Students will be entertained and educated in a food science experiment that allows them to hear electricity. Cut the short wall off one end of a disposable aluminum pan and connect it to a jalapeno pepper with circuit wire and alligator clips. Attach circuit wire to the opposite end of the aluminum strip and connect the exposed ends to a battery terminal. Insert an additional section of wire into the pepper and wrap the expose end around the metal insert tip of a pair of headphones. Allow students to take turns listening to the crackling sound made when the pepper is connected to the battery. Cut the aluminum piece shorter to see if the pepper provides a greater charge over a shorter distance.
Although aluminum is metal and resistant against many elements, it is still susceptible to corrosion. Prepare several solutes, including pepper in water, salt in water and sugar in water. Cut a disposable aluminum pan into small squares and place a square in each solute. Students should submit hypotheses ranking what food item they believe are most to least corrosive. Observe daily over one to three weeks and determine whose hypotheses were correct.
Students will learn about the effects of mulch on plant growth by creating their own while growing peppers. Teachers need permission to obtain a gardening plot at school, or set up several large plastic storage tubs in the classroom. Students will prepare three test mulches in which to grow bell pepper plants. One mulch will use recycled wood such as cedar chips, while the second mulch will incorporate shredded plastic bag. The third mulch is prepared by cutting an aluminum pan into small pieces. Mix the three additives into the soil around the test plants and place in a well-lit area. Observe over several weeks. Students should notice that the aluminum mulch encourages pepper plant growth than plastic because the reflective surface increases sunlight projection onto the plants.
A deep aluminum pan is an excellent place to conduct a simple surface experiment because its reflective nature allows students and adults to observe the experiment with far greater clarity than any other container. Fill the pan with water and wait for the water surface to calm before adding one tablespoon of black ground pepper. The pepper is small enough to rest on the surface of the water rather than break through and sink. Add a drop of dish soap and observe what happens. The pepper should immediately travel to the bottom of the pan. Discuss attractive and repulsive forces in nature as demonstrated between the pepper and the water versus the pepper and the dish soap.