Discussion
In my hypothesis, I stated that the dish soap would be most successful in containing the oil while the cotton balls would be most successful in absorbing the oil. It was proven correct, with the dish soap containing 70% of the oil and the cotton balls absorbing 55% of the oil, percentages higher than the other material in each category.
In my experiment, I first added dish soap in order to test its ability to contain oil. Since the oil would have to be contained before being absorbed, I tested the materials more likely to contain the oil first, following the dish soap with a solution of vinegar and baking soda. Then, the cotton balls and sponge were dipped i nto the upper portion of the water in the area where the oil was contained due to my previous use of dish soap and vinegar and baking soda in targeted areas. The independent variable of this experiment was the material used to clean up the oil spill, while the dependent variable was the percentage of success of each material. All variables were taken into account and controlled - the amount of water within the washbasin, the amount of oil within the washbasin, and the amount of each material added. The results were prevented from being confused by taking into account the previous item's success.
As seen in the graph and chart, the dish soap was most successful in containing the oil, containing 70% due to its ability to repel oil as well as neutralize it due to it being a powerful base while oil is a powerful acid. On the other hand, it had absolutely no success in absorbing the oil - absorbing 0%. Similarly, the vinegar and baking soda solution had no success in absorbing the oil, but was also barely successful in containing the oil, containing only 10% as it does not repel oil and is slightly acidic, unable to neutralize the oil. The cotton balls and sponge were not capable of containing oil with a 0% success rate, while the cotton balls managed to absorb the oil by 55% and the sponge able to absorb the oil by 45%. Their part success in absorbing the oil was due to the gaps within their fabric allowing spaces for water and oil to be contained. All results went as expected.
The experiment was successful and valid, with all variables controlled and data received. In future, it would be wise to test a material such as laundry soap that I hypothesized would work well but instead used vinegar and baking soda due to my inclination to see liquid bubbling. A possible source of error was where the materials were used within the washbasin, as there was less success in containing the oil when it was used in the center versus an edge. Furthermore, if I was to repeat the project I would want to test the success of the spoon and paper towels, as well as the laundry soap.
In my experiment, I first added dish soap in order to test its ability to contain oil. Since the oil would have to be contained before being absorbed, I tested the materials more likely to contain the oil first, following the dish soap with a solution of vinegar and baking soda. Then, the cotton balls and sponge were dipped i nto the upper portion of the water in the area where the oil was contained due to my previous use of dish soap and vinegar and baking soda in targeted areas. The independent variable of this experiment was the material used to clean up the oil spill, while the dependent variable was the percentage of success of each material. All variables were taken into account and controlled - the amount of water within the washbasin, the amount of oil within the washbasin, and the amount of each material added. The results were prevented from being confused by taking into account the previous item's success.
As seen in the graph and chart, the dish soap was most successful in containing the oil, containing 70% due to its ability to repel oil as well as neutralize it due to it being a powerful base while oil is a powerful acid. On the other hand, it had absolutely no success in absorbing the oil - absorbing 0%. Similarly, the vinegar and baking soda solution had no success in absorbing the oil, but was also barely successful in containing the oil, containing only 10% as it does not repel oil and is slightly acidic, unable to neutralize the oil. The cotton balls and sponge were not capable of containing oil with a 0% success rate, while the cotton balls managed to absorb the oil by 55% and the sponge able to absorb the oil by 45%. Their part success in absorbing the oil was due to the gaps within their fabric allowing spaces for water and oil to be contained. All results went as expected.
The experiment was successful and valid, with all variables controlled and data received. In future, it would be wise to test a material such as laundry soap that I hypothesized would work well but instead used vinegar and baking soda due to my inclination to see liquid bubbling. A possible source of error was where the materials were used within the washbasin, as there was less success in containing the oil when it was used in the center versus an edge. Furthermore, if I was to repeat the project I would want to test the success of the spoon and paper towels, as well as the laundry soap.