Claim Evidence Reasoning:
Higher concentrations of bleach do make jeans fade more than lower concentrations. However, there is no correlation between fabric damage and bleach. When the jeans were put in the 100% bleach for 1 minute, it became very faded and a yellowish color. This was rated as an 8.5/10 on our fading scale. When a half-bleach half-water solution was used on the jeans for the same amount of time, it was rated as a 7 out of 10. The ¼ bleach solution gave a 4.5 for fading, while the 12.5% bleach only faded 2.5/10 according to our scale. This shows a clear downward trend of fading with decreasing bleach concentrations. That means that the more bleach used, the more the denim fades, thus proving the claim.
Possible Errors:
Although our data supports the hypothesis, errors could have happened because of time differences and prior color differences. One possible error could be the slight time separation that occurred when we put the denim into the bleach and when we took it out. This is because there were 5 denim squares and not enough tweezers so we couldn’t take them all out at the same time. Due to this inconsistency in timing, some of the fabric may have sat in bleach longer than the others. The second error may have happened when we chose our jeans. There were jeans of a wide variety of shades of blue, so we can’t be a hundred percent sure whether the color difference was there from the start, or because of the bleaching. In the future, these problems could be solved by making every group choose fabric from a single pair of jeans. This would make all the squares about the same color. To fix the timing inaccuracy, we could have 5 tweezers at each table so that all of the jeans could be pulled out at the same time.
Practical Applications:
This lab was done to demonstrate how bleach affected the color of fabrics. From this lab I learned how to carry out an unbiased, procedural, scientific experiment that gave accurate results. This helps me understand the larger concept of using the Scientific Method to answer questions. Based on my experience from this lab, I now have the knowledge to execute professional experiments that use the scientific method in its full power.
Concentration (% Bleach)
|
Average (Color Fading out of 10)
|
100
|
8.5
|
50
|
7
|
25
|
4.5
|
12.5
|
2.5
|
0
|
0
|
Concentration (% Bleach)
|
Average (Fabric Damage out of 10)
|
100
|
1
|
50
|
2
|
25
|
3
|
12.5
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
