Ear Wax Project

[geoffbruton]

Hi hayamhm!

With regards to taking digital photographs of your experiment, have you tried using another light source, rather than the built-in flash? If you are able to illuminate your sample so that it can still be in focus (using something like a table lamp, for example), this would allow you to eliminate the use of the flash so you no longer get light bouncing back into the lens. Just a thought!

If you give it a try, please let us know if it works.

Good luck!
Geoff.

[hayamhm]

Hi!

Thank you for the suggestion Geoff. I would I have tried that except I finished my project yesterday. I realized that measuring with a ruler didn't work so I took another science buddy's suggestion and used rankings from 1-5. I just have one question, I ranked each day and each time I checked on the earwax from 1-5. Then I wanted to make an average of each product I used, can I just add all the rankings and divide it by the number of tests or is that inaccurate? For example, with the glycerin I did the average and it was 2.3. Is that ok in the scientific way? I heard something about a certain method of taking the average of rankings.

Thank you so much for your help!

[hayamhm]

Sorry just remembered something! Do I have to find the average anyway? Because I want to know which product works the best on earwax, and well you're supposed to use the product for 4 days, so should I just compare the last day, the 4th and the last ranking I gave the earwax on that day? Because I ranked Glycerin 3.5 as the last ranking and Murine 3.2 and Resultz 2.5. Except when I did the average, glycerin was 2.3 but Murine was 2.5. But glycerin worked better! So what should I do?

your help is greatly appreciated!

[HeatherL]

Hi hayamhm,

I want to commend you on a great project, and for sticking to it!

To answer your latest question, I think you should compare your last ranking rather than the average. There are a couple reasons for this. First, you say that the product instructions indicate that you should use the product(s) for four days. As Amber pointed out, this means that it could take that long to see the results you're looking for. Secondly, your final rankings are a CUMULATIVE effect, meaning that they are the result of all the time leading up to that point. Since you can expect the product to keep working over time, it's probably not correct to use the average anyhow.

Based on what you report, it sounds as if Glycerin worked the best over the 4-day period, but took a little longer to get there. Murine was second, but may have worked a little faster at first. That would explain the differences you saw in your 4-day rankings compared to the averages.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your presentation!

Heather

[hayamhm]

Hi,

Thank you Heather, I used your advice and I didn't add the averages. I presented my project at the school science fair and I got a medal and I'm going to regionals, all thanks to everyones help at sciencebuddies. I'm trying to improve my project for the regionals using the advice from the judges. One judge asked me why glycerin worked the best. I did research before and it said that glycerin is an excellent solvent. Except that didn't seem to be the best answer the judge wanted. I'm trying to find another reason except I can't. Why did glycerin work the best on ear wax? As for Murine, I said it worked well because it had carbamide peroxide in it which has hydrogen peroxide in it which is a good substance for ear wax. Do you know any chemical explanation? I need to have a better scientific explanation of why one product worked and the other didn't. As for Resultz, I simply said that Resultz didn't work because it is not meant to be a product for treating ear wax but for treating head lice. What other ways can I improve my project? And another thing, would science buddies be counted as mentors? For the regionals we have to write everything about our mentors and I mentioned that helped me except I wasn't sure if science buddies would count as mentors.

Thank you soo much! Your help is really appreciated.

[HeatherL]

Hi hiyamhm,

Congratulations on your medal! That's very exciting!

One piece of advice I can offer is that you might want to make a graph that shows the different rankings over time. This will give the judges a visual way to compare how each remedy worked across all four days. In other words, it will allow you to compare not only the final rankings, but also how quickly each remedy reached its maximum effect.

I'm not sure what to tell you about why glycerine worked best. Note that Murine also contains some glycerine (http://www.murine.com/wax-drops.htm). One reason that glycerine worked well may be that glycerine is an organic liquid, meaning that it is composed of carbon chains with hydrogen and oxygen. Ear wax is also organic, so the use of an organic solvent may be helpful ("like dissolves like"). Also, the hydrogen and oxygen in glycerine make it a "hydroscopic" molecule, meaning it actually absorbs water from its surroundings. This may contribute to its success in breaking up ear wax.

While Wikipedia is not a primary source, it may help you dig deeper in your research:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwax
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygroscopy

I do believe that Science Buddies counts for your list of mentors!

Please continue to keep us posted about your progress!

Best wishes,
Heather

[hayamhm]

I'm sorry I haven't replied for a while...

I have already added a table to my board showing the ranking I gave the product every time I checked on it. It has a lot of data, and it compares the three products. Do you think I should still add a graph? If so, should it be a line graph or a bar graph? Because I had 19 "tests".

The fact that glycerin is organic and hydroscopic, should that be added to my conclusionn/disscusion? I know I'm going to mention it when I present my project but my conclusion is already a page and a half long

I'm having trouble with my board though. What exactly do I have to add to my board? I have my introduction which is a page long, and purpose, hypothesis, variables, materials, and Results (3 graphs, and two tables), and a conclusion. I think I should put all of this on my board, however that might not all fit and that would mean that I would have no pictures only writing and graphs. Is that ok? I'm trying to make it look as appealing as possible so I don't want it to look dull.

Would my project be considered life sciences or physical science? I need to know for registration.

Thanks!

[HeatherL]

Hi hayamhm,

I have already added a table to my board showing the ranking I gave the product every time I checked on it. It has a lot of data, and it compares the three products. Do you think I should still add a graph? If so, should it be a line graph or a bar graph? Because I had 19 "tests".

When you present data, you should always present it in a table OR a graph - never both. That said, my opinion is that time series data are best displayed as a line graph. However, a table is perfectly fine. I find graphs more visually appealing, but it's really all about preference. If you do decide to make a graph instead, remember to replace your table (so you don't have the same data in two forms). However, feel free to keep your table.

The fact that glycerin is organic and hydroscopic, should that be added to my conclusionn/disscusion? I know I'm going to mention it when I present my project but my conclusion is already a page and a half long

You do not have to add the extra information about glycerine to your discussion, if you feel it is complete the way it is (and if space is limited). It's nice to have extra information that you can discuss with the judges, so you can impress them with your knowledge.

I'm having trouble with my board though. What exactly do I have to add to my board? I have my introduction which is a page long, and purpose, hypothesis, variables, materials, and Results (3 graphs, and two tables), and a conclusion. I think I should put all of this on my board, however that might not all fit and that would mean that I would have no pictures only writing and graphs. Is that ok? I'm trying to make it look as appealing as possible so I don't want it to look dull.

Science Buddies has excellent information to help you organize your display board:
http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... oard.shtml
Start there, and see if that helps you get on your way. You do want to include everything you listed, but often you can use pictures and graphs to tell your story in less space than it would take with a lot of text.

Would my project be considered life sciences or physical science? I need to know for registration.

You could make an argument for either category, but I think your project is most related to the life sciences, since you're examining ways to clean ear wax from human ears.

Good luck!
Heather

[hayamhm]

Thanks Heather, I never knew that! I've always thought that I had to have a graph and a table, well now I put the graph and it actually fits!

I looked at the science buddies tips for the board, they're really helpful. Except do I have to put a discussion and conclusion? Well I split my conclusion into a discussion as well, except where do I put the part about what I'd do if I did the project again? Under the conclusion or the discussion? As for the discussion, do I have to explain why Murine and Resultz didn't work, or just why glycerin did work? Because I don't know why Murine didn't work...And do you know where I can find a diagram of the hydrogen and oxygen molecules with the carbon chain? So that I can explain how glycerin is an organic liquid and ear wax is organic. Or would that be too much?

Thank you!

[HeatherL]

Hi hayamhm,

do I have to put a discussion and conclusion? Well I split my conclusion into a discussion as well, except where do I put the part about what I'd do if I did the project again? Under the conclusion or the discussion?

You can lump the Conclusion and Discussion together, or separate them into two sections. Again, this is a matter of preference. If you do decide to split them into two sections, then each one contains a certain kind of information. The Conclusion is basically what you have concluded from your results - which remedy worked the best, and why. The Discussion is where you relate the conclusions to other research, and talk about what you would do to improve the project.

As for the discussion, do I have to explain why Murine and Resultz didn't work, or just why glycerin did work? Because I don't know why Murine didn't work...

This is more likely part of your Conclusion (though feel free to lump the sections to save space!). Either way, you should discuss all of your results. According to the data you provided, it does not look as if Murine didn't work; it just seems as if glycerine worked better. So, you should discuss why glycerine did work, and why Murine also worked, but not quite as well as glycerine. Does that make sense?

And do you know where I can find a diagram of the hydrogen and oxygen molecules with the carbon chain? So that I can explain how glycerin is an organic liquid and ear wax is organic. Or would that be too much?

To get you started, the Wikipedia link I gave you does have a diagram of the chemical structure of glycerol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerine You can also type "glycerol chemical structure" into Google Images. To get the chemical structure of ear wax, again refer to the Wikipedia link I gave you on ear wax to get started: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerumen This article gives the chemical components of ear wax: squalene, lanosterol, and cholesterol. You can look up their chemical structures, too. You can include these diagrams if you feel that it helps you explain the success of glycerine for cleaning ear wax. I don't think these diagrams are as important as your data, so you can omit them if space is an issue. However, visual aids do help, so feel free to include them if you have room!

Cheers,
Heather

[hayamhm]

Hi,

Do you know anything about hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide? I can't figure out why Murine worked. Is there a chemical reaction between these chemicals and the organic property of ear wax? Or maybe a link between the chemicals and the chemical compounds in ear wax, the fatty acids- squalene, lanosterol, and cholesterol? I've read about ways of cleaning your ears and they've said that commercial products are recommended only to soften the ear wax not as a complete solution to remove the ear wax. As for Results, I'm going to state a theory, my hypothesis. Because there's really no scientific reason why Resultz worked a bit, or is there?

I think trying to find a diagram might be just over my head, I'm only in grade 8 and I didn't take chemistry yet. However it would be interesting to learn. Except how would I make a diagram if ear wax is not a chemical. Glycerin has a formula, with HO OH OH. I've researched a lot and ear wax doesn't have one. So there's no way I can make a connection. So I can't make a visual aid.

Maybe to make my project less dull I'll take a picture of the test tubes using Geoff's advice. Or I'll put pictures of each product I used. Even though I would want to make my project look more scientific...

Thank you!

[HeatherL]

Hi hayamhm,

Do you know anything about hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide? I can't figure out why Murine worked. Is there a chemical reaction between these chemicals and the organic property of ear wax? Or maybe a link between the chemicals and the chemical compounds in ear wax, the fatty acids- squalene, lanosterol, and cholesterol? I've read about ways of cleaning your ears and they've said that commercial products are recommended only to soften the ear wax not as a complete solution to remove the ear wax.

Here is the Wikipedia article on carbamide peroxide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbamide_peroxide The active ingredient in Murine is carbamide peroxide, which contains hydrogen peroxide. This compound causes the release of oxygen from other compounds, which is probably how it helps to break up and soften the ear wax. It's true that commercial products are meant to soften the ear wax. You can use water to remove it once it is softened.

As for Results, I'm going to state a theory, my hypothesis. Because there's really no scientific reason why Resultz worked a bit, or is there?

The active ingredient in Resultz is isopropyl myristate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_myristate It works to treat lice by dissolving the wax on the exoskeleton of the lice. I'm sure this wax is not the same as human ear wax, but it may explain why Resultz had some effect on human ear wax.

I think trying to find a diagram might be just over my head, I'm only in grade 8 and I didn't take chemistry yet. However it would be interesting to learn. Except how would I make a diagram if ear wax is not a chemical. Glycerin has a formula, with HO OH OH. I've researched a lot and ear wax doesn't have one. So there's no way I can make a connection. So I can't make a visual aid.

Maybe to make my project less dull I'll take a picture of the test tubes using Geoff's advice. Or I'll put pictures of each product I used. Even though I would want to make my project look more scientific...

As I said before, I don't think the chemical diagrams are overly important. Don't worry about using those as visual aids. I think that Geoff's advice is good - it would be nice for the judges to see photos of the test tubes, so that they can see what you meant by your rankings. Giving a visual represenation of your rankings is scientific! It's good to be able to compare numbers, but the photos will show the judges what those numbers actually mean in terms of what happened to the ear wax. Go for it!

Cheers,
Heather

[hayamhm]

Thank you so much for the information Heather! I added all of that into my conclusion/discussion.

I tried what Geoff told me except it didn't work. There was too much light that it turned white. I tried many times to take pictures with different flashes but nothing works. So I had another idea, maybe I can bring the actual test tubes with me to the science fair. I read the safety and regulations and all it says is not to bring anything that tests humans, animals, that uses firearms or hazardous materials, DNA extract or biotechnology materials, chemicals, organic materials like animal parts and products, plants, vegetables, soils, etc., electrical equipment or equipment with moving parts. I don't think Ear wax fits into any of those categories. So do you think it would be ok to bring that with me? Because I don't think I can fit pictures on my board, so bring the actual test tubes might be better. What do you think?

Thank you!

[HeatherL]

Hi hayamhm,

One way to fix your picture-taking problem is to turn off the flash, use external lighting, or take your pictures outside. Perhaps you can try that first.

I read the safety and regulations and all it says is not to bring anything that tests humans, animals, that uses firearms or hazardous materials, DNA extract or biotechnology materials, chemicals, organic materials like animal parts and products, plants, vegetables, soils, etc., electrical equipment or equipment with moving parts.

Hmm... Technically, ear wax is an organic material - an animal product (since humans are animals, too). I don't think that ear wax is a hazardous material, but I'd hate to see you have problems. If there's any way to use photos, I think that's the safer way to go. If there really is no way to get a good photo, then you could try bringing your test tubes with you, but be prepared to remove them if you are asked to do so.

If you do get good photos and can't fit them on your board, you could place them in front of the board as you would do with your test tubes, or on a "buddy board" (as described in the Science Buddies "Advanced Display Board Designs and Tips": http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... sign.shtml).

Remember that the photos aren't crucial. Another way to get the point across would be to define your rankings, by describing exactly what each ranking means. For example, you could say a ranking of 1 means "the wax is still hard and small, and has broken up very little," while a ranking of 2 means "the wax has swollen and started to soften, but has not broken apart." I just made up those descriptions , but hopefully you see what I mean. While pictures and visual aids are nice, your real goal is to make sure the judges understand what you did, and see how cool it is.

Cheers,
Heather

[hayamhm]

Well I thought I shouldn't risk bringing in the ear wax, so I took pictures instead. I put the flash on but turned the light off so it was all dark, and when I took the picture it caused light but not much glare. So I'm really happy. I took tons of pictures and I made my text size 16.5 and everything fits!

And another thing, I'm in french immersion and my board is all in french, but not all the judges know french. I remember last year I had to present everything in english, so I take it for granted that there's going to be english judges and practice in english or should I practice in french just in case?

Thanks!