To determine which type of microwave popcorn is best, purchase five different types and pop them according to the directions. Label each bowl of popcorn, and enjoy eating the products. Have the class rate the best tasting and prepare a graph to record the results of the taste test. Measure the leftover unpopped kernels to see which brand had the least unpopped kernels. Factor those two results together to determine the top brand according to your experiments.
If you've ever noticed the small bits of popcorn at the bottom of the bowl, this experiment will explain their presence. Prior to popping the popcorn in hot oil, take a pair of pliers and carefully crack a handful of kernels. Pop the kernels as usual. Note how they pop compared to normal popcorn. The damaged hull allows steam to escape; in normal kernels where the steam cannot escape, more pressure builds as the starch inside the kernel becomes jelly and the heat drying the jelly out produces the violent explosion of popcorn.
For this tasty science experiment you will pop up three batches of yellow popcorn and three batches of white popcorn to see which pops best. Count out 100 kernels for each batch and pop until you no longer hear kernels popping. Once the popcorn has cooled, count out the popped kernels. Record your findings and determine a final count for each type to determine which popcorn pops the most successfully, yellow or white.
For this experiment you will pop a control batch first. Count out 100 kernels and pop the popcorn. Count how many kernels successfully popped and record your results. Next take 100 kernels and heat them in the oven at 200 degrees for an hour and a half. Then pop as normal and count the successfully popped kernels. Heating the popcorn ahead of time dries out the moisture in the kernels, which makes them unlikely to pop well.