Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Can children discern between cough syrup and juice, what is the best experiment to set up and what combination of age groups would be tested?

Hi, I found three projects involving taste experiments on the Science Buddies "Science Fair Project Ideas" page --

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p010.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p026.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p010.shtml

I think you could get some idea from these how to set up an experiment. The procedures give you examples of the number of volunteers and the number of samples, as well as how to set up the samples. You might need to experiment first to decide on the amounts and decide whether you need to dilute the syrup and juice. For example, if it is usually very easy to tell the difference, you might want to try different concentrations (diluting with water). I think our ability to discern the difference also depends on the flavors of the syrup and juice. For example, many cough syrups taste like cherry, so using orange juice might make it easy to guess the difference.

I hope this helps get you started. Please write back to the forum if you have more questions.

Bill

Hi!
You can definitely try different age groups based on which age groups you think will have the most preferences/ability to discern the differences. You could do a grouping of say, 3 grades and gather data from each grade. Also remember to gather data from lots of people so that you can have more accurate results. Definitely try a survey maybe during school or after school, sounds like a great idea!