Carry out this consumer chemistry project to compare the absorbency of paper towels. Compile four different paper towel brands, making sure you have both cheap and luxury brands. To test each towel's absorbency, add a specific volume of water in a measuring cup, and add to a shallow dish. Place the towel flat across the water's surface and allow it to soak for one minute. Then carefully lift the towel from the water and discard before pouring the remaining water back into the measuring cup to record the absorbed volume of water. Compare the results for each of your paper towels to see if luxury paper towels are more absorbent.
Conduct this project by first gathering five different bottles of sunscreen with different sun protection factor (SPF) ratings. To perform testing on each SPF rating, place a UV meter inside a transparent plastic folder and spread a controlled amount of the sunscreen onto the fascia of the folder. Place the folder in direct sunlight, either on a table upon which the sun is shining through an open window, or on a table outdoors. Wait 10 minutes before removing the UV meter and taking a reading. Repeat this process for each SPF sunscreen before determining which is most effective and whether the difference in SPF rating is a linear scale, so SPF 20 is twice as effective as SPF 10.
Conduct this experiment to test for sugar levels in a range of beverages. Gather the most interesting drinks you can acquire, such as those which claim to have low or 0 percent sugar content. To complete the sugar testing you must first weigh the container you will use to heat each liquid on a stove, such as a saucepan. Add a controlled volume of each liquid to the container and subject it to full heat on a stove. Wait until all the liquid has evaporated, which will leave just the sugar. Allow the container to cool before weighing it again and noting the discrepancy, which is the sugar content in the beverage tested. Always take care when handling hot items during this project, wearing oven mittens when appropriate.
To complete this project, take an old white T-shirt and cut nine different same-size squares from it using a scalpel, ruler and a chopping board - always exercise caution when using a sharp blade. Compile three different laundry detergents including an economy and luxury brand, which you will use to compare cleaning performance. Stain trios of T-shirt squares with different substances, such as ketchup, grapefruit juice and chocolate sauce. Set a washing machine on a quick wash setting and test a controlled volume of each of your detergents on the three cuttings - you can save time and expense by washing all three cuttings in the same wash cycle. Remove the cuttings and allow to dry before comparing the washing performances of each detergent.