Abstracts
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5237
Zachary Brinton and A. Antoniou (teacher)
A. Batulan-Locsin and G. Zem (teacher)
Can a Robotic Arm Made of Pulleys Move an Object From One Place to Another? Robert Frost Middle School 12314 Bradford Pl. Granada Hills, CA 91344
The purpose of my experiment was to see if I could build a robotic arm to move an object by using pulleys. I read in a book that the motors that pull the cables have to be as powerful as the weight of the object they are moving. Knowing this I had to look for a strong motor to lift the heavy frame I built. The cables also have to be strong in proportion to the weight of the frame, so I had to test the different types of strings and cables I thought I could use. I found out that yarn was sufficient for the frame I built, but it had to be replaced often, because it would stretch and break after awhile. My hypothesis was that I could build a robotic arm using pulleys to move an object from side to side. The outcome of my experiment was very good. I was able to move the arm side to side with switches and it could lift small wooden blocks. The problems I had were that the materials I used to build the arm with (metal plates) would fall easily so I had to use screws to secure them. My conclusion is that a robotic arm can be built by using pulleys and strings. I can see that this project will continue on until I find a way to improve the movements of the arm to up and down and to lift heavier objects. 5235
Which Popular Drinks Affect Our Teeth the Most? Hoang Luong, Syed Abbas and A. Antoniou (teacher) Robert Frost Middle School 12314 Bradford Pl. Granada Hills, CA 91344
The purpose of our experiment was to find out which popular drinks affect our teeth the most. We have always heard about how some drinks are bad for our teeth, so in this experiment, we tested which drinks had the most negative effects. We did some research and found that eggshells were one of the best substitutes for teeth because we could not get real teeth. In our experiment, we put hardboiled eggs in cups with different drinks. Our hypothesis was that Pepsi-Cola would stain teeth the most. The drinks we used included Fruit Punch Gatorade, black tea, Pepsi-Cola, Capri Sun Fruit Punch juice and bottled water. We set the eggs in clear cups and waited two weeks to see what would happen. In the end, our hypothesis was close. According to the results, the Gatorade, black tea and Pepsi seemed to have the most conspicuous stains. The Gatorade, however, stained the most, which makes it number one in intensity. Water left no stains like we already expected, and that is why we used it as the control. From this experiment we concluded that popular drinks can leave unwanted stains on teeth, with Gatorade as number one and black tea and Pepsi following closely. Water is the safest way to go if we don’t want stained teeth.
Does the Color of a Candle Affect How Long It Takes to Burn? Ernest Lawrence Gifted/Highly Gifted Magnet 10100 Variel Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311
This experiment was conducted to find out if the color of a candle would affect how long it would take to burn out. There were four colors used, which were yellow, red, green and white. One of each colored candle was lit at the same time and then was timed until the candle’s flame went out. The experiment was conducted a total of four times. The white candle burned for an average of 4 hours and 36 minutes, red at 5 hours and 26 minutes, green at 4 hours and 28 minutes and finally yellow with an average of 4 hours and 28 minutes. The results showed that the red candle took the longest time, with the average of 5 hours, while the white, green and yellow candles had roughly 4 hours. The darker colored candles, red and green, were expected to burn out faster than the lighter colors, yellow and white. In conclusion, the color of a candle would not affect the amount of time it took to burn out. 5238
Nano Anti-Graffiti Paint Michael Su and D. Gaughen (teacher) Taft High School 5461 Winnetka Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91364
I compared the advertised graffiti-resistant paint with conventional house paint. My hypothesis was that the nano anti-graffiti spray would easily remove the graffiti, with the ease of removing spray can graffiti from painted surfaces containing nano particles vs. ordinary house paint giving a measure of effectiveness. I used bricks, traditional house paint, spray paint, antigraffiti spray, a paint brush and some newspapers. I then made a controlled and experiment brick. The controlled was then painted over with traditional house paint, while the experiment was sprayed with the anti-graffiti spray. Then I spray painted all over both bricks to see which would take off the graffiti. I waited for the bricks to cure overnight. When I came back I used a paper towel and tried to wipe off the graffiti from both the experiment and controlled bricks. The experiment was successful in easily taking off the graffiti. What this will do is let us focus on applying this substance on buildings. I hope sometime in the near future that this product will be on all buildings so that the buildings will be protected from all these “taggers.” It would really make everywhere more beautiful. The reason why the anti-graffiti spray works is because it makes the surface of areas “less stick” because of their small particle sizes, which are at the nanoscale, which is 10 −9 or one billionth of a meter.
5236
Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Effects on Acne Christine Montemayor, Nora Lapeña and G. Zem (teacher) Ernest Lawrence Gifted/Highly Gifted Magnet 10100 Variel Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311
This experiment explored the effects of chocolate and dark chocolate on a person with Acne vulgaris. The participants ate one serving of Hershey’s Kisses, one dark and the other regular. In a span of one week, each participant took a picture of the front and side views of the face. Both chocolate types caused breakouts. Dark chocolate subsequently had worse effects than the regular chocolate. Based on the results, dark chocolate had a greater effect on acne.
New Journal of Student Research Abstracts 2012
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