Investigatory Project Example

Cogon Grass Cardboard Food Packaging

The feasibility of cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica) as a
substitute for cardboard food packaging was studied in
this research project. The cogon grass was cut, boiled,
and crushed in order to get the pulp. The pulp was then
subjected to five different treatments before it was made
into a card board like material. The amount of resin and
other additives was kept constant while the amount of
starch was varied in every treatment. Treatment A served
as the control and contained 12% water and 7.5% starch.
Basella Rubra Biological Stain
This research project is aimed at producing a natural
stain for plant and animal tissues that is inexpensive and
whose sources are indigenous and abundant. Biological
stains make possible the viewing of microscopic plant
and animal tissues under microscopes. When stained, the
specimens are viewed clearer and they become more
defined. Berries of Basella rubra (alugbati) were crushed
using mortar and pestle. The crude extract obtained was
filtered and used as a substitute for crystal violet as
primary stain and for safranin as counterstain in the
Gram staining of Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli.
The extract was also used for staining the apical
meristem of Hydrilla verticillata and the leaf of Hibiscus
rosasinensis (gumamela) using the squashes technique.
Wastepaper and Coir with Okra Mucilage
Presently, people everywhere are focusing on
environmental concerns. As a result, there are
movements toward recycling wastes and using natural
substances. Recycled paper is one of the more popular
forms, since it is possible to make by hand and utilizes a
variety of materials. These have included okra mucilage
and coconut fibers, things that are relatively cheap and
abundant. However, such paper has not been
qualitatively tested.
Spider Silk Textile Fiber
This research project is aimed at testing the possibility of
using spiders as an alternative source of silk. The spiders
used for this research are members of the species Nephila
clavipes collected at the picnic grove inside the grounds
of the Philippine Science High School. The silk was
manually collected from the insect’s body without
harming it. The silk was then twisted and entwined with
the others to produce the thread. The thread was tested
and compared with commercial silk based on its textile
properties, like breaking point and elongation limit. A
survey was conducted to compare its luster, texture,
color, and general acceptability with that of commercial
silk.
Mollusk Shell-Based Adhesive as Mortar
The study aims to determine the feasibility of using
mollusk shellbased adhesive as a substitute for mortar.

The mollusk shell-based adhesive was made from

combining powdered mollusk shells and tackifier in an
elastomer and toluene mixture. Different adhesives were
made using variated concentrations of the two tackifiers
(sodium silicate and polyvinyl acetate) and two
elastomers (neoprene WHV and neoprene AG).
Randomly chosen samples from each combination were
tested for shear strength at the Standards and Testing
Division of the Department of Science and Technology
(STD, ITDI, DOST Bicutan).
Make Electricity from fruits
Introduction:

This project is one of the most famous electricity projects that can be performed
successfully by most students in the age of 10 to 16. It helps students to learn about
producing electrical energy using chemical energy. Since the same method is used to get
energy from many fruits and chemicals, this project has many names. Following are
some of the other names or titles for this project:

1. Fruit power or fruit battery

2. Convert Chemical energy to electrical energy
3. Potato battery or Lemon battery

Procedure:

Making electricity from chemicals is based on the same scientific principles on which all
modern batteries work. You insert copper and zinc electrodes in an acidic liquid and
produce some electricity from the chemical reaction between your electrodes and
electrolyte.

The electricity produced in this way can be displayed

with a multi-meter that can show millivolts. It may
also be able to produce enough electricity to get
light. If you want to run or light up a device you
must consider the voltage and current requirements
of that device.

Picture in the right shows 3 potato batteries

connected in series so together they will produce
enough voltage to light up a super bright LED type
light source.

Making electricity experiment can be used for many different science projects. Following
are some additional research that you can perform in relation to making electricity from
fruits and chemicals.

4. Replace electrodes of your kit with

1. Experiment to see which fruits can other metals such as coins, nails to see
produce electricity. which other metals can be used as
electrodes.

2. Experiment to see which fruit juices can 5. Test to see if such electrodes can light
produce electricity up a bulb.

3. Experiment to see which other liquids 6. If you have access to a multi meter,
such as detergents and drinks can produce check to see how many volts electricity is
electricity. being produced by fruits.
Material and equipment:

Material and equipment that you need for this project are:

1. Copper Electrode
2. Zinc Electrode
3. Multi-meter capable of measuring low voltages
4. Flashlight light bulb 1.2 Volts
5. Screw Base or socket for light bulb
6. Wires
7. Alligator clips
8. Board for mounting the base and the bulb (optional)

You can purchase the material locally from a hardware store or buy it online. Make
electricity science kit of MiniScience.com contains all the above material

Make electricity Kit:

When your science project is making electricity, the biggest challenge is to see the
product of small amount of electricity that you produce. Make electricity kit can make
it easy for you to complete your project.

Make electricity science kit

contains all material that you need
in order to successfully experiment
making electricity by a chemical
reaction. Some chemicals are
harmful and dangerous! That’s why
we recommend you to use
household chemicals such as acetic
acid (Vinegar), baking soda, fruits
and fruit juice.

WARNING

This kit contains small and sharp

objects. Keep it out of reach of
small children. Adult supervision is
required.

The purpose of this science kit is to

simplify the process of finding and
purchasing material that you need
for your experiments.
 Air Battery

Make a battery that works with air and saltwater

This science project experiment is a simplified version of the air battery project available
at ScienceProject.com.

Pictures and excerpts of information are published here with permission.

Introduction: We all know that the world is now facing an energy crisis and everyone is
trying to do something about that. Now you can show everyone that electrical energy or
electricity can be made from air and saltwater. After all, both the air and the saltwater
are freely available everywhere. These are the two things that we have plenty of them.

This may seem impossible. I could not believe it

myself the first time that I heard about it. It
almost sounds like a magic trick. Finally, I
decided to test it anyway.

I tried different concentrations of salt water,

different temperatures, and different electrodes
and had no success. It took me a few months
thinking about it until I solved the problem in
my mind and decided to repeat my tests again.
This time everything worked fine and I was able
to make enough electricity to light up a small
light bulb.

The concept is easy. The same way that you burn wood and make heat energy, you
should be able to burn metals and get electricity (or electrical energy). The difference is
that you are not really burning any thing; instead, you are producing a condition for
oxidization which by itself is the same as slow burning. So what you really do is oxidizing
iron in saltwater using the oxygen from the air or any other source. (At least, that’s my
theory at this time)

I don’t know if this method of producing electricity is economical and cost effective. What
I know is that it is worth to try. If with one cup of salt water and some metals I was able
to light up a small light bulb, maybe you can light up the entire building by a tank of salt
water and a few hundred pounds of scrap metal.

No mater what is the results, I am proud that I can make an emergency battery for
myself if I need it.

It took me a long time to make the first working battery using the salt water; however,
you don’t have to waste that much time. I have combined the results of all my
experiments and made a recipe for success. Just follow the instructions and you will get
results in the first try.

Actually there are many different combinations of many different materials that can
produce some electricity. Experimenting with saltwater and air is suggested for the
younger students because these are relatively safer material.
List of materials:

This is the minimum list of material you need for

your experiment.

1. Miniature light bulb (low voltage, low

current)
2. Miniature base for light bulb
3. Pair of insulated solid copper wire AWG=20
4. Pair of alligator clips
5. Magnesium Electrodes
6. Iron Electrodes
7. A cup of saltwater (not in the picture)
8. Screws for the miniature base.
Save time and money. Order a kit now.

Additional optional materials you may use:

1. A wooden board to mount the miniature base (light holder)

2. Plastic container about 4" x 4" x 4"
3. Hydrogen Peroxide

What is a good title for my project?

You can call it "Air battery", "Salt water battery", "electricity from air" or "electricity from
the salt water".

Procedure:

1. Remove the plastic insulation of about one inch from both ends of the wires.
2. Loosen the screw on both contacts of the bulb holder. Place one end of the red
wire under one screw, make a loop and then tighten the screw. Place one end of
the black wire under the other screw, make a loop and then tighten the screw.
3. Pass the open end of the red wire through the arm of the red alligator clip and
secure it under the screw.
4. Pass the open end of the black wire through the arm of the black alligator clip and
secure it under the screw.
5. Screw the light bulb on the miniature base.
6. Connect the red alligator clip to the iron electrode and secure it on one side of the
plastic container or the cup.
7. Connect the black alligator clip to the magnesium electrode and secure it on the
opposite side of the container. (You may need to hold them by hand or use a
small tape to hold them in place on the side of the container.
8. In another pitcher, prepare some strong, warm salt water. Add enough salt so at
the end some salt will be left at the bottom of the pitcher.
9. Transfer the salt water from the pitcher to the container.
10. At this time, if all the connections are secure and the electrodes are large
enough, you should get a light.

How can I get more light?

 1. Make sure your electrodes are not touching each
other.
2. Make sure there is nothing blocking the space
between the electrodes.
3. Make sure that the alligator clips are not
touching the salt water.
4. Both electrodes must have the maximum
possible surface contact with salt water.

The test tube electrodes (magnesium electrodes in test tubes) are formed like a spring.
This provides the largest possible surface contact. For Iron electrode you may use steel
wool. Steel wool has a very large surface contact. A steel screen may work as well.

You may notice that you will get more light if you stir the solution or if you remove the
iron electrode and insert it back again. Such actions provide oxygen to the surface of the
iron.

Note: Steel is about 98% iron.

The oxygen in the air may not be enough for your

demonstration and you may get a dim light.

In this case you may add some oxygen (in the form of
hydrogen peroxide) to the salt water. That should
immediately increase the light.

A cup is relatively small. If you have access to a larger

container, you will get a better result. In a larger
container, it is easier to secure the electrodes in two
opposite sides so they will not touch each other.