DETERMINING THE BLASTIBILITY OF HAND BLASTERS
Megan Tunley
Cary Academy
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this experiment was to figure out if Hand Blasters would blast after being submerged in different liquids. Hand Blasters were submerged in Mountain Dew, ammonia, vinegar, and spring water. For the Mountain Dew it was hypothesized that the Mountain Dew would fizz up and circled the Hand Blasters, also fade the color off. For the ammonia it was hypothesized that the Hand Blasters would become smooth and not be able to blast. For the vinegar it was hypothesized that the vinegar would dye the Hand Blaster a different color and the Hand Blasters would not be able to work. For spring water it was hypothesized that the spring water would rub off all of the flour-like substance around the Hand Blasters and the Hand Blasters would not work. Hand Blasters were submerged in Mountain Dew, ammonia, vinegar, and spring water and then taken out of the liquid to dry for twenty-four hours. The Hand Blasters were blasted and the results were recorded.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the experiment was to figure out more about what happened when Hand Blasters were put in different liquids including in ammonia, vinegar, spring water, and Mountain Dew. It was wondered if the Hand Blasters would work and spark the same as without being put in the liquid first.
Hand Blasters are non-flammable and non-toxic. They are made with potassium chlorate, sulfur, glue, and a powdered glass called silica. When connected the Hand Blasters let off oxygen from the potassium chlorate and energy from the silica. Some other examples of chemical reactions are heating, mixing, and separating. Chemical reactions are another word for chemical changes. Hand Blasters were first made for cap guns. Cap guns are toy guns that make a puff of smoke and loud shooting sound, like a gunshot when you pull the trigger. Hand Blasters are an example of a sound chemical reaction.
The hypothesis thought of was that when putting Hand Blasters in Deer Park spring water that the water would rinse off all of the flour-like substance on the Hand Blasters. After all of the flour-like substance has washed off, it was thought that the Hand Blasters wouldn't work. It was hypothesized that when the Hand Blasters were put in mountain dew that the Mountain Dew would rub off the color. It was once again predicted that the Hand Blasters wouldn't work. When the Hand Blasters were put in the ammonia it was thought that the ammonia, known as a floor cleaner, would once again rub off the flour-like substance and make the ceramic ball smooth. It was predicted that the Hand Blasters would once again not work. Once the Hand Blasters were put in the vinegar it was predicted that the vinegar would dye the hand blaster a different color. This was predicted because it was known that vinegar is used for cooking and a helper to dye other types of substances.
Some things that were observed when observing the Hand Blasters were that they were red, green and both had little speckles of different colors. There was some type of flour-like substance on the side. When the two Hand Blasters were connected a little smoke came out, and there was a bombing type of sound. They had a really strong smokey type of smell when connected. The Hand Blasters would not spark unless connected. The mass of one Hand Blaster was 34.9 grams.
Some things observed about Mountain Dew included, it tasted really sweet, and had a tangy taste between lemon and lime. It stung your tongue and had a lemonade taste. Mountain Dew tasted like Sprite with a twist. It was really bubbly and when you poured it, it fizzed. One-half of a fluid ounce of Mountain Dew had a mass of 16.2 grams. Mountain Dew was very thin and looked yellowish green.
Ammonia had a strong type of chlorine smell. It stung your nose and was kind of a blocked smell. The liquid was clear but had a tangy smell. The mass of 100 mL of ammonia was 98.5 grams. The density of 100 mL of ammonia was 1.02 grams.
Vinegar was clear and the smell was not that strong. When you poured it, it was kind of bubbly. The smell was tangy, kind of good, had a sweet hint to it, and almost smelled bubbly. The mass of 100 mL of vinegar was 90.6 grams. The density of 100 mL was 1.11 grams. If you smell vinegar for a long time your jaw gets kind of tight.
Deer Park spring water has no smell. Deer Park water tastes fresh and clean. It is clear and has a mass of 84.6 grams for 100 mL. The density of 100 mL of spring water was 1.18 grams.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
· 2 100 mL Beakers
· 100 mL of Mountain Dew
· 100 mL of Ammonia
· 100 mL of Vinegar
· 100 mL of Spring Water (Deer Park)
· A Red and Green Hand Blaster
· Goggles
· Gloves
· Stopwatch
· Tongs
For the first experiment, gloves and goggles were put on.. A beaker was filled with 100 mL of Mountain Dew. One red hand blaster was put gently into the Mountain Dew and was filled. A green hand blaster was put into a different beaker of Mountain Dew. After one minute, the red and green Hand Blasters were taken out with a tong and tried to blast. Observations were recorded. Mountain Dew was dumped out and the experiment was repeated three other times with ammonia, vinegar, and spring water. The results were compared.
Gloves and goggles were worn for safety reasons. Since some of the liquids could be chemicals, it was a must that goggles and gloves be worn.
The control of this experiment was spring water. The control was spring water because that was the normal or the brand that was used the most of the liquids. The Independent Variable was putting Hand Blasters in different liquids. The Dependent Variable is what happens when you try to blast the Hand Blasters.
Figure 1 - When the Hand Blasters were put in Mountain Dew
For the second experiment, a green and red Hand Blaster was taken out of the box and put in the UV chamber. The Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber in a small container so they wouldn’t roll around. The timer was started after the door to the UV chamber was closed. The Hand Blasters were taken out after one minute and the data was observed. The Hand Blaster was put back in the UV chamber for five minutes. The Hand Blasters once again was taken out of the chamber and the observations were recorded. The same thing was done once again for 10 minutes.
The Purpose of this experiment was to see if UV rays, just like the sun, affect the blasting of Hand Blasters. The hypothesis was that the when the Hand Blasters were put into the UV chamber when they would not be able to blast because the UV chamber would rub off all of the substance. It has not been concluded that when Hand Blasters flour-like substance came off the Hand Blasters would not blast.
When using the UV Chamber, do not touch the bulb at the top and bottom. Touching the bulb will result in electrocution. The control for this experiment was the UV chamber. The control was the UV chamber because the UV chamber was not charged. The Independent Variable was putting Hand Blasters in the UV chamber. The Dependent Variable was what would happen when the Hand Blasters will came out of the UV chamber.
Figure 2 - How the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber
For the third experiment, a Hand Blaster was put in a red balloon. The other Hand Blaster was put in the other red balloon. The balloons were tied with a knot at the end, while the Hand Blasters were still in the balloons. The Hand Blasters were blasted together. The timer was turned on for one minute. Blasting was stopped after one minute and the observations were recorded. The experiment was done three times and the results were compared.
The purpose of this experiment was to see how many times in one minute Hand Blasters could blast inside a balloon that wasn’t blown up. The hypothesis that was made was that Hand Blasters would not blast because the balloon was too thick.
Balloons are choking hazards so you need to keep away from small children. Safety goggles should be worn. The Independent Variable was putting the Hand Blaster inside of a balloon. The Dependent Variable was how many times the Hand Blasters blasted.
Figure 3 - When the Hand Blasters were cut out of the balloon
For the fourth experiment, the surface of the Hand Blaster was covered with play-doh. The Hand Blasters were blasted together and the observations were recorded as to how many times the Hand Blasters blasted in one minute. The surface of the Hand Blaster was covered with silly putty. The Hand Blasters were blasted together and the observations were recorded as to how many times they blast in one minute.
The purpose of this experiment was to see if wrapping play-doh and silly putty around a Hand Blaster affects how much it blasts. The hypothesis made was that the Hand Blasters would not blast because the play-doh and silly putty were too thick.
Silly putty or play-doh should not be put in your mouth. Play-doh and silly putty are not edible. The control for this experiment was the silly putty because when doing science experiments silly putty is used more often than play-doh. The Independent Variable was whether the Hand Blasters blasted or not. The Dependent Variable was if the Hand Blasters did blast, how many times would it blast?
Figure 4 – After the silly putty was taken off the Hand Blaster
For the fifth experiment, string was tied on top of a flat surface. Hand Blasters were tied on to the string. The Hand Blasters were pulled 1 cm, 2cm, 3cm, 4cm, 5cm, etc. away from each other until there was a blast. The test was done three times. The date was compared and recorded. The purpose of the XPT was to see how many centimeters it took for the Hand Blasters to blast together. The hypothesis was that it would take 9 centimeters to get them to blast. It was hypothesized that it would take 9 cm because it was known that only a little force put on the Hand Blasters would not make them blast.
The control for this experiment was the Newton’s Cradle. The control was the Newton’s Cradle because that was what was used in science. The Independent Variable was the Hand Blasters. The Dependent Variable was how far away the Hand Blasters would have to be pulled from each other to get them to blast.
Figure 5: The structure built to perform the experiment
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Figure 6: The first experiment showing how many times Hand Blasters blasted after being submerged in different liquids
For the first experiment, figure 6 shows how many times Hand Blasters blasted after they were put in different liquids. When the Hand Blasters were put in Mountain Dew they blasted 5 times. When the Hand Blasters were put into ammonia they blasted once. When the Hand Blasters were put in vinegar and spring water they didn’t blast at all.
As the Hand Blasters were put in Mountain Dew they started to fizz around the Hand Blasters. The red Hand Blasters had more fizz, or bubbles around it than the green Hand Blaster. The Hand Blasters did blast five times but very slightly and the red coloring came off on the glove. When the Hand Blasters were taken out of the Mountain Dew, the flour-like substance came off. After waiting a day for the Hand Blasters to dry, they still didn’t blast.
In the first 30 seconds of the experiment nothing happened. When the Hand Blasters were put in the ammonia only the red Hand Blaster was getting eaten away. Once again the Hand Blasters looked like they were surrounded by fizz, almost like there was a shield of bubbles surrounding the Hand Blaster. When the Hand Blasters were getting taken out of the ammonia, the color on the Hand Blasters was faded and the dye from the red Hand Blaster was coming off on the glove. After a sitting out for a period of time the Hand Blasters would not blast again.
After putting the Hand Blasters in the vinegar they once again made a shield of fizz around both Hand Blasters. When they were taken out of the vinegar, the dye from the green and red Hand Blaster came off on the glove. The Hand Blasters didn’t blast after taken out of the liquid; all of the flour-like substance came off. Even after a day of drying, the Hand Blasters still would not blast.
Figure 7 - Shows when and if the Hand Blasters blasted after being taken out of the UV chamber
For the second experiment, the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber to see how many times it blasted. When the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber for one minute it would not blast. When the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber for five minutes the Hand Blasters would not blast. When the Hand Blasters were put in the UV chamber for ten minutes they once again would not blast.