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How to Compare Different Packing Materials for a Science Project

With the rapid growth of electronic commerce, more and more people are purchasing items and getting them shipped to their homes or businesses. The typical consumer has probably encountered a wide variety of packing materials, including wadded newspaper, butcher paper, foam packing peanuts, bubble wrap and plastic air pillows. Each may confer advantages in price, convenience and environmental friendliness. But this plethora of packing materials may leave you wondering which works best.

Things You'll Need

  • Cardboard shipping boxes
  • Packing peanuts
  • Bubble wrap
  • Air pillows
  • Newspaper or butcher paper
  • Lightweight crackers
  • Plastic zippered sandwich bags
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put at least four crackers in a plastic zippered bag and put the bag in an empty cardboard box. This serves as your control group.

    • 2

      Drop the box from four heights. The heights should vary enough to result in significantly different impacts on your crackers. Make your greatest height about 7 feet, the height of an average refrigerator.

    • 3

      Fill your boxes about halfway with packing material. Each box should have a different packing material. Add your cracker bag and fill the box the rest of the way. Tape the flaps down.

    • 4

      Drop these boxes from your chosen heights. Record any damage to the crackers in each box at each height. Include categories for whole crackers, large pieces, medium pieces and small crumbs.

    • 5

      Make a chart that displays the data you collected. Include the heights that you dropped the boxes from, the packing material used and how the crackers fared each time.

    • 6

      Create a display board to explain your project to teachers and classmates. Include your hypothesis about which packing material works the best, the steps you took to test this hypothesis and the results of your experiment. Add photographs taken during the experiment to enhance your display.

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