Packing Peanuts vs

Liquids
Science Fair 2015
Moore 5.12 Physics:
Mechanics

Question
How

does a Styrofoam packing peanuts length and

width change while soaking in tap water, sugary water,
and Coca-Cola for thirty minutes?

Abstract

How

does a Styrofoam packing peanuts length and width

change while soaking in tap water, sugary water, and CocaCola for thirty minutes? Would the packing peanuts still be big
enough to cushion your package even though it is wet? I want
to find out if the size of a Styrofoam packing peanut will stay
the same size or get smaller when wet with tap water, sugary
water, or Coca-Cola, because if your peanuts are too small
then they wont be able to support the contents of your
package. If I put one Styrofoam packing peanut each in tap
water, sugary water, and Coca-Cola, then the packing peanut
in the Coca-Cola will get smaller because it contains acids that
can break down polystyrene. My hypothesis is not supported
because my results show that the packing peanuts in the CocaCola had an overall change of 2.5 centimeters, which is a 1.25
centimeter difference from the tie of the packing peanuts in
the tap water and sugary water.

Hypothesis
If

I put one Styrofoam packing peanut each in tap

water, sugary water, and Coca-Cola, then the packing
peanut in the Coca-Cola will get smaller because it
contains acids that can break down polystyrene.

Materials
Three

Styrofoam packing peanuts to put

in the liquids

Measuring

tape to measure the packing

peanuts before and after the experiment

Approximately

three hundred fifty-five

milliliters of tap water for some of the test
liquids in the cups

Approximately

one hundred eighteen

milliliters of Coca-Cola for one of the test
liquids

Approximately

one hundred eighteen

milliliters of sugar to mix into some of the
water for a sugary water solution for one of
the test liquids

Three

plastic cups to put the liquids and

packing peanuts into

Sharpie marker or some other marker to

mark the cup for cutting

Scissors
Spoon

to cut the cup with

to mix the sugar into some of the

water
Three

small paper plates to put on top

of the cut cup so that the packing
peanut is submerged under the liquid

Three

of about the same size rocks to

help hold the peanuts down

towel to put the cups on

An

index card for the trial number

An

alarm clock or timer to time how

long the packing peanuts are in the
liquid

Data
Pen

notebook to record the data in

to write in your data notebook with

Procedures (slide 1 of 4)
1.

Gather all of the materials listed above.

2.

Use the measuring tape to measure the packing peanuts length and
width in centimeters and record the findings. Put them in an order of one,
two, three; one is tap water, two is sugar, and three is Coca-Cola. This is
also because some of the packing peanuts may not be the same size.

3.

Get three plastic cups and use some tap water to measure one hundred
eighteen milliliters in your first cup, then mark where that water line is.
Make about five to seven marks, so it is all the way around the cup. Dump
out the water into the second cup, and cut with your scissors where the
mark is on the first cup. Cut with your scissors on the same point on the
third cup. Add half of your sugar to the second cup, and mark the line
where the top of the water is. Dump out this cup and rinse to make sure
there is no sugar residue left behind. Cut with your scissors on the marks
you made. Label the first cup Water, the second cup Sugar, and the
third cup Coke with the Sharpie, writing on the front of the cup so you
can see it while pouring the liquids.

Procedures (slide 2 of 4)
4.

Lay down the towel, folded about three times.

5.

Set the three plastic cups next to each other on the towel, in the order of
Water, Sugar, then Coke. Make sure to leave space in between the cups so
that there is room for the plates.

6.

Pour one hundred eighteen milliliters of the water into the plastic cup labeled
Water and the remaining one hundred eighteen milliliters into the cup
labeled Sugar. Then pour all of the Coca-Cola into the cup labeled Coke.

7.

Pour the sugar into the cup labeled Sugar and then stir with the spoon until
all of the sugar is dissolved.

8.

Fold the index card in half, and with the Sharpie write 1. (This number will
change as you repeat your trials.)

9.

Get out your three paper plates, and put a rock in the middle of each one.

Procedures (slide 3 of 4)
10.

One at a time, put peanut one into the cup labeled Water, peanut two
into the cup labeled Sugar, and peanut three into the cup labeled
Coke.

11.

Then, immediately after putting the packing peanuts in, put one of your
paper plates (which should have the rock on it) on top of each peanut to
hold it down so it is more submerged under the liquid.

12.

Then immediately after setting the paper plate onto the packing
peanuts, set the timer or alarm clock for thirty minutes.

13.

After thirty minutes when the timer or alarm clock beeps, take off the
paper plates and set them aside.

14.

Take out the packing peanuts one at a time and place them on towel in
front of that specific cup.

Procedures (slide 4 of 4)
15.

Use the measuring tape to measure the packing peanuts length

and width in centimeters and record the findings in your data
notebook with the pen.

16.

Find the change in the lengths and widths; compare the before
and after results, putting none when the measurement is the
same.

17.

Throw away the cups and plates, and make sure to use paper
towels for any messes created.

18.

Repeat this experiment nineteen more times to get more results

for comparison.

Variables
Independent

Dependent

My

My

independent variable
is the liquids in which I
am putting the packing
peanuts in: tap water,
sugary water, and CocaCola.

dependent variable is
the length and width
changes of the packing
peanut after it soaks in
the liquid for thirty
minutes.

Control: My control is the tap water.

What the Setup Looks Like

This is what the setup of

the experiment looks
like. The packing
peanuts are inside the
cups filled with liquid,
and a paper plate with a
rock is put on top to hold
down the packing
peanut. Some of my
materials are in the
background.

A Packing Peanut After

Here is what one of the

packing peanuts in the
Coca-Cola looks like
after an experiment. You
can see the droplets
better here because of
the color, instead of the
clear water.

Graph Decreased Overall Width Change

Decreased Overall Width Change
0.6
0.5
0.4
Change Decreased in Centimeters

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Trial Number
Packing Peanuts in Tap Water

Packing Peanuts in Sugary Water

Packing Peanuts in Coca-Cola

Graph Decreased Overall Length Change

Decreased Overall Length Change
0.6
0.5
0.4
Change Decreased in Centimeters

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Trial Number
Packing Peanuts in Tap Water

Packing Peanuts in Sugary Water

Packing Peanuts in Coca-Cola

Graph Decreased Width Change in the

Packing Peanuts in Tap Water
Decreased Width Change in the Packing Peanuts in Tap Water
0.6
0.5
0.4
Change Decreased in Centimeters

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Trial Number
Packing Peanuts

Graph Decreased Length Change in the

Packing Peanuts in Tap Water
Decreased Length Change in the Packing Peanuts in Tap Water
0.6
0.5
0.4
Change Decreased in Centimeters

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Trial Number
Packing Peanuts

Graph Decreased Width Change in the

Packing Peanuts in Sugary Water
Decreased Width Change in the Packing Peanuts in Sugary Water
0.6
0.5
0.4
Change Decreased in Centimeters

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Trial Number
Packing Peanuts

Graph Decreased Length Change in the

Packing Peanuts in Sugary Water
Packing Peanuts
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

10

11

Packing Peanuts

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Graph Decreased Width Change in the

Packing Peanuts in Coca-Cola
Decreased Width Change in the Packing Peanuts in Coca-Cola
0.6
0.5
0.4
Change Decreased in Centimeters

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Trial Number
Packing Peanuts

Graph Decreased Length Change in the

Packing Peanuts in Coca-Cola
Decreased Length Change in the Packing Peanuts in Coca-Cola
0.3
0.25
0.2
Change Decreased in Centimeters

0.15
0.1
0.05
0

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Trial Number
Packing Peanuts

Conclusion
My

hypothesis is not supported because my results show

that the packing peanuts in the Coca-Cola had an overall
change of 2.5 centimeters, where the tap water and
sugary water both had 3.75 centimeter overall change. I
think I got these results because the Styrofoam of the
packing peanuts resisted the acids of the Coca-Cola most
of the time, and it just left the little droplets of the liquid on
top. Since there wasnt much change in all of the packing
peanuts, your package would most likely still survive if the
packing peanuts were only wet for thirty minutes. If they
were in the liquids longer, then the results may be very
different, especially for a really extended period of time,
such as days or weeks.

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Questions?