improve our results to help the environment.
At first, we followed the procedure and took pictures along the way. We took great measures to make sure that the variables were not overlooked, and there was only one variable that we couldn't control: the size of the washbasin. These were handed out by our teacher, so we hope that she controlled that for us. An independent variable is the variable that you change in the experiment. The dependent variable is the variable that is being tested in an experiment. Finally, a controlled variable can be more than one thing, as it is the things that you keep the same throughout the experiment so it stays valid.
In our results, we showed how much each item absorbed and contained. In Graph One, we clearly showed that the spoon was the best container, as all of the other items only netted 10% rather than 50%. In Graph Two, the results showed more diversity. The least absorbant substance was the spoon, which only got rid of 5% of the oil. The second best absorbant was tied between the cotton balls and the paper towels. And finally, the most absorbant was the sponge, as most people could have guessed, seeing that it is designed to absorb. We thought our results would be a little different, as we underestimated the containment and overestimated our absorption.
The experiment was valid and successful, and it is a very easy experiment to try, which is nice. If we could change some things, we would choose some of the soaps, as then we could contain more of the oil than before. We would keep our absorption materials the same, though. There were no problems that we saw, although a possible source of error as we said before would be the size and cleanliness of the washbasins. If we were to repeat the project, we would test the different materials that we did not get to use to see if we could improve upon our results.
At first, we followed the procedure and took pictures along the way. We took great measures to make sure that the variables were not overlooked, and there was only one variable that we couldn't control: the size of the washbasin. These were handed out by our teacher, so we hope that she controlled that for us. An independent variable is the variable that you change in the experiment. The dependent variable is the variable that is being tested in an experiment. Finally, a controlled variable can be more than one thing, as it is the things that you keep the same throughout the experiment so it stays valid.
In our results, we showed how much each item absorbed and contained. In Graph One, we clearly showed that the spoon was the best container, as all of the other items only netted 10% rather than 50%. In Graph Two, the results showed more diversity. The least absorbant substance was the spoon, which only got rid of 5% of the oil. The second best absorbant was tied between the cotton balls and the paper towels. And finally, the most absorbant was the sponge, as most people could have guessed, seeing that it is designed to absorb. We thought our results would be a little different, as we underestimated the containment and overestimated our absorption.
The experiment was valid and successful, and it is a very easy experiment to try, which is nice. If we could change some things, we would choose some of the soaps, as then we could contain more of the oil than before. We would keep our absorption materials the same, though. There were no problems that we saw, although a possible source of error as we said before would be the size and cleanliness of the washbasins. If we were to repeat the project, we would test the different materials that we did not get to use to see if we could improve upon our results.