Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi. I did the science fair experiment based on one of the topics listed on this site. The link of that experiment is below:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p008.shtml

The attached excel file provides the data for the height and weight measurements for varying ratios of baking soda and cream of tartar that I have documented from doing the experiment. I am looking to get some help in the interpretation of these results.

Based on research online, I found that a 2 to 1 ratio of cream of tartar and baking soda is the ideal replacement for baking soda but my results do not confirm that. Am presuming that some errors in doing the experiment led to this development but will appreciate any feedback the community on here can provide.

Thanks

P.S. I am unable to attach my data file as an attachment. Help is appreciated in being able to do this.

Hi,

You can probably paste the data as text. I'll look for your reply.

The procedure states that there may be muffins that may be "smaller that the others" and not to include these on your results.

Also remember to do all the other comparisons. (texture, taste) As this results will also guide your final answer on what is the best baking powder substitute.

Good luck,

Thank you for your reply. Below is a text version of my results table.
Weights listed are in ounces and height is in cm.
CC1 is cupcake 1, CC2 is cupcake 2 and so on.
Total of 6 cupcakes for each trial with an average listed for height and weight for each trial.
BP is backing powder in teaspoons, BS is baking soda in teaspoons and CT is cream of tartar in teaspoons.

CC1 CC2 CC3 CC4 CC5 CC6 AVG BP BS CT

Trial 1 1 0 0
weight 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 (1.47)
height 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.3 (4.33)

Trial 2 0 0.25 0.75
weight 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 (1.58)
height 4.1 4.1 4 4 4.1 4 (4.05)

Trial 3 0 0.33 0.67
weight 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4 (1.42)
height 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.4 (4.42)

[some data removed by administrator]

Apologize for the format.....it is still not coming out correct even though i typed it in format.
Trial 1 is 1 tsp BP, 0 BS and 0 CT
Trial 2 is 0 tsp BP, 0.25 BS, and 0.75 CT
Trial 3 is 0 tsp BP, 0.33 BS, and 0.67 CT
Trial 4 is 0 tsp BP, 0.5 BS and 0.5 CT
Trial 5 is 0 tsp BP, 0.75 BS and 0.25 CT
Trial 6 is 0 tsp BP, 1 BS and 0 CT

Numbers in parenthesis are the averages for weight and height for each respective trial.

I should also mention that I am supposed to measure only two things, height and weight. Color (and taste to a certain extent) which I wanted to measure were too much according to my teacher. I was advised to measure only 2 things and in my case those are weight and height