Wood+species+strength

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Title
Wood species temperature change resistance.

Problem Scenario
It would be very valuable to all mankind to find out which species of wood is most immune to strength changes in changing temperatures, so we can see what type of wood should be used in different climates.

Broad Question
Does species effect temperature change resistance in pounds supported?

Specific Question
Which species of oak wood, birch wood, or pine wood is least effected in weight supported amount in changing temperatures?

Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that oak wood will have the most resistance to changing temperatures.

I**ndependent Variable**:
Wood species

Dependent Variable:
Resistance

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:
Wood size, moisture content

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation
N/A

General Plan
To find which species of wood is most immune to temperature, we will take three samples of oak, maple, and pine wood. We will have a total of nine experiments, three at room temperature, three at a heated level (60 C.), and three more at a lowered level (0 C.) We will compare the amount of difference between each species of wood and how much it could support under different temperatures, and whichever one has the lowest difference will be the most immune, and vice versa.

Potential Problems And Solutions
Applying weight to the wood while it's still under the effects of the different temperatures, make sure to apply the weight quickly and with haste.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns
Burning object while heating wood, be careful with heating machinery

Experimental Design
= Comparative Study =

Number Of Comparison Categories:
Three subject will be studied, oak, maple, and pine

Number of Comparison Samples:
There will be three samples from each type of wood, one for 0, 20, and 60 degrees Celsius

Number Of Observation In Each Sample:
One, the amount of weight the wood can support in the current temperature.

When data will be collected
The data will be collected on March 3rd, 2013

Where will data be collected?:
Mr. Littlefields room, Mrs. Campells room.

Resources and Budget Table

 * Item || Number needed || Where I will get this || Cost ||
 * Maple wood || 3 || Mr. L. || N/A ||
 * Pine wood || 3 || Mr. L. || N/A ||
 * Oak wood || 3 || Mr. L. || N/A ||
 * 5 lb weight || 2 || Home/ Weight lifting room || N/A ||
 * 10 lb weight || 3 || Home/ Weight lifting room || N/A ||

Detailed Procedure
Take 3 equal sized pieces of oak, maple, and pine wood. Using two tables or desks, put the piece of wood currently being tested between the two tables, making the piece of wood seems like a bridge. Take a strong bucket with a metal handle and suspend the bucket between the two tables with the sample of wood holding it by the metal handle. Depending on how much wood is currently on the wood, add weight from any where from 10-1 Lbs. Do so with all pieces of wood at 0, 20, and 60 degrees ° C. Freeze the wood to the correct temperature with any regular household freezer, and heat it with any regular oven. Be sure to perform experiment quickly, before the woods warms up or cools down.

Time Line
2/8/13, All wood will be collected.

2/25/13, experiment will be performed.

3/1/13, data will begin to be collected.

Data Table

 * ~  || 0 °C || 20 °C || 60°C ||
 * Pine's lbs supported || 50 || 65 || 45 ||
 * Maple 's lbs supported || 20 || 70 || 50 ||
 * Oak 's lbs supported || 60 || 80 || 60 ||

All Raw Data
Oak 's lbs supported difference - 18.31 Pine's lbs supported difference difference - 4.5 Maple's lbs supported difference difference - 84.281
 * ~  || 0 || 20 || 60 ||
 * Pine 's lbs supported || 10 || 9 || 12.5 ||
 * Maple 's lbs supported || 55 || 30 || 64.281 ||
 * Oak 's lbs supported || 48 || 44 || 58.31 ||

Results
Although pine wood was easily the weakest of the three species of wood, it had the lowest difference for the amount of weight it can stand under different temperatures, with a difference of 4.5 lbs, while maple had a difference of 84.281 lbs, and oak with a difference of 14.31 lbs.

Conclusion
Pine wood is least effected in weight supported amount in changing temperatures. Oak was second least effected.

Discussion
The exact numbers in the experiment didn't have any correlation, but all three of the wood species had the amount of weight supported highest in raised temperatures, and had the lowest amount supported in room level temperatures. The relationship between the dependent and independent variable is fairly weak, but noticeable, because even though there is no correlation between any of the nine numbers, all nine of the numbers were in their highest, middle, or lowest weight supported numbers together. With this experiment we were successfully able to answer the experiment question, and we did not face any trouble conducting the experiment, and all numbers recorded in the experiment are completely accurate. This experiment would certainly be improved upon or advanced if we were to obtain weights of higher and lower weight, so when in the course of performing the experiment, you could simply add the weights, rather than having to remove a weight to add a larger one, so the weight supported number would be accurate.

Benefit to Community and/or Science
This experiment benefited the Community because not only did we learn that pine wood has a low difference number in weight supported in different temperatures, we also learned that pine is a very weak wood, and that oak wood is very strong, and should be used more often than some other woods, such as maple or pine, to build large or heavy structures.

Background Research
All three species of wood tested have very widespread distribution throughout earth, and cannot really be specified to be based in one region. With that being said, all three of these species of wood are mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere Particularly Europe and the Americas, and Oak trees have a fairly large presence in Asia.

Abstract
When I was thinking for an idea for a science experiment, I wanted to figure out which type of wood is least effected by changing temperatures. For a broad question, I wrote "D oes species effect temperature change resistance in pounds supported?" and for a specific question, I wrote "Which species of oak wood, birch wood, or pine wood is least effected in weight supported amount in changing temperatures?" Originally, I thought I would be able to simply put the weight on the piece of wood when it was in between the two tables, but it turned out to be easier if we took a bucket, and suspended it on the piece of wood by the metal handle of the bucket. The experiment went as planned, and we had no trouble performing it. To heat the wood to the correct temperature, we used an incubator, and to freeze the wood to the correct temperature, we used an everyday refrigerator freezer. To find the difference between the three species of wood, we found the difference between the first and second number of each wood, and then added that number to the difference between the second and third number of that piece of wood. This type of information can be very useful to people who work in construction, because not only does it tell them what type of wood is least effected by temperature change, but it also shows what type of wood is the strongest.