conclusion
To conclude, my hypothesis was not supported by the final result of the experiment. But I would say that the experiment was successful due to the fact that it met every aspect of the original purpose. The original purpose of this lab experiment was to see which method is the best for cleaning up an oil spill (absorbing and containing). The cotton balls worked the best between the four independent variable: baking soda and vinegar, dish soap, cotton balls and paper towels. The cotton balls absorbed 40% of the oil and contained about 10% of the oil while the dish soap contained 40% but absorbed 0%. Even worse, the paper towels absorbed only 25% and contained no oil. All and all, the mixture of baking soda and vinegar should not be used for the purpose of cleaning up oil spills because it only contained 5% of the oil and absorbed nothing. The percentages of the absorbing and containing of different materials are my dependent variables. During our example, the controlled variable such as the temperature and densities of the oil and the water were kept the same within our abilities. Overall, I believe the experiment was extremely meaningful and I've learned many new things about oil spills during my lab.