Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,
I am helping my son with his science fair project. I have to keep things simple since my son is autistic and struggles with many academic assignments. My question is in regard to his hypothesis. We came up with the following:

If lemon juice is added to guacamole set at room temperature for over 1 hour, then it will prevent the guacamole from turning brown because asorbic acid can temporarily prevent browning.

The scientific problem is the following: What is the effect of oxygen on guacamole?

We want to conduct a total of 4 experiments 1. with lemon juice, 2. with saran wrap 3. with the pit of the avocado 4. using nothing then how do I site my hypothesis correctly. This is where ole Mom is having trouble or am I making it too hard.

Nov. 12th is when all is due and then Nov. 16th they present that night.

Please help.
Thanks,
Ms. Childers

Hi,

The bbest resource I can suggest is the Science Buddies Project Guide:

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


It pays to read all pages in the guide as it covers doing a Science Fair Project from start to finish. If I understood your question correctly though the single most relevant page is the one on Hypothesis:

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

I hope this helps. I wish you and your son great success at the Science Fair. Please have fun with this project - this is probably the most important thing about the project!

Best regards,

Barrett L Tomlinson

If your question is "What is the effect of oxygen on guacamole" then the variable you are changing is the amount of oxygen. But, your procedure is actually testing other things (adding acid, adding the seed pit, using wrap). Your question might be better stated as "What is the best way to preserve guacamole?"

If you want to keep things simpler -- try just doing mashed avocado, you don't have to make guac every time. (And change the question to "What is the best way to preserve mashed avocado?")

Also, if this is for a competitive fair, check with your fair for any special rules that apply to your son. In our state science fair, if your child is more than two years behind grade level in writing skills, a parent or helper can take dictation and fill out his science journal for him. That might be a huge help!