Akshat Patwardhan
Mr. Orre
Jean Lab Conclusion
In the Jean Lab we asked the question, “What concentration of bleach is best to fade the color out of new denim material in 10 minutes without visible damage to the fabric?” After conducting the experiment, we observed that, in 10 minutes, the 50% bleach concentration had the best fade of color without damaging the fabric of the jeans to much. After we bleached the jeans and started recording ratings, and we realized that the 50% concentration was the best for some reasons. First of all, when analyzing which percentage was the best we had to consider two factors, the color removal and the fabric damage. The ratings that we took for the 50% concentration were well rounded. The average color removal was 5.33, which means that the faded color on the jeans is noticeable. Also, the average fabric damage for the 50% concentration was 4.67, which is almost 4 less of a rating than the 100% concentration. Next, it is widely known that higher concentration of bleach ends up with more color loss, but also making the item weaker. Lastly, when looking at the data of the 100% bleach concentration we can see that even though it has a rating of 3 higher than the 50%, making it fully faded, the damage in the fabric is apparent and visible. The 50% concentration adds a nice faded color to the jean, while keeping the jean sturdy and durable.
While our hypothesis was supported by our data, there could have been errors. One example of an error is the amount of water that you put for the jeans to soak in. This could affect the procedure because then the bleach concentration percentage inside the jean squares would be different than others. This is true because the water could suck out more bleach from one set of jean squares than the others and then the data would not be completely true. One other error that could have happened is when we put in and took out the jean squares from the different petri dishes, some of the squares had more time inside the bleach. This could affect the experiment because the jean squares that had more time to soak in the bleach could have faded more than the others so the results would not have been completely accurate. Two recommendations that I have for this experiment later on is to try and make sure that the time of when the jeans are in the bleach are all the same so that it is completely accurate. The other recommendation is that the amount of water should be the same and a way that we could do that is by using a triple beam balance. We can have a beaker with the right amount of liquid, and then we can use a similar beaker to try and duplicate the amount of water accurately by making the two beakers to balance each other with their weight.
This lab was done to demonstrate the importance of the scientific method and how to use the steps of this method to answer the question in an effective way. From this lab I learned how to set up an experiment properly and how to analyze data which helps me understand the concept of the scientific method. This lab that we did represented the scientific method because we had to ask a question, write a hypothesis, collect information, conduct an experiment, record the results and finally analyze the data so that we can make a conclusion. The steps we took to answer the question are the steps of the scientific method. Based on my experience from this lab I can apply the skill sets that I learned to other experiments that we do and also I can apply these skills whenever I need a question that needs an answer.
Concentration (% Bleach)
|
Average Color Removal
(Scale 1-10)
|
Average Fabric Damage
(Scale 1-10)
|
100
|
8.67
|
8
|
50
|
5.33
|
4.67
|
25
|
2.67
|
1.67
|
12.5
|
1.33
|
0.33
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
