Friday, August 26, 2011

There is science in everything - including a can of tuna







We just finished our third week of school and it is going well.  Yes, there have been some challenges, but that is to be expected.  I love being a full-time home school mom to all of my children. 

In science, Andrew learned about  hypothesis, theory, and scientific law in module 2 of his science book - Apologia, General Science.  Yesterday, I was able to use a kitchen example to teach this.  My example may seem silly to some, but my mind works a little weird at times anyway. 

I have noticed over the past few months that the lids on the tuna cans have two different patterns.  The brand doesn't even determine the pattern.  When I open a can of tuna, I like to squeeze the water out using the lid.  Sometimes the lid just folds in half and that really irritates me!  So, yesterday, I made tuna casserole for dinner and made the children come in and watch the difference in the two different lids.   The lids with the spaced out circle patterns are stronger than the lids with the circles close together.  The spaced out circle pattern must make the lid a little stronger.  So, this time, I've made note of which pattern works better.  That way when I purchase tuna I can get the lids that work for squeezing the water out better.  I know - a little corny or weird, but it was fun teaching anyway.

Hypothesis:  My observation is that there are two different patterns on the tuna lids and one is probably stronger and will squeeze out the water from the tuna better.
Theory:   After opening can after can of tuna, the lid with the spaced out circle pattern is stronger and seems to be thicker than the lid with the circles close together.  The lids with the circles close together do not hold up to squeezing the water out of tuna. 

Of course this isn't a scientific law, but I was able to get a point across using a silly illustration.  It will also help me in the future when buying tuna.  I took pictures of the lids and the one on top (while it is bent) is actually the stronger lid.