Science Fair Project

Beat the heatEnvironmentalBy: Shannan Higgins and Maya Mazier

Statement Of Problemo Does the greater SPF effect how long

the sunscreen will protect a person from the sun’s UV rays?

Project Overview We are going to apply spf 15, 30,50 and

a control group( there will not be any sunscreen applied to this strip) to UV sun sense strips. We will be testing to see weather or not the spf’s strength makes it last longer. We will have several trials for each category. So, we get a more accurate answer.

Research We made sure we had all things labeled

correctly (such as our independent variable, dependent variable and etc.

We researched what was need of us to carry out our project

For example what sunscreen we needed to use We researched what type of information was

needed to make the data tables We also created a system which had made it

easier to label each individual group

Variables The independent

variable is the spf number

The dependent variable is the time it takes for the sunscreen to stop working effectively

The constant variables are type of strip, type of sunscreen, location of strips, time strips are outside, temperature, and the amount of spf

Hypothesis If we apply SPF 15, SPF 30, and SPF 50

to UV SUN Sense wrist bands then we will find that SPF 50 lasts the longest compared to SPF 15 and 30 because it has the strongest UV sun protection.

Materials Sun SPF 15 Coppertone spray sunscreen SPF 30 Coppertone spray sunscreen SPF 50 Coppertone spray sunscreen Sun Wise Sun Strips Timer Paper Labels

Procedure 1. Follow safety precautions such at being sure not to look at the

sun directly and be sure no to get sun screen in your eyes.2. Gather materials3. Place UV Sun Sense wrist band face up on to the according

piece of paper labeled by spf strength(for example 15 , 30 and so on)

4. Apply spf 15, 30 ,50 and leave one band without sunscreen5. Wait outside along side the wrist bands for fifty minuets and

record the times of when the wrist bands turn from cream to purple

6. Calculate the amount of time it took the strips to change for each trial

7. Find the average time for each spf8. Analyze data to see which spf lasted the longest

Photos

Data/Observations

Control Group

Spf 50 Spf 300

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Results and Data

trials 1trials 2trials 3

Groups Tested

Seconds it

Took t

o C

hange

 Control Group Spf 50 Spf 30

trials 1 12 4740 6420trials 2 13 4860 6060trials 3 10 4620 5940

After sitting alongside spf 15 for 2hrs nothing changed!

Measured in seconds

Conclusion We found our hypothesis to be incorrect

because we felt that spf fifty would last the longest

Surprisingly spf 15 lasted longest

Possible Experimental Errors Stopping timer to quickly. Not starting early enough in the day

when UV rays are strongest. Not starting at same times in the day for

each experiment trial.

Applications and Recommendations Start at the same time during each trial. Make sure the data is organized and labeled. Make sure the data is protected from the wind. The independent variables need to stay

constant during the whole experiment. For this experiment you will need more than one

person. Do the experiment again with a generic brand

sunscreen. For application in every day life make sure to

reapply sunscreen very often when you are exposed to the sun’s UV rays.

Works Cited Weisbaum, Herb. "Does A Higher SPF Really Matter? | Seattle News,

Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News | News Archive." Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News |KOMO News. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://www.komonews.com/news/archive/4156666.html>.

"Spf Sunscreen | Best Sunscreen." Lotion Sunscreen | Spf Sunscreen. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://www.lotionsunscreen.com/ar/spf-sunscreen.php>.

"Top 10 Sunblock Tips." Worthy Articles Directory. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://worthyarticles.com/Article/Top-10-Sunblock-Tips/45302>.

"Sunscreens | Http://www.aad.org." Home Page | Http://www.aad.org. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/prevention-and-care/sunscreens>.