Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,

I'm doing a version of the Old Salty Project. The taste order listed is 1) water, 2) 5% salt, 3) 10% salt. Why aren't the 3 things tasted in a random order?

Also, should I have them taste a cracker in between, or does it matter?

Thank you.

Hi,

I'm actually not sure why the instructions suggest testing in order of least to most salty. Good catch! I'd actually suggest randomizing the order so that your subjects don't have any clues about the contents of the cups. Just make sure that you keep track of which liquid is in which cup!

As for the cracker idea, I think it would be better to have them take a drink of plain water in between each test sip. You'd give each subject a "palate cleanser" cup of water that they know is just water, and three randomly ordered test cups.

Good luck! Seems like an interesting experiment.
Megan