Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

How do you know which moisturizer is good and which is bad on jello? Which results pertain to the moisturizer being the best and which results pertain to the moisturizer being the worst? How do I tell?

Hi,

Welcome to Science Buddies! I think you are doing this project:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p015.shtml

Did you tab through the sections of the project to see the details? Go back and check for information under each tab.

If you read through the materials and procedure section, you will see that you are testing the effectiveness of each moisturizer by weighing the Petri dishes which contain Jell-O covered by moisturizer and also measuring the height of the Jell-O. Results are compared to a control with no moisturizer. The directions are detailed and quantitative. You need to record results for two weeks and graph your results.

Does this help? Please let us know if you need more information.


Donna Hardy

Yes I did check all the tabs and I am aware that I have to measure the weight and height, but after doing that is the one that showed greatest change in height and weight the good one or the one that showed the least change in height and weight over time.

Hi Kolsaarw,

I do apologize. I misinterpreted your question. Thanks for posting again.

The purpose of moisturizers is to retain water in the skin. So, in this experiment, the moisturizer that minimizes the loss of the weight and volume of the Jell-O would be the best moisturizer. So the best product would be the one that shows the least change over time.

Donna Hardy

Thank you so much for answering my question. It's gonna help a lot.

Hi

You are welcome! Do you have data to graph yet?

Donna

Yes I do have data and I am in the process of the experiment. I am 1 week into it and so far it's going good. Is the jello going to change in appearance or only weight and height? Will it start to have cracks or some sort?

Hi Kolsaarw,

Excellent. It sounds like you are making great progress. Hopefully the jello will just change in weight and height and the gel bed will remain intact. Your results will be affected if the gel cracks, but make notes if anything unexpected happens. Are you taking a few photos?

It is not too early to be working on your display board. Check out the information on the Science Fair Project Guide on this website. Your graphs should be the main feature on the board, and you can go ahead and write up most of the sections except the conclusion.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ndex.shtml

Donna

Yes I have already started working on my display board and I have already typed most of it. I was just wondering if there will be cracks on the top of the moisturizer not the jello.

Yes I have already started working on my display board and I have already typed most of it. I was just wondering if there will be cracks on the top of the moisturizer not the jello.

Hi kolsaarw,

The moisturizer does not have the physical structure that would result in cracking, so this should not happen.

Donna

Thank you but then what's the need of taking pictures with a camera.

Hi
I just wanted to know when you will reply to me previous question.
Thank you

Hi,

I do apologize for the delay in responding.

I had suggested that you take pictures as these will be helpful for your display board. It will help the judges and anyone else viewing your project to immediately understand how you did the project. Communicating your results and how you obtained them is very important for the science fair.

If you can't take photos, then a drawing illustrating the experimental set up would also work.

Your graphs with the weight and height vs time will be the centerpiece of your display board.

Here's the information from this website on the display board; it's not to early to be thinking about how you will put this together.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... oard.shtml


Donna

Thank you so much and yes I did take pictures, I was just wondering what's the reason to, and thank you for the explanation. And yes I have started on my display board and I have done everything except the results. And I am in the process of creating my board and making it perfect.
Thank you so much
You have been a great help
And it looks like that my results are turning out to be right and nothing has gone wrong in the experiment.

It's great that you worked ahead on your display board. It sounds like you have everything under control. Good luck at the science fair!

Donna

Hello
Do you happen to have any ideas on making my science fair board pop out and look different? Any ways to add something to my title board that connects to the experiment?
Please get back as soon as possible!

Hi,

This is an excellent question.

Anything visual that you could add to help the judges understand your project would be helpful. You could include a photo of each moisturizer with a description of the contents, a step-by-step photo or drawing sequence showing how you set up the plates, and a photo or drawing showing how you measured the results.

You might include one or two images from magazine ads for moisturizers. Try this and include this type of image only if it seems to fit in and looks good. These should not be the focal point of the display board, but included to enhance the display.

The graphs showing the change in weight and height are the most important part of your display board and should be clearly labeled so the judges can evaluate your results. You could do the graphs in a color scheme that coordinates with the background color. Make the graphs as large as possible.

You might want to do a subtle background that suggests water, or use a simple border with a wave pattern.

Clear and neat are important in science fair display boards.

Donna

Thank you so much! You have been a great help!