I don't understand how to calculate what moisturizer work best?!
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I don't understand how to calculate what moisturizer work best?!
I did the project 'The Skinny on Moisturizers: Which One Works Best For dry skin?' To find which one works best for dry skin I have to calculate the percent of initial weight. I don't know if I use the least weighing percentage or the largest ... HELP
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LilGreenFrog
- Former Expert
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:26 am
- Occupation: Cellular and molecular biologist
- Project Question: Joined to be an expert
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Re: I don't understand how to calculate what moisturizer work best?!
Hi Emmy,
So you have modeled skin with jello, correct?
What is the goal of the experiment? Are you trying to see if the products will keep the jello moist, or let it dry out?
Based on that, what will your jello sample LOOK LIKE, if the product has done a good job? What will the jello look like if the product has failed in its goal?
So which weighs more, wet jello or dry jello?
What percentages are you calculating? What does the percentage tell you, exactly?
What percentages do you get for the products that have done a good job, based on how the jello looks?
I'm hoping that if you answer these questions, you'll be able to work out the answer to your original question!
Write back if you need more help, but I'm not telling you the answer straight out, because this is a major part of science - what on earth do my 'answers' actually mean?
So you have modeled skin with jello, correct?
What is the goal of the experiment? Are you trying to see if the products will keep the jello moist, or let it dry out?
Based on that, what will your jello sample LOOK LIKE, if the product has done a good job? What will the jello look like if the product has failed in its goal?
So which weighs more, wet jello or dry jello?
What percentages are you calculating? What does the percentage tell you, exactly?
What percentages do you get for the products that have done a good job, based on how the jello looks?
I'm hoping that if you answer these questions, you'll be able to work out the answer to your original question!
Write back if you need more help, but I'm not telling you the answer straight out, because this is a major part of science - what on earth do my 'answers' actually mean?
LilGreenFrog
Molecular and cellular biologist
Molecular and cellular biologist
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cnoonan180
- Expert
- Posts: 98
- Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:33 am
- Occupation: Student
Re: I don't understand how to calculate what moisturizer work best?!
Hello!
Just to explain the great questions a fellow mentor posted that will help you with your scientific thinking skills to reason through your experiments:
The moisturizer that works best for dry skin will be the one that has a percentage closest to 100%. This is because most of the jello's weight is made up of water. So, if a moisturizer allows the jello to lose weight or dry out, it must have lost water. In terms of skin, this would mean the skin has dried out, so a low percentage would not be an ideal moisturizer for dry skin. So, the highest percentage means that this particular moisturizer kept the jello the moistest, which would be best for dry skin.
If you are interested in learning more about how moisturizers work and the causes of dry skin, click "read more" after clicking this link and check out this article and video:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/news/article?id=108324
Hope this helps and good luck with your project!
-cnoonan180
Just to explain the great questions a fellow mentor posted that will help you with your scientific thinking skills to reason through your experiments:
The moisturizer that works best for dry skin will be the one that has a percentage closest to 100%. This is because most of the jello's weight is made up of water. So, if a moisturizer allows the jello to lose weight or dry out, it must have lost water. In terms of skin, this would mean the skin has dried out, so a low percentage would not be an ideal moisturizer for dry skin. So, the highest percentage means that this particular moisturizer kept the jello the moistest, which would be best for dry skin.
If you are interested in learning more about how moisturizers work and the causes of dry skin, click "read more" after clicking this link and check out this article and video:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/news/article?id=108324
Hope this helps and good luck with your project!
-cnoonan180