IMMEDIATE HELP NEEDED!!!!

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:47 pm

Hello...Im in the 11th grade..
I need to find an experiment...Im interested in doin sumthin with pills and stomach acid...but i dont want to do product testing to see which is most effective or watever....my teacher said to do sumthing other than tat...

plzz help me!!!

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 4:41 pm

Hello.
I would suggest visiting the Science Fair Project Ideas web page (there is a link in the top left hand corner, or you can just click here https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... deas.shtml ). Since you would like to work with pills and stomach acid, click on the link to Pharmacology/Toxicology under the Life Sciences category. There are some great projects in there. There is a project for Drug Solubility or even Caffeine and Heart Rate which I think might best suit your scientific taste. If you have any more questions, feel free to post back. Happy hunting!
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:54 pm

yes tat is a gud idea..but i dont want to use living things....

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:09 pm

If you were perhaps to use the Drug Solubility experiment, there will be no involvement with humans or other living organisms. The experiment would consist of testing the times or accuracy of dissolving pills in a base. The example gives you the basic range of the stomach (1-2). You would simply need a basic solution with a pH of 1 or 2 (ask your teacher if that can be supplied, and research on google what solutions have that pH level, seeing that you are a Junior in High School, there should be no problem handling such solutions, just be sure to use gloves and proper safety techniques!) and test the time it takes for different pills to dissolve. It suggests using different coated medications for a more thorough experiment.
An example:
I would like to test how long it takes a liquid gel capsule to dissolve versus a compressed powder pill. I would put a basic solution (1-2 pH) into 2 petri dishes and put the liquid gel capsule into one petri dish, and the compressed powder into the other, then record the time it takes for them to dissolve.
If you were to do this experiment, I would suggest talking to your teacher more in depth about an experiment like this, or reading the other experiments that have been done on this topic. You are lucky to have the Science Fair Project Ideas page which gives you such a thorough explanation of the project, so take advantage and delve into the wonders of pharmacological concepts.
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:12 pm

but isnt tat more like product testing???

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:13 pm

bcuz my teacher said tat it would not be experimenting if u r just testing to see which one dissolves...she said tat they r meant to be dissolved...just testing different types would not make it catchy...

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:18 pm

If your teacher fears that topic will not be "catchy" enough, you should steer away from pills and stomach acid. Try looking around the project ideas page and find something you think your teacher would find engaging.
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:22 pm

isnt there anythin else i cud do wit pills??

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:27 pm

or can u tell me anythin to test against baterial and other micro-oranganisms?? like herbal stuff or any accessible things???

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:44 pm

Unfortunately I cannot tell you what to do for your science project. I am simply a guide to answer any questions about projects. Look at the Life Sciences Ideas and if you see a project you would like to do, come ask me some questions about it, I'm here to make this process less stressful, but not completely effortless! I would be glad to answer any questions about specific projects. There are so many projects that you can do.
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:47 pm

cud u tell me how to obtain bacteria?? nd can i use saliva as a disinfectant...i recently heard sumone say tat

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:04 pm

Bacteria is best obtained from your teacher who can specially order it just for your project. Now, about your question of saliva being a disinfectant, I cannot find a reliable source on the internet. I will however keep searching. There is information about this topic on Wikipedia, but most teachers will not accept this online website as an accurate source. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saliva) This might bring you a better explanation, but hang tight; I'm still looking.
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:06 pm

thank u sooo much....im really desperate...

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:08 pm

Keep looking at projects that interest you; don't narrow yourself to just bacteria and pills. Expand your search on the science fair ideas page. I can guarantee you will find more than one topic in another category that will interest you.
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:09 pm

bcuz i was planning on doing tis project
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... m=Home[url]
nd i dont want to do the same exact thing...so i thought of using saliva to test as a disinfectant....but wud tat be sensible to test for an experiment??[/url]

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:14 pm

Perhaps, instead of doing that project, and you are interested in using saliva, you could test if saliva does have disinfectant qualities. This type of project has been done before, a quick search on google should help you to find it. You could also incorporate this into the project you are looking at now. Testing saliva side by side with another disinfectant could yield some interesting results. It would be a unique twist to this project, and it seems to interest you.
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:31 pm

would it be very different if i use fungi..like yeast?? instead of bacteria??

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:45 pm

The biggest difference between using fungi and bacteria is that the fungi might be more resistant to your disinfectant, but it all depends on what you plan to use.
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 7:47 pm

wat if i cud use fungi and increase the amount of disinfectant and time??

will normal yeast be enough?? wud it be really hard rite??

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 9:17 pm

You could just reword the project and test the effects of disinfectant on fungi, such as yeast. It wouldn't be hard, it would just be testing different variables.
-Lisa

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:55 am

how would i know when the bateria is resisting the disinfectant?

wildfirefox · Post by **wildfirefox** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:39 am

You'll know the bacteria is resisting the disinfectant when the bacteria colonies continue to grow even when you add the disinfectant to the colonies. If you don't see anything growing at all in the spot where the bacteria colonies used to be, well, the disinfectant probably killed a large percentage of the bacteria, or all of them

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:01 am

nd how do i get the bacteria??? should i order them???

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:18 am

or would it be enough to use fungi (which is more accessible- yeast) instead of bacteria??

would it make sense to use disinfectants against fungi...bcuz its usually used for bacteria rite?? (im using saliva, Eucalyptus oil and dettol as disinfectants)

will water be enough for my control??? i really dont know anythin else to use...

wildfirefox · Post by **wildfirefox** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:42 am

If you compare regular bacteria vs yeast vs fungi, fungi has the highest tolerance among the three. Why? Because fungi is a decomposer, which can survive in a very harsh environment in order to breakdown dead matters into usable bio-matters. Between the three, bacteria is perfect for the experiment since they are much more sensitive to the changing environment, and quicker in adapting to the changes around them over a short period of time.

Bacteria can be found pretty much everywhere. Why not try the agar incubation approach, in harvesting bacterial on the kitchen area, around the bathroom sink area, or best yet, on your hands/skin. Just make sure you can find a person/lab that can help you with this.

_Lisa_ · Post by **_Lisa_** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:01 pm

Another twist on the project could be using a slice of bread to grow mold, and testing disinfectants straight on the bread slice soaked in water to induce molding. If you do plan to do this project, be sure to get preservative free bread (check out whole foods or another health store) And you must remember to have a control for your project! Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.
-Lisa

deleted-71670 · Post by **deleted-71670** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 3:34 pm

I judged a science fair last year and there were lots of projects testing different chemicals with bacteria, so once you come up with a hypothesis to test it should be pretty straightforward. Think about how bacteria grow, and what might affect that process.

I like the way you're thinking about saliva as a disinfectant, I've heard that too like when dogs lick a wound it helps it heal better. But, check and see if your fair has rules about culturing bacteria from humans--because I guarantee if you put anything that has been spit on on an agar plate, you will grow whatever's in your mouth. (Maybe your teacher has access to a way to sterlize saliva?)

regarding what to use as a control--consider what your "active ingredients" (the thing you think will actually kill the bacteria) are dissolved in. For example, saliva is mostly water. But other disinfectants might be dissolved in something else like alcohol. As a control, you want to use the closest thing possible to your potential disinfectants.

Since you are using fungi, you might want to test some drugs that are specifically anti-fungi, these are called fungicides and you should find some info if you Google "fungicide."

Good luck!
Amber

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:57 pm

_Lisa_ wrote:Another twist on the project could be using a slice of bread to grow mold, and testing disinfectants straight on the bread slice soaked in water to induce molding. If you do plan to do this project, be sure to get preservative free bread (check out whole foods or another health store) And you must remember to have a control for your project! Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.
-Lisa

yeah i like this idea...
but, can i still use all the disinfectants...like saliva...???
and i don't understand why the bread with the mold has to be soaked in water? will it make any difference if i don't do it???

nd if i do mold, is it necessary tat i shud have an access to a lab?? can tis be done at home in agar plates??

also, can the control be plain mold soaked in water without the disinfectants?? but tat not have any fungal resistance...

binsuabraham · Post by **binsuabraham** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:07 pm

since im using two natural disinfectants (saliva nd Eucalyptus oil) vs. two man-made disinfectants (Dettol nd Pears soap), i dont really know wat to support for my hypothesis...like shud i support 'natural disinfectants' in general or specifically 'saliva' ???

my teacher wants me to use "IF.....THEN...." method for my hypothesis...

so all i have is "If there is a decrease in the growth of bacterial colonies while using saliva or Eucalyptus oil (im not sure of wat to support here), then natural disinfectants are more efficient than man-made disinfectants. "

MelissaB · Post by **MelissaB** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 8:20 am

"If...then" statements typically refer to something slightly different--you put your prediction after the 'then' statement and your hypothesis before. So it would be more along the lines of 'If natural disinfectants are more anti-bacterial than man-made disinfectants, then we would expect to see fewer colonies on the agar plates using saliva and Eucalyptus oil.'

You can either support 'natural disinfectants' in general or saliva in particular--it's up to you. What has the background research you've done suggested will be most effective? You should base your predictions on that.

IMMEDIATE HELP NEEDED!!!!

IMMEDIATE HELP NEEDED!!!!

my two cents