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Title
In One End, Out the Other

Broad Question
Do specific types of food compost faster than others?

Specific Question
Of the four foods do avocado peels, banana peels, grapefruit rinds, or cucumber skins have the fastest rate of decomposition using a Red Wiggler worm compost pile?

Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that the banana peels will have the fastest rate of decomposition. This is hypothesized because it is known that banana peels are soft to begin with and they easily turn brown and rot, making it easier for the worms to break them down.

Graph of Hypothesis
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Independent Variable:
The different foods: avocado peels, banana peels, cucumber skins, and grapefruit rinds

Dependent Variable:
How much each fruit decomposed.

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:
Size of containers, mass of newspaper, amount of worms, mass of dirt, same scale, same habitat, and same amount of shade.

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation
Decomposition: Decomposition is the breakdown or decay of organic materials into soil. Mold: Mold is a fungus that produces a superficial growth on many different kinds of wet or decaying/decomposing organic matter. Mass: The Mass of something is the amount of matter that makes up an object.

General Plan  The point of this experiment is to see if a specific food composts faster than others, and what food it is. This experiment will take place in the greenhouse at school, in an area where each container will get an equal amount of shade. The ex periment will be run using 4 small containers containing a different food. Banana peels, cucumber skins, grapefruit rinds and avocado peels are the independent variables and the foods that will be put separately into different containers. The time between check-ins is once a week and when that day comes the containe rs and each food out, and then weigh the food. Data will be added and it will be figured out if one is composting faster than another. The experiment will be controlled by using the same amount (and weight) of worms in each container, same weight of newspaper, same weight of each food, and same amount of holes for air. Each container will be put in a space where it gets an equal amount of sunlight, along with the other containers. A camera from the school will take pictures every day data is collected and w hile the experiment was being conducted. To prevent the compost pile drying out a small amount of water will be added to each container each week or so.

Molds on the food could have been harmful and caused sickness.
 * Safety Or Environmental Concerns**

Experimental Design (add the correct headings from the experimental design page before beginning)

Resources and Budget Table
> ** from Walmart or Grants **
 * 1) ** Banana Peels, from home **
 * 2) ** Cucumber Skins, home **
 * 3) ** Grapefruit Rinds. home **
 * 4) ** Avocado Peels, home **
 * 5) ** Worms: Red Wigglers-Cost per pound: around $19.95 Per half pound: around $13.95 Per ¼ pound: around $9.00 **
 * 6) ** [] **
 * 7) ** Per ⅛ pound: around $8.00 order online **
 * 8) **  Little containers about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide :  **
 * 1) ** $2-3 dollars each, need 4 **
 * 2) ** newspaper- shredded **
 * 3) **  gram scale that measures to hundredths of grams- school (look at it next time you are at school and then get the info)  **
 * 4) ** place- greenhouse at school **
 * 5) ** Ladibug borrowed from school **
 * 6) ** soil from school- 2400 milliliters **
 * 7) ** beaker to measure soil **

Data Table
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Time Line
**1. 3/5/2012 complete design and collection of all materials (jbes) ** **2. 3/6-7/2012 run a test of the set up, not collecting data, just seeing if everything works (jbes) ** **3. 3/14/2012 run first official trials of experiment, collect first data (jbes) ** **4. 3/21/2012 complete all trials of experiment and all data collection (home) ** **5. 3/23/2012 complete all data analysis ; mean, median, range, graphs (home) ** **6. 4/1/2012 complete results and conclusions write up (home) **

Background Research
What not to compost:
 * Chemically treated wood products
 * Diseased Plants
 * Human Wastes
 * Meat, bones, fish, and fatty food wastes
 * Pernicious Weeds
 * Pet wastes

Composting starters:
 * leaves (when shredded they compost faster)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pine needles
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">newspaper or any type of paper-shredded (don’t use magazines, the ink is toxic)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cardboard

Worms help compost piles to decompose faster because they break down the food and make it easier to decompose into the soil. Which brings me to the question: Red Wigglers or ordinary earthworms? Red Wigglers are better worms to use than earthworms because they are more aggressive when composting food, and prefer shallower soil, like the containers I am going to fill with soil. Earthworms are gentler, and like to burrow deeper in soil. Because my food is going to be close to the top, it would make more sense to get the read wigglers.

Sources Cited: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.squidoo.com/worm-composting-red-wiggler-worms-earthworms__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://vegweb.com/composting/what-not.shtml__]

Detailed Procedure
**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Gather all experiment materials (see above in materials section) ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Take each container and poke holes in the bottom and top for air and drainage- each hole should be about a 1/8 of an inch wide, and there should be10 of the top and 5 on the bottom. ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Set up each compost container in the greenhouse, with the starters such as 3.5 grams of newspaper- make it moist before putting it in, 600 milliliters of soil, etc. remember: same weight of everything- don’t want different variables. ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Weigh each Independent Variable and make them all the same mass by taking parts off- 75 grams each ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Put each separate food into each container and then put same weight of worms into each container- 10 worms ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Put a ¼ a cup of water into each container- sprinkle it around ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">7. Close the lid and leave for exactly one week ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">8. After one week passes open it up- don’t disturb it in any way ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">9. Carefully take out the food item, try to free it of dirt (possible washing?) and then weigh it ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">10. Record how much it weighs in the data table ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">11. Repeat with all of the other different foods. ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">12. If the compost pile is dry, add another ¼ a cup of water. If you add the water to one, you must add it to all. You don’t want different variables. ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">13. Leave for exactly another week. ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">14. Repeat steps 9-13 ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">15. Leave for another week. ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">16. Repeat the steps. ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">17. Leave and Repeat until you have data with a considerable amount of loss of food that has been composted ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">18. Record final results in the data table and graph **

Photo List
**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Before: picture of each container at the beginning (4) ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. After: picture of each container at the end (4) ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Halfway through: picture of each container (4) ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Picture of me adding the worms and/or food ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Picture of me weighing the food and the worms ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Random pictures of me doing the experiment similar to those above ** **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">7. Picture of each food at each data collection day **

Results
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Cucumber skins composted much faster than the others, going from 75 grams to 7.12 grams in about two weeks. The grapefruit rinds went from 75 grams to 71.68 grams, the avocado peels went from 75 grams to 65.01 grams, and the banana peels went from 75 grams to 57.65 grams. The cucumber skins decreased 67.88 grams, the grapefruit 3.32 grams, the avocado peels 9.99 grams, and the banana peels 17.35 grams.

All Raw Data and Graphs
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Photos

Conclusion
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The question for this experiment was: “Does a certain food compost faster than others?” The answer is yes. The four foods tested were grapefruit rinds, cucumber peels, banana peels, and avocado peels. Cucumber skins lost mass the fastest, almost four times more than the second fastest food. The cucumber skins lost 67.88 grams in about two weeks, whereas the grapefruit rinds, avocado peels, and banana peels 3.32 grams, 9.99 grams, and 17.35 grams, respectively. Banana peels were second fastest, then avocado peels, then grapefruit rinds.

Discussion
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The question for this experiment was to see if a certain food composted faster than others. The four foods were cucumber skins, grapefruit rinds, banana peels, and avocado peels.The experiment question was answered, and the answer was cucumber skins. All of the foods started out at 75 grams, and cucumber skins composted down to 7.12 grams. The second fastest (banana peels) composted down to 57.65 grams. The two others, grapefruit rinds and avocado peels, went down to 71.68 grams and 65.01 grams, respectively. The hypothesis that the banana peels were going to compost fastest was not supported by the trials. This was hypothesized because the banana peels rot easily and it was thought that they would be easiest to break down. Banana peels didn’t compost fastest because they were extremely thick, compared to the cucumber skins, and are harder for the worms to plow through. Also, when I took the banana peels out, they had soaked up a lot of the moisture, which may have resulted in them weighing more. No patterns or trends were noticed in the experiment. The relationship between the independent variable conditions and the changes in the dependent variable was very strong. The more fibrous the independent variable was, the longer it took to compost. Also, the thicker the independent variable was, the longer it took to compost. So, according to the results, the food that is made of up of mostly water content, and isn’t very fibrous, is the fastest composter.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some problems that were managed in the experiment design were, in case of the compost piles drying out, a small amount of water would be added to each pile. Also, to prevent the worms from crawling out, several holes were made for air and several holes for drainage, but each one was not big enough for a worm to crawl through. Several problems during the experiment that arose were the fact that the first day the containers were put in the sun and slightly dried out, and were therefore placed in the shade, which resulted in some of the foods becoming denser and weighing more. Another problem that was encountered was the dirt bits on the food. The little specks of dirt were attempted at being flicked off, but not all of them, so that probably changed the results also. The containers should have been placed in the shade from the first, and somehow there should have been a solution to the dirt flecks. The information and technology needed to conduct this experiment included how to build an average composting pile, what to put in it, and what not to compost. Technology-wise a camera was needed to take pictures of the food every time data was collected, and a scale that measured to the hundredth of a gram was also needed. Someone could improve the information or technology about the experiment design and results about the question in the future by showing what characteristics a food had that would make it compost faster or slower. Also, they help the person make an educated guess, if they did the same experiment with different foods, which food would compost fastest.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The knowledge gained through the experiment could benefit or be useful to people of society because, if they were starting a compost project, they would know what foods compost fastest and add them in if they were in a hurry to compost. The experiment would also show them which food composted slowest, and what contents of a food made a food compost slower/faster. Anyone could use the information for their composting, and it would help pollution, and help them have healthier, richer soil. A new breakthrough in information or technology that this experiment might bring in the future could be a device that could foresee the rate of decomposition for a food, depending on what it was made up of.