Alka Seltzer Project Research Paper
The name of the alka seltzer project is named “The Dropouts.” The significance of that name is that the owners of the machine are very close to dropping out school themselves. Ultimately, the goal of the machine would be to pop a balloon and to blow out a candle. The goal would be achieved by using the potential energy in the balloon, popping it, and using the now present kinetic energy, which is the air, to blow out the flame of the candle. The final products would be a popped balloon and a blown out candle. The trial of planning and building the alka seltzer project was very chaotic. Initially, the goal of the machine would be to pop a balloon and chemically change the color of a liquid. The original original blueprint turned out to be
scrapped due to the fact that the goals kept being switched out. Baking soda and vinegar was used to inflate the balloon was used first and that technique was kept throughout the process of the machine building. A water bottle was used as the reaction chamber and 20 mL of vinegar was put into the bottle so that the balloon containing 10 mL of baking soda and half a tablet of alka seltzer could react together. The combined volumes of the reactant made the balloon inflate by producing carbon dioxide gas. Originally the pressure of the inflated balloon was to be used to force a container of cabbage juice tip over into another bottle of baking soda and vinegar. The force of the movement would make the cabbage juice spill over and change the color of the baking soda into a clear blue substance. This plan was dropped and a new one was created to blow out a candle by using the inflated balloon. A lit candlestick was placed near the water bottle and balloon in a tilted angle and the inflating balloon went into contact with the flame resulting in the balloon’s surface to pop. The kinetic energy of the balloon would distinguish the flame of the candle. Each technique used worked well together and the final blueprint turned out much simpler than the initial blueprint. The competition at the AG building was overwhelming to say the least. The machine scored an 86% when performing and placed 20th in the competition overall. The reason for this score is that the balloon ended up tilting away from the lit candle instead of towards it resulting in one of the members to sway it the other way, deducting points from the score. The fact that the balloon tilted happened by chance but it could’ve been avoided by creating a wall or barrier onto the sides of the machine to avoid the situation from occurring. What was learned in this project is that anxiety is heightened when the actual competition occurs. Assuring that the machine functions correctly is an important, and obvious, aspect but also not letting it up to chance. Double checking is important when something like gravity decides that the machine doesn’t deserve to get graded a 90%. Concepts that were important was that bringing extra material is important even when it doesn’t seem necessary, using alternatives can work better than the original material and that using unconventional methods results in better results.
scrapped due to the fact that the goals kept being switched out. Baking soda and vinegar was used to inflate the balloon was used first and that technique was kept throughout the process of the machine building. A water bottle was used as the reaction chamber and 20 mL of vinegar was put into the bottle so that the balloon containing 10 mL of baking soda and half a tablet of alka seltzer could react together. The combined volumes of the reactant made the balloon inflate by producing carbon dioxide gas. Originally the pressure of the inflated balloon was to be used to force a container of cabbage juice tip over into another bottle of baking soda and vinegar. The force of the movement would make the cabbage juice spill over and change the color of the baking soda into a clear blue substance. This plan was dropped and a new one was created to blow out a candle by using the inflated balloon. A lit candlestick was placed near the water bottle and balloon in a tilted angle and the inflating balloon went into contact with the flame resulting in the balloon’s surface to pop. The kinetic energy of the balloon would distinguish the flame of the candle. Each technique used worked well together and the final blueprint turned out much simpler than the initial blueprint. The competition at the AG building was overwhelming to say the least. The machine scored an 86% when performing and placed 20th in the competition overall. The reason for this score is that the balloon ended up tilting away from the lit candle instead of towards it resulting in one of the members to sway it the other way, deducting points from the score. The fact that the balloon tilted happened by chance but it could’ve been avoided by creating a wall or barrier onto the sides of the machine to avoid the situation from occurring. What was learned in this project is that anxiety is heightened when the actual competition occurs. Assuring that the machine functions correctly is an important, and obvious, aspect but also not letting it up to chance. Double checking is important when something like gravity decides that the machine doesn’t deserve to get graded a 90%. Concepts that were important was that bringing extra material is important even when it doesn’t seem necessary, using alternatives can work better than the original material and that using unconventional methods results in better results.