Procedure
- Place 4 plastic bins on a flat surface in room temperature. Label each bin with each of the test materials. (ie Cut up Sponges, Cotton Balls, Hay and Control test.)
- Place 4 lids in front of each of the 4 bins.
- Using the house hold scale, measure 10 grams of the first test material and place on the lid that is in front of the proper labeled bin. (You can cut the sponges into smaller pieces to make 10 grams)
- Repeat for the other test materials.
- Pour 6 cups of water into each bin using a measuring cup and water from the same water source.
- Pour 2 cups of motor oil in each bin using a measuring cup. The oil must be poured into each of the 4 bins at the same time.
- In each bin place 10 grams of the test materials from the lid at same time in their own labeled bin.
- Leave one bin with no materials except oil and water as the control test.
- Start the stop watch and observe for 5 minutes while completing steps 10 &1 1 .
- Put on your plastic gloves.
- Carefully move the objects in each of the bins on the water with your hand to simulate ocean currents. (approx. 5 seconds each)
- After 5 minutes, take the materials out of the bins with your gloved hands at the same time.
- Put the tested materials on their own plastic lid. (Lids from each plastic bin)
- Scoop the remaining oil off the top of the water of one test bin with a spoon wrapped in tin foil (to protect the spoon from getting damaged by the oil).
- Put the oil that you scooped off of the water into a measuring cup (Get as much oil off as possible).
- Measure how much oil is left over in the measuring cups compared to the original 2 cups.
- Record data into a data table.
- Clean the measuring cup with paper towel.
- Repeat step 14-18 for the other three test bins.
- Clean up your experiment! Your done!