An Investigation of Coin Diameter and Water Droplets

Research Question

How is the number of water droplets held by the surface of a coin affected by the
diameter of a coin?

Materials Used

● One 3 oz. cup of water

● One pipette
● Nine coins with different diameters
● Three rulers

Variables Selected

The dependent variable in my experiment was the number of water droplets the surface
of a coin can hold, which is affected by surface tension. Therefore, to select an
independent variable, I had to think about what factors affect surface tension. The
independent variable I chose for my experiment was the diameter of a coin. The
controlled variables in my lab were the pipette used, ruler used to measure the diameter
of each coin, height of water droplets on each coin (≅1 cm), location of water droplets on
each coin (center), and position of each coin (180°).

Hypothesis

The number of water droplets held by the surface of a coin will increase as the diameter
of a coin increases and decrease as the diameter of a coin decreases. The number of
water droplets held by the surface of a coin depends on the coin’s surface area, which
is determined by diameter. Consequently, a coin that has a larger surface area and
diameter will hold more water droplets on its surface than a coin that has a smaller
surface area and diameter. The mathematical relationship I predict is linear. The reason
I chose this mathematical relationship is because the number of water droplets held by
the surface of a coin will increase and decrease at a constant rate as the diameter of a
coin increases and decreases.

Procedure

To measure my independent variable, the diameter of a coin, I fitted each of the 9 coins
I used between two rulers. Then, I used another ruler to measure the distance between
the other two rulers, which would be the diameter of the coin. This method reduced the
chances of measurement errors as I wasn’t measuring with a single ruler and relying on
my eyes to decide where the middle of the coin (diameter) is. Additionally, I used the
same measuring devices to stay consistent and have the most accurate measurements.
After filling a 3 oz. cup with water from a water bucket my teacher provided, I placed the
coin I was working with on my desk and made sure its position was 180 degrees to the
best of my ability. I then filled a pipette with water from the water cup and started
dropping water on the coin. I tried my best to count each drop and made sure to drop
from approximately one centimeter above the coin onto the center of the coin. When the
pipette became empty, I quickly refilled it and continued. If I misplaced a drop or hit the
table, causing the water to fall off the coin before its surface was filled with water, I
restarted the trial. To add on, I utilized the same pipette to stay consistent and have the
same sized drops. When the coin’s surface was filled with water and the water fell off, I
recorded the number of drops held by the surface of the coin in its row and column (trial
number) of my data table. I repeated this process three times for every coin to complete
three trials. Finally, I averaged the number of water droplets for each coin.

Data Table

Diameter of Coin vs. The Number of Water Droplets Held by Surface of Coin

Number of Water Droplets Held by Surface of Coin

Diameter of Coin
(± 0.05 cm) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average
(± 1 Droplet) (± 1 Droplet) (± 1 Droplet)

1.7 27 22 25 (25 ± 3)
Droplets

1.8 28 31 36 (32 ± 4)
Droplets

2.1 40 48 39 (42 ± 5)
Droplets

2.2 45 43 52 (47 ± 5)
Droplets

2.4 79 84 73 (79 ± 6)
Droplets

2.6 85 81 89 (85 ± 4)
Droplets
 2.8 88 92 95 (92 ± 4)
Droplets

3 110 106 99 (105 ± 6)

Droplets

3.7 125 132 117 (125 ± 8)

Droplets

Graph

Results

Based on my experiment, I observed that the number of water droplets held by the
surface of a coin will increase as the diameter of the coin increases and decrease as
the diameter of the coin decreases. The data recorded in my data table supports these
results by showing how the number of water droplets held by the surface of a coin
increased from an average of 25 drops for a coin with a diameter of 1.7 cm to an
average of 125 drops for a coin with a diameter of 3.7 cm. My graph supports these
results by portraying how an increase in my independent variable (the diameter of a
coin) from left to right on the x-axis led to an increase in my dependent variable
(average number of water droplets held by the surface of a coin) from bottom to top,
and how a decrease in my independent variable from right to left led to a decrease in
my dependent variable from top to bottom. Lastly, my final equation supports these
results by depicting a linear relationship between my independent and dependent
variable. As my independent variable increases, my dependent variable also increases,
and as my independent variable decreases, my dependent variable also decreases.
The results of my experiment support my hypothesis that my independent variable and
dependent variable are directly proportional.

Errors

The random errors in my experiment that caused my measurements to be different in

each trial and affected their precision are listed below:

● Incorrect measurements of the diameters of some of the coins

● Incorrect measurements of the number of water droplets held by the surfaces of
some coins
● The height of some water droplets not being approximately 1 cm and the location
of some water droplets not being at the center of each coin

Limitations

The limitations in my experiment were factors I couldn’t control that affected my results.
Some of these limitations are listed below:

● My pipette was fairly small, requiring me to refill it several times for coins with
larger diameters. This could have impacted my results as these coins would have
had to hold the water droplets for more time.
● As I conducted this experiment over a span of multiple days, the water I used
from the water bucket could have had varying temperatures on colder or warmer
days. This could have impacted my results as colder water has more surface
tension than warmer water.
● My coins had varying thicknesses. This could have impacted my results as
thicker coins may have more surface tension compared to thinner coins.
● One systematic error in my experiment was the possibility of my rulers not being
calibrated properly. However, this should not impact my results as the same ruler
was used to take all measurements.

Improvements

The things I would do differently to improve this experiment if I were to do it again are
listed below:
● Using a caliper to measure the diameters of the coins for more accurate
measurements
● Videotaping my trials in slow motion to double check the number of water
droplets held by the surface of each coin, make sure the height of each drop was
approximately 1 cm, and ensure that the location of each drop was at the center
of each coin
● Using a larger pipette that won’t have to be refilled for coins with larger diameters
● Measuring the temperature of the water in my water cup and altering it as
necessary so that it is the same for each of my trials