Kelly Williams

Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets




Kelly Williams and Miranda Perez
An Athletes Assets
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4














Kelly Williams
Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets


Problem
While an athlete is exerting energy, they will need electrolytes to replenish their bodies.
Electrolytes turn into ions when interacting with water. Electrolytes go anywhere that
water is in the body, meaning blood, cells, and cell surroundings. Not only do electrolytes
maintain a healthy blood pH but they also increase nerve and muscle movement ability.
Many beverage companies boast about having a reliable product that will replenish an
athletes electrolytes. Whether it is an electrolyte enriched water or a sports drink, they
have the same goal to help athletes preform at their peak level. Our question is which
form of beverage has the most electrolytes? With an electrolyte kit we will test the
beverages for electrolytes.
Hypothesis
If we test the amount of electrolytes in electrolyte enriched beverages for example
Gatorade, Powerade, Smart water and big chill +, then Gatorade will have the most,
followed by Powerade, Smart water then big chill +, because Gatorade markets towards
athletes that want to replenish their electrolytes the most, and is most popular for athletes.





Materials Needed-
o Small, Plastic Bowls
o (1) Roll of Blue Painters Tape
o (1) Sharpie
o Tap Water (room temperature)
o (1) Bottle of Gatorade, (room temperature)
o (1) Bottle of PowerAde (room temperature)
o (1) Bottle of Smart Water (room temperature)
o (1) Bottle of BigChill+
Kelly Williams
Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets

o Paper towels
o Lab journal
o Pencil
o Distilled water
o Conductivity Probe by Vernier
o Sodium chloride solution conductivity standard
o Lab quest by Vernier


Variables
Independent Variable- Type of beverage (Powerade, Gatorade, Smart Water, tap water,
BigChill+)
Dependent Variable- Amount of Electrolytes in the beverage
Controls
Temperature of Liquids
Amount of each liquid
Time given to test each
Size of bowls (8 oz.)
Source of distilled water
Units measured in milliamps
A constant voltage of 10 milliamps
Same labquest
Same probe
Same sodium chloride
Time of day
Place
Same channel used in labquest
Same time in liquids
Same rinse for sensor
Measuring cup (500mL measuring cup)
It is important that all of these controls are kept constant so the experiment is the
most accurate, that all liquids are tested under the same conditions so no elements
Kelly Williams
Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets

result in an increase in electrolytes, and that the measuring utensils and units are
the same in order to supply accuratecy.


Procedures
1. Unpack lab quest
2. Unpack conductivity sensor
3. Open bottle of sodium chloride solution and set the sensor (the tip) in the sensor.
This step is important so that the sensor is stabilized, for this is also a control.
4. Wait 15 minutes for the sensor to sit in the solution, this is also a control
5. Plug in the Conductivity sensor into the Labquest USB at the top
6. Turn on the lab quest, the button is in the upper left corner
7. Check the time that will be on the right side of the screen. If it is not 30 seconds
click on time with your stylus. This should bring you to a screen, click on time.
Erase the original time and change is to 30 seconds. This is a control
8. Get 5 small bowls, each bowl should be 8 oz, for this is a control, to assure the same
depth of liquid around the sensor.
9. Clean each bowl with tap water, making sure that there is nothing in the bowls
afterward.
10. Dry each bowl with a paper towel, assuring it is completely dry so excess tap water
does not affect results
11. Cut 6 pieces of tape, the tape is just to know witch bowl is witch.
12. Label one piece Gatorade
13. Label one piece PowerAde
14. Label one piece Smart Water
15. Label one piece Tap Water
16. Label one piece BigChill+
17. Label one piece rinse, the rinse is used to clean the sensor each trial. This is a
constant, so that the prior liquid does not affect the next liquid results
18. Place one piece of tape per bowl
19. Pour any amount of water in the rinse bowl
20. Using a measuring cup measure distilled water. This measuring cup should be clean
and measure oz as well. Pour 50ml of distilled water into the measuring cup. This
number should be exact and is a constant
Kelly Williams
Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets

21. Pour the distilled water into the cup, and then put the sensor in the cup. Let it sit in
the cup, stabilize. Start a stop watch and wait until it reaches 20seconds Stabilizing
is a constant
22. The screen should show a graph. This graph is important to watch your data over
the time it is in the solution. Press the play button which is at the bottom corner.
Since we set the timer to 30 seconds the graph will automatically stop collecting
data.
23. Click the graph button at the top of the screen and then store run. This prevents
from losing important data.
24. Take out the conductance sensor out of this solution and put in in the rinse. The
rinse is very important to clean the tip from any of the previous solution. Dry the tip
of the sensor

25. Clean the measuring cup used previously, this is important to get rid of any other
solution. Dry the measuring cup. Pour 50 ml of Gatorade into the measuring cup,
make sure it is exact.
26. Pour the solution in the cup labeled Gatorade. Put the sensor in the cup and set
begin a stopwatch for 20 seconds. This is to stabilize which is a content
27. The screen should show a graph. This graph is important to watch your data over
the time it is in the solution. Press the play button which is at the bottom corner.
Since we set the timer to 30 seconds the graph will automatically stop collecting
data.
28. Click the graph button at the top of the screen and then store run. This prevents
from losing important data.
29. Clean the measuring cup used previously, this is important to get rid of any other
solution. Dry the measuring cup. Pour 50 ml of PowerAde into the measuring cup,
make sure it is exact.
30. Pour the solution in the cup labeled PowerAde . Put the sensor in the cup and set
begin a stopwatch for 20 seconds. This is to stabilize which is a content
31. The screen should show a graph. This graph is important to watch your data over
the time it is in the solution. Press the play button which is at the bottom corner.
Since we set the timer to 30 seconds the graph will automatically stop collecting
data.
32. Click the graph button at the top of the screen and then store run. This prevents
from losing important data.
33. Clean the measuring cup used previously, this is important to get rid of any other
solution. Dry the measuring cup. Pour 50 ml of Smart Water into the measuring
cup, make sure it is exact.
Kelly Williams
Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets

34. Pour the solution in the cup labeled Big Chill +. Put the sensor in the cup and set
begin a stopwatch for 20 seconds. This is to stabilize which is a content
35. The screen should show a graph. This graph is important to watch your data over
the time it is in the solution. Press the play button which is at the bottom corner.
Since we set the timer to 30 seconds the graph will automatically stop collecting
data.
36. Click the graph button at the top of the screen and then store run. This prevents
from losing important data.
37. Clean the measuring cup used previously, this is important to get rid of any other
solution. Dry the measuring cup. Pour 50 ml of BigChill+ into the measuring cup,
make sure it is exact
38. Pour the solution in the cup labeled Smart Water. Put the sensor in the cup and set
begin a stopwatch for 20 seconds. This is to stabilize which is a content
39. The screen should show a graph. This graph is important to watch your data over
the time it is in the solution. Press the play button which is at the bottom corner.
Since we set the timer to 30 seconds the graph will automatically stop collecting
data.
40. Click the graph button at the top of the screen and then store run. This prevents
from losing important data.
41. Repeat steps 20-40 5 times, to get multiple trials and improve validation and
accuratecy of data.



Direct current
BigChill+ Smart Water Gatorade Powerade Distilled
Water
Trial 1 62.5 51.6 305.8 308.2 8.9
Trial 2 52.5 50.9 295.0 307.3 10.3
Trial 3 52.1 50.1 290.9 298.1 7.2
Trial 4 53.1 51.0 283.8 287.4 7.1
Trial 5 51.2 49.5 278.4 285.1 5.5
Average current 54.28 50.62 270.78 297.22 7.8
Kelly Williams
Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets











0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Average
BigChill+ Smart Water Gatorade Gatorade
PowerAde Distilled Water

BigChill+ Smart Water Gatorade PowerAde Distilled
Water
Trial 1 6.25 5.16 30.58 30.82 .89
Trial 2 5.25 5.09 29.5 30.73 1.03
Trial 3 5.21 5.01 29.09 29.81 .72
Trial 4 5.31 5.10 28.38 28.74 .71
Trial 5 5.12 4.95 27.84 28.51 .55
Average
electrolytes
5.428 5.062 27.078 29.722 .78
Average amount of electrolytes is found by finding the
conductance, and the conductance is found by dividing the
current by the voltage. We used a voltage of 10 for all trials

Kelly Williams
Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets

While doing this experiment we watched the graph change during the 30 seconds. We
also noticed that the tip of the sensor was barely covered by the liquid. We then tried 100 ml but
that was too much for our cups.

We will process our data by using an electrolyte tester [(1) 9V Battery, (1) 9v Battery
Clip, (2) Alligator Clip Leads, (1) Copper wire, bare, 24-gauge (1.5 meters [5 feet), (1) Digital
Multimeter]. The electrolyte kit we will use works through a circuit. We will cut 5cm of a straw,
and coil two separate wires on each end. (This will be the part of the circuit that is submerged in
the beverage). Then, connect one side of the wire to the negative, black side of the 9V battery,
and the other to an alligator clip. The other side of the alligator clip will be attached to the black
multimeter probe. The other multimeter probe, the red one, will be attached to an alligator clip,
which will be attached to the positive, red side of the battery. The circuit will make the
multimeter work, and it will show the direct current. Then, we will divide the current by the
voltage to get the conductance. The one with the most conductances has the most electrolytes.
Conclusion
During this lab we have answered our question. Our question was which had more
electrolytes sports drinks like Gatorade and PowerAde or electrolyte infused drinks like
BigChill+ or Smart Water. We wanted to know which benefited an athlete the most to replenish
their electrolytes. We learned that PowerAde has the electrolytes with an average amount of
electrolytes of 29.72 followed by Gatorade at 27.078 then BigChill+ with 5.428 then lastly Smart
Water with 5.062. This tells us that PowerAde is the best to replenish our electrolytes while
exercising or playing sports. There were some things though that could have affected the results
of our experiment. Some things that could have changed the results were the measuring cup was
too large so the 50ml was hard to get exactly, the lab quest may have not measured to the farthest
decimal point. We noticed that 50ml was barely enough to cover the senor but 100ml was too
much, if we used a smaller cup they could have had more increments. That could also fix how
the 50ml was not specific enough . Initially we thought that Gatorade would have the most
electrolytes because it is much advertised. In the end we were surprised to learn that PowerAde
had the most electrolytes.




Kelly Williams
Miranda Perez
October 25, 2013
Block 2-4
An Athletes Assets





Bibliography
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Kane, Edward. "Electrolytes 101: Why You Need Electrolytes." Electrolytes 101: Why You Need
Electrolytes. Body Bio, 7 May 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
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Drink. Rackspace, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
"Surgery." Electrolyte Tests. Advameg Inc, 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
"Discovery Health." Discovery Fit and Health. Discovery Communications, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.