Let's pop.

Sorry, it's been a while since i've updated my blog but only because my Google died and that means everything google powered also died, including blogspot. ANYWAYS. So I started my experiment today. Yesterday i went to Coles and I bought two different brands of popcorn to test: Uncle Toby's and Coles. Originally i was planning to test around 3 brands but i changed it to two since they were on special LOL. i'm such a cheap asian.
I also picked these two because they were both buttered flavour, required the same time to pop and they were the same amount in each packet.
I'll post results up later and pictures in my next post.

Second blog submission, method of popcorn experiment.

I've previously written up an experiment here before but I think i will rewrite it and perhaps change some of my aim, hypothesis and method. It seemed too simple before.

AIM: To investigate if different brands of popcorn will leave different amounts of unpopped kernels.
HYPOTHESIS: Different brands of popcorn will leave different amounts of unpopped kernels.

EQUIPMENT: Three packets of popcorn from three different brands (I've only bought Uncle Toby's so far, but I will buy the rest later when i find the brands with the same popping method and flavour), a 850W microwave.
RISK ASSESSMENT:
Identify: Umm, the heat and pressure from the microwave.
Assess: The heat and pressure from the microwave could cause the popcorn to overheat and an explosion may occur inside the microwave. Yes?
Control: Make sure the time set for the kernels popping is no longer than necessary, if signs of overheating is seen, stop the microwave.
Disposal: uhh, well you can't really dispose a microwave but you should throw the popcorn out when finished with it.

METHOD:
1. Collect and set up equipment.
2. Remove plastic wrapper from the popcorn packaging and place bag in the centre of the microwave with correct side up.
3. Set microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes and 30 seconds (time recommended for 850W microwaves)
4. Press start and listen for the corn starting to pop. When the popping slows to around 1-2pops per second, stop the microwave.
5. Observe the process.
6. Leave bag to cool for 30 seconds and remove from microwave.
7. Count and measure the number of unpopped kernels for the brand and record results.
8. Repeat experiment.
9. Compare and analyse results.

Ohmygosh. I know my experiment sounds really simple and pointless but i'm planning to analyse it in detail so stress less! My discussion will be good, i hope. (:

I do blog regularly, see?

So i'm feeling quite bored at the moment and I thought, yeah why not blog. This is completely unrelated to science by the way, It's just to show off that yes, i do blog regularly!
I have to go buy popcorn soon to start my experiment, my microwave still smells like popcorn from the last time i popped it. Oops.

Simple, no?

So I decided my experiment is too simple and because I cannot be bothered changing my aim, hypothesis and essentially my whole experiment, i decided to just analyse the microwave and how it manages to pop the popcorn kernels as well as how they pop. So here's some research about that.

Microwaves heat food using dialectric heating (also known as electronic heating, RF heating and high frequency heating), which is the process in which radiowave or microwave electromagnetic radiation heats a dielectric material. Yeah, by the way a dielectric is an electrical insulator that may be polarized by the action of an applied electric field.
Umm anyways, so the microwave uses microwave radiation to heat water and other polarized molecules in the food. This excitation is fairly uniform, leading to food being more evenly heated, except for thick objects.
A microwave oven works by passing non-ionizing microwave radiation, usually at a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz (GHz)—a wavelength of 122 millimetres (4.80 in)—through the food. Microwave radiation is between common radio and infrared frequencies. Water, fat, and other substances in the food absorb energy from the microwaves dielectric heating. Many molecules (such as those of water) are electric dipoles, meaning that they have a positive charge at one end and a negative charge at the other, and therefore rotate as they try to align themselves with the alternating electric field of the microwaves. This molecular movement represents heat which is then dispersed as the rotating molecules hit other molecules and put them into motion.
A common misconception is that microwave ovens cook food "from the inside out". In reality, microwaves are absorbed in the outer layers of food in a manner somewhat similar to heat from other methods. The misconception arises because microwaves penetrate dry non-conductive substances at the surfaces of many common foods, and thus often induce initial heat more deeply than other methods.

I will combine this research with my popcorn research later on in my discussion in my actual experiment report. Oh man, I really need to start worrying about my experiment now... i want to change my aim because it seems overly simple but could I simply analyse the variables at a Year 10 level and still carry on counting kernels? Pleaaase Ms Zhang?
Hmm, i should stop procastinating and blog more. Bye (:

Climate graph

Okay, here's my climate graph. i'm sorry it looks so dodgy, it's because my scanner/printer sucks and I didn't know how to work excel so I did it by hand. Wow it does look extraordinarily dodgy! So yeahh, that's all (:

A tad of research...

Okay, so i've done a little bit of research on how popcorn pops.

Corn popping was originally discovered by Native Americans, but became popular as a snack food during the United States Great Depression, especially in movie theatres. Corn is able to pop because, each kernel of popcorn contains a certain amount of moisture and oil. Unlike most other grains, the outer hull of the popcorn kernel is both strong and impervious to moisture, and the starch inside consists almost entirely of a hard, dense type.This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive "pop" results. As the oil and the water are heated past the boiling point, they turn the moisture in the kernel into a superheated pressurized steam, contained within the moisture-proof hull. Under these conditions, the starch inside the kernel gelatinizes, softening and becoming pliable. The pressure continues to increase until the breaking point of the hull is reached: a pressure of about 135 psi (930 kPa) and a temperature of 180 °C (356 °F). The hull ruptures rapidly, causing a sudden drop in pressure inside the kernel and a corresponding rapid expansion of the steam, which expands the starch and proteins of the endosperm into airy foam. As the foam rapidly cools, the starch and protein polymers set into the familiar crispy puff.
This is all just a little bit of pre- research so I actually got it all from Wikipedia. I will do some more indepth research a bit later after i've actually done the practical.

There are a lot of techniques to pop corn but for my experiment, i will simply use the prepackaged microwaveable popcorn.

Oh and I'm not sure if this is Year 10 level, so Ms Zhang if you're reading this, please give me some feedback? Thanks so much (:

holidays procastination

Ooooops, it's second week of the holidays already and I keep forgetting to update my blog. Um, so i'm planning to start the practical part of my SRP next monday so I guess i need to go out and start buying my popcorn!
So yeah, that's all. Have a nice holiday everyone, or what's left of it...

MADDY