In the first part of the activity, each student chews a piece of gum until it loses its flavor, and then leaves the gum to dry for several days before weighing it to determine the amount of mass lost. This mass corresponds to the amount of sugar in the gum, and can be compared to the amount stated on the package label. In the second part of the activity, students work in groups of four to design and conduct new experiments based on questions of their own choosing. These questions arise naturally from observations that occur during the first experiment, and from students' own experiences with and knowledge of the many varieties of chewing and bubble gums available.

Concepts

engineering, experimental design, mass, sugar, variables, stem, chemical engineering

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Additional Tags

bubble gum, integrated teaching and learning program and laboratory, teachengineering, hypothesis, chemical engineering projects

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Classroom Considerations

• Knovation Readability Score: 3 (1 low difficulty, 5 high difficulty)