Friday 27 May 2011

Appendix D


APPENDIX D
Science Investigative Project
Project Proposal Form
Name:
                  Cheryl Chiang                  (   2   )
Sec 2/10   

Topic of investigation  :
What is the effect of Coca Cola on meat?

A
Observations made

I have heard many rumors that Coca Cola, can dissolve a small piece of meat in 24-48hours. I have also noticed that when research is done on whether Coca Cola dissolves meat, many sources state that Coca Cola is able to dissolve meat in a short span of 24-48 hours, however, there are also many sources that state that Coca Cola is unable to do so. Also, in the past I had dropped a small piece of raw meat into a cup of Coca Cola, and after a short span of 10 minutes, I noticed that the piece of meat did not appear to have changed in any way.
B
Research Question

What is the effect of Coca Cola on meat in a short span of 24-48 hours? Is it the pH of the Coca Cola that causes this effect?
C
Hypothesis statement

If raw or cooked meat is placed in Coca Cola for a span of 24-48 hours, the meat will not be dissolved by the Coca Cola by the end of the experiment. The pH of the Coca Cola is what causes Coca Cola’s effect on meat.
D
A short summary of research done on the area of investigation

Coca Cola is mainly made up of carbonated water, sugar, caffeine, phosphoric acid, citric acid, and some natural flavourings. Coca Cola contains 11-13 grams of phosphoric acid per gallon of syrups, or 0.20-0.30 per cent of the total formula while the amount of citric acid that Coca Cola contains is less than what orange juice contains. The phosphoric acid in Coca Cola makes it very acidic, with a pH level of about 2.7. With such a high acidity level, Coca Cola can dissolve limestone, and through prolonged exposure can lead to significant enamel loss in the teeth. Orange juice and sports drinks also reduce the surface hardness of tooth enamel, however colas also reduce the dentin, surface enamel and two additional dental components in teeth. Colas’ erosive potential is 10 times that of fruit juices in just the first three minutes of drinking. Drinking any type of Cola is thus harmful to teeth, and they are nearly as corrosive to dental enamel as battery acid.
Many people believe that coke can dissolve pieces of meat as well, due to the phosphoric acid present in it, which gives it its low pH level. However this is unlikely as the pH level in our stomach is between 1-2, and even with such a low pH level, it still requires enzymes such as pepsin in order to digest and breakdown the meat in our stomach.
E
Bibliography

Babara and David P. Mikkelson, . (2007). Acid slip. Retrieved from http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/acid.asp
Robin Lloyd, . (21, March 2007). Acids in popular sodas erode tooth enamel. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/7198-acids-popular-sodas-erode-tooth-enamel.html
Celes, . (2009, March 5). 5 reasons to quit drinking soda drinks (and how to do it) Retrieved from http://celestinechua.com/blog/5-reasons-to-quit-drinking-soda-drinks-and-how-to-do-it/

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Brainstorming and choosing an experiment

1) How does the type of water used to water plants affect plant growth? e.g salt water, recycled water etc...
2) What is the effect of temperature on the rusting of iron?
3) Effect of pH on flammability of cloth?
4) Effect of temperature on the growth rate of mould.
5) Effect of carbonated drinks on raw meat.


Reasons why question 5 was eventually chosen and the other ideas rejected.
- question 1 is too simple, and is of a very low level. It is something even a primary school student would be able to conduct and answer.
- question 2 is not very suitable, as the amount of rust on iron is not easily measured, thus results obtained would be inaccurate
- question 3 is also unsuitable as it is dangerous and difficult to conduct an experiment to test the flammability of cloth due to presence of open flames being needed.
- question 4 is too simple an experiment, of low level of difficulty. Also the amount of mould, which would help me to calculate the growth rate of the mould, is not easy to measure.
- question 5 is suitable as the effect on the pieces of meat is able to be measured and observed, such as by measuring the weight and the area of the pieces of meat before and after the experiment. I am also interested in this area and am interested in finding out what carbonated drinks can do to meat.