How much sugar is in Bubble Gum?

Initial Observations/Predictions:

Materials Needed for Initial Experiment:

• A few sheets of aluminum foil
• One piece of gum per student
• Triple beam or electronic balance

Procedure for Initial Experiment:

• Make a small weighing boat out of a few square inches of foil. This can be made by
folding two or three layers of aluminum foil into a 1-2 inch square, and then turning the
edges up to make sides about ¼ - ½ inch high. Label your boat with your name or initials
and the date.
• Find the mass of the empty weigh boat o the nearest 0.01 g and record it below
• Find the mass of an unwrapped but un-chewed piece of gum, using the weighing boat.
Measure to the nearest 0.01 g. Do not discard the weighing boat.
• Chew the gum for exactly 15 minutes. By this time it should have little or no flavor left.
• Put the gum back on the weighing boat. Collect all chewed gum pieces in their boats and
leave them in a dry place for at least 48 hours.
• Find the mass of the dried, chewed gum on the weigh boat and record below.
• Subtract the mass of the empty weigh boat from the mass of the dried gum.
• Determine the amount of mass lost due to chewing. Calculate the percentage of mass
lost.

Data Collected/Calculations:

How did your data compare to others in the class?

How did your data compare to the gum label?

What other questions about sugar content in gum, etc. come to mind?
Designing the next experiment
In groups of 2-3, ask a new question about gum

What is the question you are asking?

How will you try to answer it?

How many trials will you do?

How will you report your result quantitatively?

What will be your controls?

What is your hypothesis?

What materials do you need to conduct this experiment?