Soluble Solutions

Klaus, Michael, Talia & Cindy

We were selected to form an advisory materials committee for the ‘Quidditch World Cup Association’. We were asked on behalf of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade to investigate, using fair testing and comparisons, which drinks they should serve at ‘The Quidditch World Cup’. We carried out an investigation to test the solubility of the given materials, in order to help Honeydukes decide what to put in their special ‘Quidditch World Cup’ beverages!

Predictions

What we expect to discover

First we wanted to know which materials were soluble or insoluble and which drinks should be served in the Quidditch World Cup. We predicted that Coffee and cocoa powder would both be soluble and the best tasting drinks but we had to investigate. We also predicted that Oil, Flour, Mint, Salt, Sugar and breadcrumbs would not be suitable because some of them would be insoluble. For example Oil, Breadcrumbs and Mint. We also predict that some will probably not taste that good. For example, Flour and Salt.

A Fair Test In Science?

One thing changes, everything else stays the same!

A fair test is where one thing changes and everything else stays the same. For our investigation we decided to change materials we are testing and keep everything else the same. We observed the ingredients floating to the bottom of the water to see if they were soluble or insoluble. We all agreed that we should add the same amount of water to each beaker to make it fair. We decided that we could do this twice and the result was not the same, then we would be able to identify if something was wrong. However, if the result was the same, then it would suggest that the experiment was successful.

The actual INVESTIGATION

What did you do?

Whilst conducting our experiment, we created a table to record our observations. We observed that the Breadcrumbs, Cocoa Powder, Salt, Sugar, Coffee and Flour were all soluble, whereas Oil and Mint were insoluble.

Findings

What did you discover?

We created a graph using the information collected in our table during our investigation. We felt that the bar graph was the most suitable to represent this information. As you can see, the graph shows what materials are soluble or insoluble. We found that Cocoa Powder, Salt, Sugar, Coffee and Flour are soluble. However, we found that Oil and Mint were insoluble, because they floated on top of the water. Even when you stirred them, they were still above the water.

Variables

What would you change?

If we were to repeat this experiment and test some variables, we would choose to keep the amount of water, the beakers and filters the same. However, we could change the materials we are investigating. For example we could test Sugar or Honey. We could also change the temperature of the water to see if the materials dissolve quicker or were more soluble depending on temperature.

TO CONCLUDE

Our suggestions

Based on our investigation, we noticed that Breadcrumbs, Salt, Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Coffee and Flour are Soluble. However, we think that Cocoa Powder and Coffee are the best drinks that Honey Dukes can serve at the ‘Quidditch World Cup’, because they both have a combination of being tasty and soluble at the same time. Therefore, based upon our investigation we recommend that Honeydukes use Cocoa Powder and Coffee.