Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Are there instructions or a diagram for building the "aquarium" for this project?

Hi Madifuller,

Are you referring to this project:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... ?from=Home

If you are then I am assuming you are talking about how to build the "aquarium" in the Advanced suggestion section, right ?

Well one easy way is to buy an aquarium for fish in a pet store. This may be expensive though (I looked at http://www.petsmart.com). I read through the project description and they show instructions on making a prism out of microscope glass and epoxy. Couldn't you follow the same instructions to make an aquarium that way ? Not sure actually.

Anyway I searched the web (which actually you should try to do before asking here) and I found a DIY guide to building your own aquarium:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/aquari ... 7diyaq.htm
Before you try to go build an aquarium you may want to compare the price/cost to see if buying one in a petstore may be cheaper than building your own. Or go to a garage-sale to see if you get lucky and buy a really cheap one.

In the end though I believe you want to get yourself an aquarium that is a hexahedorn (has six flat surfaces like a box). I think that a bowl-type or curved-type aquarium will get in the way of trying to measure refraction in your experiment.

Hope this helps. Good luck !

Actually, it was project https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... p003.shtml

It was a specific aquarium that is smaller and would use less water, making it easier to change the sugar concentration. I think we may just use a 5 gallon aquarium.

The other problem is that the experiment says that all the materials are readily available, yet calls for a Bosch Digital Protractor. They cost $110 on sale!

Hi again,

Yes I see what you mean. Well maybe you should take a look at the link I gave yesterday:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... ?from=Home

This project does not require an aquarium for the basic setup. Instead it requires that you make a prism by using 3 microscope slides (http://www.physlink.com/estore/cart/Bas ... Slides.cfm) and then use some electric tape and epoxy cement (both can be bought at your local Home Depot store).

However this project researches the same topic. That is measuring the concentration of sugar in water by using light refraction.

Good luck !