GORE BAY—A Charles C. McLean Public School student has qualified for the Sudbury Regional Science Fair, taking place April 6-7.
Caleigh Quinlan, a Grade 8 student at C.C. McLean was selected to compete in the Sudbury Regional Science Fair for her project ‘Surface Tension.’
Jason Quinlan, Caleigh’s father, explained, “for her project, Caleigh had been looking at different liquids-to determine which one had the best surface tension.”
A number of students in Grades 7 to 12 from Rainbow Schools will take part in the Sudbury Regional Science Fair, after qualifying at the annual RDSB regional level Science Fair held at Lockerby Composite School on Tuesday, March 5.
Ms. Quinlan explained that for her project, “the purpose of this experiment was to figure out which liquid has the highest and the lowest surface tension. I was interested in this topic because I was wondering why a drop of water actually forms a drop. With the information that I have gained I will be able to tell someone the answer if they ever have the same question.”
She used the liquids water, juice, pop, milk and mineral oil in her project and other materials including an eye dropper, a dime, cups and a plate. The procedure she used started with putting the liquid in the cups then setting the dime on the plate; dropping one drop of the liquid on the dime using the eye dropper and continuing this process, keeping count, until the liquid breaks form. Next she would write down how many drops it could take until it broke. The steps were followed for all of the liquids and she compared how many drops each took, to help determine liquid has the highest/lowest surface tension.
“My hypothesis is that out of my five liquids the water will have the highest surface tension and the mineral oil will have the lowest surface tension,” wrote Caleigh. “I think this is because the hydrogen bonds in the water have the strongest intermolecular force (the force which mediates interaction between molecules), and it will be able to make the biggest spherical shape. The mineral oil is non-polar so the only interaction it can achieve would be the London Dispersion Force (the weakest intermolecular force). Therefore I think that it will not hold as many drops and has the lowest surface tension.”
Sudbury Regional Science Fair projects will be selected for the Canada-wide Science Fair in Fredericton form May 15 to 17.
RDSB Director of Education Norm Blaseg commended all science fair participants and extended best wishes to students as they move forward in the competition. “I am always amazed at the complexity of the research that is carried out in all areas-be it earth sciences, physics or engineering,” he said.
“Student projects are a tribute to the ability of our young scientists to let their instinctive curiosity guide them as they observe, question and explore the world around them. We wish all students continued success as they vie for a chance to compete nationally (in May).”
Working on science fair projects gives students an opportunity to actively engage in authentic learning, as they investigate questions that are real. In the process, they enhance their scientific skills and further develop interest in possible careers in the field of science, said Mr. Blaseg.
