I am doing a science project about which juice cleans pennies best. I tried lemon, orange, and apple juice. I did three trials of my experiment. On average, the orange juice cleaned the pennies much better than the lemon or apple juice. My research shows that lemon juice should have been best. Do you know why this might have happened?
The results of your science project experiment seem to contradict your initial research, which claimed that lemon juice should have been the most effective in cleaning pennies. Several factors could potentially explain why the orange juice performed better in your experiment. Here are a few points to consider:
1. Concentration of citric acid: Citric acid is the active ingredient responsible for effectively cleaning pennies. While both lemon juice and orange juice contain citric acid, the concentration may vary. It's possible that the orange juice you used contained a higher concentration of citric acid, resulting in better cleaning performance.
2. Other compounds: In addition to citric acid, fruits also contain other natural compounds. These compounds, such as sugars and organic acids, can react with the copper oxide tarnish on the pennies, aiding in the cleaning process. The different composition of compounds present in orange juice compared to lemon juice and apple juice could explain the varying results.
3. Time and agitation: The time and amount of agitation used during the cleaning process may also influence the effectiveness of the juice. If the orange juice was left on the pennies for a longer duration or if more vigorous agitation was performed, it could contribute to superior cleaning.
To better understand the specific reasons behind the observed results and to draw more accurate conclusions, you may want to consider taking additional factors into account for a more comprehensive analysis. These factors could include the exact concentration of citric acid in each juice or performing the experiment with a larger sample size.