Name: Mrs. Gillespie
Assignment: Science Fair - Final Copy
Title: Toilet Paper Strength
Problem Statement: Which brand of toilet paper is the strongest?
Independent Variable: The different brands of toilet paper – Charmin, Cottonelle, and Value
Dependent Variable: The number of pennies each brand holds
Controlled Variables: The size of the toilet paper, amount of water applied to each piece, how the water is applied to the toilet paper, how the weights (pennies) are dropped
Background Information: On average, people in the United State utilize 8 million tons of toilet paper annually. Clearly, this show that toilet paper is important because everyone uses it, and people want to make sure that they’re buying the best toilet paper that they can. According to the product’s website, Cottonelle costs approximately $.56 per roll, and it has one layer. This one layer is made to be soft and has moisturizer on it. The magazine Consumer Reports found that Cottonelle does not disintegrate as fast as other brands. On the other hand, Charmin costs about $.63 per roll and has two layers. Users say that it soaks up a a lot of fluid, yet it is still sturdy and comfortable. Value brand toilet paper is the cheapest at $.47 per roll. Like the Cottonelle, it has one layer, but it is much thinner than the other brands.
Hypothesis: The Cottonelle toilet paper will be the strongest because it feels thick, and it has a pattern on the paper that will absorb more water.
Materials:
· 3 squares of Cottonelle toilet paper
· 3 squares of Charmin toilet paper
· 3 squares of Value toilet paper
· 1 medium sized beaker
· 1 rubber band
· 100 pennies
· 1 dropper
· 100 mL of Water (in a plastic cup)
Procedure:
1. Gather all materials and place on table
2. Take one square of Cottonelle toilet paper and gently secure it to the top of the beaker using the rubber band
3. Fill the dropper up with water from the cup
4. Carefully drop 10 drops of water onto the middle of the piece of toilet paper
5. Add pennies onto the center of the toilet paper square, one at a time, until the toilet paper breaks
6. Record the number of pennies that the toilet paper help on the data table
7. Repeat steps 1-6 with other squares of toilet paper
Data Table:
Toilet Paper Strength (Number of Pennies Held)
Trial 1 / Trial 2 / Trial 3 / Mean/AverageCottonelle / 25 / 30 / 28 / 27.7
Charmin / 71 / 64 / 68 / 67.7
Value / 12 / 12 / 13 / 12.3
Graph:
Conclusion:
During my experiment on toilet paper strength, I found that the Charmin was the strongest of the three brands of toilet paper that I tested. I observed that the Value brand was the weakest, as it only held an average of 12.3 pennies. In addition, the Cottonelle brand had a medium strength because it held an average of 27.7 pennies. Overwhelmingly, the Charmin was the strongest; it held an average of 67.7 pennies. Clearly, my hypothesis that Cottonelle would be the strongest was incorrect. I infer that the Charmin was the strongest because it had three layers of paper, and it had ridges. I believe the layers and the thickness made it possible for the Charmin to absorb more water while still not ripping. Additionally, my background research showed that Charmin is the most expensive brand, so that could be related to its strength. While I tried to make my experiment as accurate as possible by following my procedure, I still feel I could have done some things differently. For example, sometimes I dropped the water from different heights which may have affected my results. If I were to perform this experiment again, I would definitely make sure to control where and how I drop the water on the toilet paper. Also, I would do more trials to make my data even more accurate. Lastly, I would test some different types of toilet paper to truly see which brand is the strongest.
Bibliography (from www.bibme.org):
"Bathroom Tissue: Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissue | Charmin.com." Bathroom Tissue: Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissue | Charmin.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.charmin.com/basic-bathroom-tissue.aspx>.
"The Cottonelle Care Routine." Cottonelle. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <https://www.cottonelle.com/products/dry-moist>.
"Toilet paper." Top Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/toilet-paper.htm>.
TOUGH ENOUGH?
Toilet Paper Strength
Name: Mrs. Gillespie
Assignment: Science Fair - Final Copy
Toilet Paper Strength
Problem Statement:
Which brand of toilet paper is the strongest?
Independent Variable:
The different brands of toilet paper – Charmin, Cottonelle, and Value
Dependent Variable:
The number of pennies each brand holds.
Controlled Variables:
The size of the toilet paper, amount of water applied to each piece, how the water is applied to the toilet paper, how the weights (pennies) are dropped
Research (Background Information):
On average, people in the United State utilize 8 million tons of toilet paper annually. Clearly, this show that toilet paper is important because everyone uses it, and people want to make sure that they’re buying the best toilet paper that they can. According to the product’s website, Cottonelle costs approximately $.56 per roll, and it has one layer. This one layer is made to be soft and has moisturizer on it. The magazine Consumer Reports found that Cottonelle does not disintegrate as fast as other brands. On the other hand, Charmin costs about $.63 per roll and has two layers. Users say that it soaks up a a lot of fluid, yet it is still sturdy and comfortable. Value brand toilet paper is the cheapest at $.47 per roll. Like the Cottonelle, it has one layer, but it is much thinner than the other brands.
Hypothesis:
The Cottonelle toilet paper will be the strongest because it feels thick, and it has a pattern on the paper that will absorb more water.
Materials:
· 3 squares of Cottonelle toilet paper
· 3 squares of Charmin toilet paper
· 3 squares of Value toilet paper
· 1 medium sized beaker
· 1 rubber band
· 100 pennies
· 1 dropper
· 100 mL of Water (in a plastic cup)
Procedure:
1. Gather all materials and place on table
2. Take one square of Cottonelle toilet paper and gently secure it to the top of the beaker using the rubber band
3. Fill the dropper up with water from the cup
4. Carefully drop 10 drops of water onto the middle of the piece of toilet paper
5. Add pennies onto the center of the toilet paper square, one at a time, until the toilet paper breaks
6. Record the number of pennies that the toilet paper help on the data table
7. Repeat steps 1-6 with other squares of toilet paper
Data Table:
Toilet Paper Strength (Number of Pennies Held)
Trial 1 / Trial 2 / Trial 3 / Mean/AverageCottonelle / 25 / 30 / 28 / 27.7
Charmin / 71 / 64 / 68 / 67.7
Value / 12 / 12 / 13 / 12.3
Graph:
Conclusion:
During my experiment on toilet paper strength, I found that the Charmin was the strongest of the three brands of toilet paper that I tested. I observed that the Value brand was the weakest, as it only held an average of 12.3 pennies. In addition, the Cottonelle brand had a medium strength because it held an average of 27.7 pennies. Overwhelmingly, the Charmin was the strongest; it held an average of 67.7 pennies. Clearly, my hypothesis that Cottonelle would be the strongest was incorrect. I infer that the Charmin was the strongest because it had three layers of paper, and it had ridges. I believe the layers and the thickness made it possible for the Charmin to absorb more water while still not ripping. Additionally, my background research showed that Charmin is the most expensive brand, so that could be related to its strength. While I tried to make my experiment as accurate as possible by following my procedure, I still feel I could have done some things differently. For example, sometimes I dropped the water from different heights which may have affected my results. If I were to perform this experiment again, I would definitely make sure to control where and how I drop the water on the toilet paper. Also, I would do more trials to make my data even more accurate. Lastly, I would test some different types of toilet paper to truly see which brand is the strongest.
Bibliography
"Bathroom Tissue: Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissue | Charmin.com." Bathroom Tissue: Charmin Basic Bathroom Tissue | Charmin.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.charmin.com/basic-bathroom-tissue.aspx>.
"The Cottonelle Care Routine." Cottonelle. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <https://www.cottonelle.com/products/dry-moist>.
"Toilet paper." Top Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/toilet-paper.htm>.
TOUGH ENOUGH?
Toilet Paper Strength