I'm planning on doing a science fair project, but it has to involve an experimen. I wanted to do it on how adding mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard to a small hamburger at McDonalds can so much fat to it that it can make it as bad as a big hamburger without the mayo, ketchup, and mustard. I also want to do this with small fries. Now, I was thinking that I would just look up the nutritional values and make a chart of that, but it's not in experiment form. Is there any experiment I could do to measure the fat in these? Or any other way I can make this into an experiment? Please help!
For mayo, catsup and mustard, you can figure out the number of calories and fat grams from information on the label. It will be given in terms of the "serving size", probably in tablespoons. Data on the calories and fat grams in a Big Mac and small fries can be obtained from any of their outlets, or probably their website.
It is refreshing to see a Science Fair question in which the person asking aleady has a good idea about what he or she wants to do!
Yes, I figured that out, but it has to be some sort of experiment. And adding up the calories and fat grams isn't really an experiment. So, is there any way I can form this into an experiment? I was hoping somebody would have an idea on that. And Thanks! Yes I do know what I want to do, but how is one of the questions.
Unless you want to do an experiment that measures calories, or grams of fat, and perhaps separates then into so-called saturated- unsaturated and trans-fats, then I have no suggestions. You could learn about how such measurements are made, and make one or two of them. It won't be easy. Packaged and fast-food sellers are required to provide that information already.
Some of these reports on food fat measurement may be helpful:
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=how+food+fat+content+is+measured&btnG=Google+Search
Thanks, I might have talk to my teacher to get some more ideas.
If I were to weigh the hamburgers, compare that to the amount of fat shown on the nutrition guide, then find a percentage of it, would that work? Then, I would add the catsup, mayo, and mustard, weigh those, find that percentage and add them to the hamburger. Then I could weigh the hamburgers WITH the condiments, and figure that percentage of fat, making it into an experiment?
To turn your idea into an experiment, you can use a test known as the Oil Blotting Method. This method allows you to compare the amount of fat absorbed by different samples. Here's how you can design your experiment:
1. Materials:
- Small hamburger from McDonald's
- Small order of fries from McDonald's
- Mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard
- Paper towels
- Weighing scale
- Plastic wrap or Ziploc bags
- Marker or pen
- Notebooks for recording observations
2. Experimental Setup:
- Obtain two small hamburgers and two small orders of fries from McDonald's.
- Label one set of samples as the control group (without mayo, ketchup, or mustard).
- Label the other set of samples as the experimental group (with mayo, ketchup, and mustard).
- Weigh each sample separately and record the initial weights in your notebook.
- Apply mayo, ketchup, and mustard to the experimental group as desired.
3. Oil Blotting Method:
- Unwrap the control group samples and place them on separate paper towels.
- Use additional paper towels to gently blot the surface of each sample to absorb any visible oil.
- Repeat the process with the experimental group samples.
- Be careful not to press too hard or squeeze the samples, as this could alter the results.
4. Weighing Process:
- After blotting, reweigh each sample individually and record the new weights in your notebook.
- Calculate the weight difference for each sample by subtracting the initial weight from the final weight.
- Repeat the process for both the control and experimental group samples.
5. Analysis:
- Compare the weight differences between the control and experimental groups.
- The greater the difference in weight, the more fat has been absorbed by the samples.
- Use statistical analysis if necessary to determine the significance of the differences.
By using the Oil Blotting Method, you can measure and compare the amount of fat absorbed by the two groups of samples. This method allows you to gather experimental data instead of relying solely on nutritional values obtained from a chart.