results day 15 :)

Heyy everyone!!!!!!!!!! :) :)

Well im very happy today as this is it! my experiment has been completed! Yay! Ok well now i know that my results definitely have refuted my first, initial hypothesis! Woops- lol! But thats ok, that just means more to talk about in my report! Anyway here are the results for day 15, the final day!

Water evaporation:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: current height in ml: 200ml
Current height in cm: 6cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 10ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/ mm: 3mm

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: current height in ml: 193 ml
Current height in cm: 5.8 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 10ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm:3mm

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: current height in ml: 213mm
Current height in cm: 6.4 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 7 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 2mm

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: current height in ml: 211mm
Current height in cm: 6.1 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 3 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 1 mm


Colour and appearance:
Measuring cup1- plain water: this is pretty much the same as day 13 in terms of colour and clearness of the water. Once again the small, tiny bubbles are moving more towards the bottom of the cup. This is a big change from day 1, when all the bubbles were evenly dispersed amongst the cup.

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: this also is the same as day 13. The colour and appearance of the water in the cup is still clean and clear with no bubbles, this is expected.

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: there once again is not much change. The liquid pool cover still looks like bundles of murky clouds at the surface of the chlorinated water, and also, at the very top surface of the chlorinated water, I have observed little dots starting to appear.

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: the same as measuring cup 2 for colour and appearance.


Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content:
For all the measuring cups, this is the same as both days 1,3,5,7,9,11,13 which were all the same. Although the different waters are being evaporated from the measuring cups, the Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content will remain the same in ratio to the amount of water remaining.

Ps. I will post the summary table for wk 2 soon! I wont post the chemical characteristics table because as you can see from my previous posts that has all remained the same. So yeah ill just post the evaporation table. Oh and ill also post the final pictures for wk 2!

xoxo Mira

results day 13 :)

Heyy everyone! :)

Well fortunately my experiment is almost coming to a close, im on the 13th day!! Wooo! That means only 2 more days to go! Im glad i planned the experiment to fit into this timing, because now I have 2 weeks to complete the actual report, which is exactly how much time ms zhang said we should leave to complete the report. So that is good! Anyway, here are the results for day 13!

Water evaporation:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: current height in ml: 210ml
Current height in cm: 6.3cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 7ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/ mm: 2mm

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: current height in ml: 203 ml
Current height in cm: 6.1 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 10ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm:3mm

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: current height in ml: 220mm
Current height in cm: 6.6 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 13 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 4mm

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: current height in ml: 214 mm
Current height in cm: 6.4 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 3 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 1 mm

Colour and appearance:
Measuring cup1- plain water: this is pretty much the same as day 11 in terms of colour and clearness of the water. Once again the small, tiny bubbles are moving more towards the bottom of the cup. This is a big change from day 1, when all the bubbles were evenly dispersed amongst the cup.

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: this also is the same as day 11. The colour and appearance of the water in the cup is still clean and clear with no bubbles, this is expected.

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: there once again is not much change. The liquid pool cover still looks like bundles of murky clouds at the surface of the chlorinated water, and also, at the very top surface of the chlorinated water, I have observed little dots starting to appear.

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: the same as measuring cup 2 for colour and appearance.

Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content:
For all the measuring cups, this is the same as both days 1,3,5,7,9,11 which were all the same. Although the different waters are being evaporated from the measuring cups, the Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content will remain the same in ratio to the amount of water remaining.

xoxo Mira

results day 11 :)

Heyy everyone! :)

well so far the experiment is remaining consistent in terms of which liquids in which measuring cups are evaporating faster. Although the results so far have refuted my current hypothesis, i will be doing research into why this is so. Maybe there are some scientific theories to explain this???

Water evaporation:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: current height in ml: 217ml
Current height in cm: 6.5cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 10ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/ mm: 3mm

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: current height in ml: 213 ml
Current height in cm: 6.4 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 10ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm:3mm

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: current height in ml: 233 mm
Current height in cm: 7 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 10 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 3mm

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: current height in ml: 217mm
Current height in cm: 6.5 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 13 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm:4 mm

Colour and appearance:
Measuring cup1- plain water: this is pretty much the same as day 9 in terms of colour and clearness of the water. Once again the small, tiny bubbles are moving more towards the bottom of the cup. This is a big change from day 1, when all the bubbles were evenly dispersed amongst the cup.

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: this also is the same as day 9. The colour and appearance of the water in the cup is still clean and clear with no bubbles, this is expected.

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: there once again is not much change. The liquid pool cover still looks like bundles of murky clouds at the surface of the chlorinated water, and also, at the very top surface of the chlorinated water, I have observed little dots starting to appear.

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: the same as measuring cup 2 for colour and appearance.

Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content:
For all the measuring cups, this is the same as both days 1,3,5,7,9 which were all the same. Although the different waters are being evaporated from the measuring cups, the Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content will remain the same in ratio to the amount of water remaining.

xoxo Mira

results day 9 :)

Heyy everyone! :)
Ok well, I’ll just get straight to the results for day 9! Yay more than halfway there!

Water evaporation:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: current height in ml: 227ml
Current height in cm: 6.8cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 13.3ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/ mm: 4mm

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: current height in ml: 223 ml
Current height in cm: 6.7 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 7ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm:2mm

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: current height in ml: 243 mm
Current height in cm: 7.3 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 7 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 2mm

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: current height in ml: 230 mm
Current height in cm: 6.9 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 7 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm:2 mm

Colour and appearance:
Measuring cup1- plain water: this is pretty much the same as day 7 in terms of colour and clearness of the water. Once again the small, tiny bubbles are moving more towards the bottom of the cup. This is a big change from day 1, when all the bubbles were evenly dispersed amongst the cup.

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: this also is the same as day 7. The colour and appearance of the water in the cup is still clean and clear with no bubbles, this is expected.

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: there once again is not much change. The liquid pool cover still looks like bundles of murky clouds at the surface of the chlorinated water, and also, at the very top surface of the chlorinated water, I have observed little dots starting to appear.

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: the same as measuring cup 2 for colour and appearance.

Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content:
For all the measuring cups, this is the same as both days 1,3,5,7 which were all the same. Although the different waters are being evaporated from the measuring cups, the Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content will remain the same in ratio to the amount of water remaining.

xoxo Mira

pictures for week 1 :)

heyy everyone!!! :)

ok so these are the pictures from th end of week 1! :) the first shot is just a picture of all the measuring cups so you cant really see much water loss. but pictures 1,2,3 and 4 of the individual cups, you can see the water loss yay! and the last picture is kind of like an aerial shot of them all. id also like to point out for measuring cup 3 in the picture you can clearly see the liquid pool cover and how it kinda lookes like clouds and has spread to the side.

xoxo Mira

Summary of wk 1 results shown in tables :)

heyy everyone! :)

in this blog ill include the weekly summary tables. sorry that the tables came out so small! as you know i did them on word then pasted them on paint and saved them as a jpeg, and whenever i try to make them bigger, it get all blurry and distorted! :(


Table 1: Summary of water evaporation in 4 measuring cups for wk 1:



Table 2: summary of pH, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser level in all 4 measuring cups for wk 1:

Table 3: summary of colour and appearance of all 4 measuring cups for wk 1:

Overall comment:

I am very shocked with my results! Originally, as you can tell from my hypothesis, I thought that the water in the glass with no cover and no chlorine content will evaporate the fastest, followed by the chlorinated water with no cover, followed by the chlorinated water with the liquid pool cover and finally the chlorinated water with the solid pool cover will evaporate the slowest. But as you can see from my results, this is certainly not the case! In fact so far, measuring cup 2 (chlorinated water) is evaporating the fastest, followed by measuring cup 4 (chlorinated water with solid pool cover), then cup 1(plain water) and finally cup 3 (chlorinated water with liquid pool cover- so far has had no evaporation!).

ps: i will post the weekly pictures in the next blog!

xoxo Mira

results day 7 :)

Heyy everyone! :)

So here are the results for the seventh day of conducting the experiment! I will record the results as usual just as I have for the past few days, but then I am also going to include a few extra tables (shown in one of my previous blogs) that will act a sort of summary for the whole week of all the different aspects I have regularly covered in my results. So here are day 7 results:

Water evaporation:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: current height in ml: 240ml
Current height in cm: 7.2cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 2ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/ mm: 0.5mm

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: current height in ml: 230 ml
Current height in cm: 6.9 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 3ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 1mm

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: current height in ml: 250 mm
Current height in cm: 7.5 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 0 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 0

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: current height in ml: 237 mm
Current height in cm: 7.1 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 3 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 1mm

Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content:
For all the measuring cups, this is the same as both days 1,3 and 5, which were all the same. Although the different waters are being evaporated from the measuring cups, the Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content will remain the same in ratio to the amount of water remaining.

Colour and appearance:
Measuring cup1- plain water: this is pretty much the same as day 3 in terms of colour and clearness of the water. Once again the small, tiny bubbles are moving more towards the bottom of the cup. This is a big change from day 1, when all the bubbles were evenly dispersed amongst the cup.

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: this also is the same as day 3. The colour and appearance of the water in the cup is still clean and clear with no bubbles, this is expected.

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: there once again is not much change. The liquid pool cover still looks like bundles of murky clouds at the surface of the chlorinated water, and also, at the very top surface of the chlorinated water, I have observed little dots starting to appear.

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: the same as measuring cup 2 for colour and appearance.

ps: ill include the summary tables and an overall comment of the weekly results in te next blog!

xoxo Mira

results day 5 :)

Heyy everyone! :)

Here are the results for day 5.

Water evaporation:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: current height in ml: 242ml
Current height in cm: 7.25cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 3ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/ mm: 1mm

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: current height in ml: 233 ml
Current height in cm: 7 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 10ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 3mm

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: current height in ml: 250 mm
Current height in cm: 7.5 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 0 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 0

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: current height in ml: 240 mm
Current height in cm: 7.2 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 3 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 1mm

Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content:
For all the measuring cups, this is the same as both days 1 and 3, which were all the same. Although the different waters are being evaporated from the measuring cups, the Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content will remain the same in ratio to the amount of water remaining.

Colour and appearance:
Measuring cup 1-plain water: the colour of the water is still quite clear and clean, and its appearance has changed a little. The small, tiny bubbles are still present, but just like I said before, they are still moving more towards the bottom, and the ones at the top are starting to disappear.

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: The colour and appearance of the water in the measuring cup has not changed. It is still completely clean and clear with no bubbles.

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: once again, the liquid pool cover still looks like small bundles of murky clouds. It still has a length of about half a centimetre and is continuing to settle at the top- just like a cover should. Before all of the water in the measuring cup was looking quite murky and opaque, but now it is starting to clear up.

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: this is exactly the same as measuring cup 2.

xoxo Mira

results day 3 :)

Heyy everyone! :)

So far it is the third day and the experiment is going well. Although there is not much evaporation occurring in the measuring cups, there is some and I will record my results here:

Water evaporation:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: current height in ml: 245ml
Current height in cm: 7.35cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 5ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/ mm: 1.5mm

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: current height in ml:243 ml
Current height in cm: 7.3 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 7ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 2mm

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: current height in ml: 250 mm
Current height in cm: 7.5 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 0 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 0

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: current height in ml: 243 mm
Current height in cm: 7.3 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 7 ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 2mm

Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: Ph level: 7.2 (this is in the ok range-this range lasts from 7.2 to 7.8)
Chlorine level: 0 (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 0 to 0.5)
Alkalinity: 80 ppm (this is in the ok range- this range lasts from 80 to 120)
Stabilizer: 0 ppm (this is low, there is only one figure)

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: Ph level: 6.8 (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 6.2 to 6.8)
Chlorine level: 1 (this is in the pool ok range- this range lasts from 1-2.5)
Alkalinity: 0 ppm (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 0-40)
Stabilizer: 0 ppm (this is low, there is only 1 figure)

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover. Ph level: 6.2 (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 6.2 to 6.8)
Chlorine level: 1 (this is in the pool ok range- this range lasts from 1-2.5)
Alkalinity: 40 ppm (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 0 to 40)
Stabilizer: 0 ppm (this is low, there is only 1 figure)

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover
The measurements for this liquid are exactly the same as the ones listed for measuring cup 2, as they both contain the same chlorinated water.
Ph level: 6.8 (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 6.2 to 6.8)
Chlorine level: 1 (this is in the pool ok range- this range lasts from 1-2.5)
Alkalinity: 0 ppm (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 0-40)
Stabilizer: 0 ppm (this is low, there is only 1 figure)

Colour and appearance:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: the colour is clear and the appearance is quite bubbly. Before there were tiny bubbles everywhere in the water, top, middle and bottom. But now they are starting to gather more towards the bottom and there are less bubbles at the top.

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: the colour is clear, and the appearance is quite clean and clear as well. There are no bubbles like in glass 1and it is completely clear. So as you can see, this has stayed the same.

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: the colour is opaque and the appearance is murky. The liquid pool cover has risen to the top and has a length of approximately half a cm. It is translucent and murky white. Also, the liquid pool cover now kind of looks like bundles of clouds. A sudden movement of the measuring cup, for example when I lift it up to measure it, causes the liquid pool cover to spread out, but after some time it settles at the top again.

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: the colour and appearance are exactly the same as measuring cup 2.

xoxo Mira

AQUA STRIP pictures- showing pH, chlorine, alkalinity and stabilser levels :)

heyy everyone! :)

so here are all the pictures of the AQUA CHECK strips for all four measuring cups. I have also included two extra: one for concentrated liquid pool cover and the other for concentrated chlorine. i was just interested in what these would look like!

the first coloured square you can see (starting from the left) is the pH level, followed by the chlorine level, the alkalinity level and the stabilser level. this first picture shows (from left to write) the strips for concentrated chlorine, concentrated liquid pool cover, measuring cup 3, measuring cup 2 and finally measuring cup 1.

NOTE: I havent included the strip for measuring cup 4 as it the same as the strip for measuring cup 2, as they both contain the same chlorinated water.

xoxo Mira

results day 1 :)

heyy everyone! :)

Testing the results:
Now, for testing the results from my experiment, I was thinking of creating three tables (shown below) highlighting the three main points. The first table of course, will record the water evaporation. So 1column could say water level in ml, the second column could say: water level height in cm, the third could say: amount of water evaporated in ml and the fourth column could say: water height evaporated in cm. I think that covers all the aspects of water evaporation.

For table 2, the first column could record the ph level of all 4 liquids, the second column could record the chlorine level of all liquids, the 3rd column could record the total alkalinity of the different liquids and the fourth column could record the stabilizer level.

For the third table, this would record the colour and appearance of the liquids in the four different measuring cups. I was thinking that the first column would record the colour and the second column would record the appearance, eg bubbly, murky etc. Before starting the experiment, I thought that all liquids would have the same colour and appearance, but now, after setting the experiment up and observing it, I have realised that this is not the case. I think that this would be a very interesting table to have.

I was thinking to have the tables drawn once a week as a sort of summary for all the records and observations for the week, and then every 2 days to just record the results normally, not in a table.

This is what table 1 would look like (measuring water evaporation)


This is what table 2 would look like (measuring the ph,chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content of all liquids)



This is what table 3 would look like (recording colour and appearance) :



Okay, now for the results from day 1!

Water evaporation:
Well since it is the first day there had been no water evaporation. All the liquids in the glasses are the same height they were to start off with:
Measuring cup 1-plain water: current height in ml: 250 ml
Current height in cm: 7.5 cm
Current water evaporation loss in ml: 0ml
Current water evaporation loss in cm/mm: 0 cm
NOTE: the measurements for today are all the same for measuring cups 2, 3 and 4 as well.

Ph, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser content:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: (i will include pictures of all the strips in the next blog, as the wont post in this one!)
Ph level: 7.2 (this is in the ok range-this range lasts from 7.2 to 7.8)
Chlorine level: 0 (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 0 to 0.5)
Alkalinity: 80 ppm (this is in the ok range- this range lasts from 80 to 120)
Stabilizer: 0 ppm (this is low, there is only one figure)

Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: Ph level: 6.8 (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 6.2 to 6.8)
Chlorine level: 1 (this is in the pool ok range- this range lasts from 1-2.5)
Alkalinity: 0 ppm (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 0-40)
Stabilizer: 0 ppm (this is low, there is only 1 figure)

Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover Ph level: 6.2 (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 6.2 to 6.8)
Chlorine level: 1 (this is in the pool ok range- this range lasts from 1-2.5)
Alkalinity: 40 ppm (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 0 to 40)
Stabilizer: 0 ppm (this is low, there is only 1 figure)

Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover
The measurements for this liquid are exactly the same as the ones listed for measuring cup 2, as they both contain the same chlorinated water.
Ph level: 6.8 (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 6.2 to 6.8)
Chlorine level: 1 (this is in the pool ok range- this range lasts from 1-2.5)
Alkalinity: 0 ppm (this is in the low range- this range lasts from 0-40)
Stabilizer: 0 ppm (this is low, there is only 1 figure)

Colour and appearance:
Measuring cup 1- plain water: the colour is clear and the appearance is quite bubbly. There are tiny bubbles everywhere in the liquid.
Measuring cup 2- chlorinated water: the colour is clear, and the appearance is quite clean and clear as well. There are no bubbles like in glass 1and it is completely clear.
Measuring cup 3- chlorinated water with liquid pool cover: the colour is opaque and the appearance is murky. The liquid pool cover has risen to the top and has a length of approximately half a cm. It is translucent and murky white.
Measuring cup 4- chlorinated water with solid pool cover: the colour and appearance are exactly the same as measuring cup 2.

ps: i will post the pictures of all of the AQUA CHECK strips for all 4 measuring cups in the next blog (they wont fit here!)

xoxo Mira

Label pictures :)

heyy everyone! :)
these are the pictures of the labels that wouldnt post in my previous blog.

xoxo Mira

Heyy everyone!!!!!! (:

Well, I am currently very excited as I have started my SRP experiment as per plan on the date that I intended on doing so- 17 May! In this blog I will post a lot of pictures just to show you what the equipment set up should look like!

Ok well in my previous blogs I have posted tonnes of pictures showing what the equipment looks, like, so now I will just show you what the labels for each of the measuring cups look like! I would have posted the pictures of labels here on this blog, but ive already got too many pictures up and it wont let me post them!! so ill just have to post them on the next one.

ANYWAY, the pictures have all been posted in a different order to what i wanted them to. so sorry about that! But here are some pictures of the sunroom where the measuring cups are:

NOTE: I have placed all the measuring cups in the sunroom as planned, and they are all an equal through quite small distance away from each other. This is to ensure that they all have access to an equal amount of sunlight and heat- elements which are essential in the evaporation process. Today was quite a sunny, sunshiney day which was good for my experiment. Also, to ensure that my pet rabbit doesn’t run around into my little experiment area and that people wouldn’t accidentally step on the measuring cups, my dad suggested that I put a little blocker thing separating my experiment from everything else. So, I took his advice and found a small table and placed it horizontally creating a little wall. This way the experiment can not be ruined :) So I will include pictures of this, and the sunroom, and the light coming through so you can see what it all looks like clearly. (above)

Now here are pictures of the equipment set up:

OMG!!!! the picture of measuring cup 4 wouldnt post here, but its at the top of the blog :)

As I said in my previous blog, all the different liquids in the measuring glasses were filled to a level of 250 ml/ 1 cup. The reason that I filled them to this high level and not a lower level as I had planned (I had planned to fill them to 2/3) is because this way they have more direct heat.

Oh, and here is a picture of my actual pool cover that I got from my pool. It is just a normal square sample and I cut it into a circle with a diameter of 7cm. I first just traced the outline with a black Sharpie, and then cut it with regular scissors. Here are the pictures:

xoxo Mira

Equipment pictures :)

heyy everyone! :)

so here are the pictures that wouldn't post in my last blog:

AQUA CHECK: strips

TURBO liquid pool cover:
xoxo Mira

Small changes in equipment and experiment

Heyy everyone! :)

Ok, so, after re-thinking the experiment, I have decided to change some of the equipment used in order to gain better results and to make the experiment more accurate.

The main change?
In my SRP method for my experiment, I had said that I would use normal everyday kitchen glasses as opposed to beakers or measuring cups. I gave a lot of valid reasons as to why this would be a better idea. I thought that I would be able to find and purchase like a sticky ruler type thing (sticky tape that had ruler measuring) but after looking for ages I couldn’t find anything of that sort, and thought it would be better for me to resort to using measuring cups J

This is a picture of the measuring cup I will now be using:

Sidenotes about the measuring cup:
This is just a plain measuring cup I was able to purchase from the Reject Shop.
Its measurings are in Australian measurements. On the right hand side the measurements are in cups (1/4, 1/3, ½, 2/3, ¾, 1). On the left hand side, the measurements are in millilitres (50, 100, 150, 200, 250)
The diameter of the measuring cup is 7cm, not including the outside border width, and 7.3 cm including the outside border width. (picture shown below)
The cup is made out of plastic.
Pictures showing diameter of measuring cup are shown above (for some reason it wouldn't let me move the pictures down here...:S)

TURBO liquid pool cover:
I would just like to stress that our pool guy, has told me to be very cautious with this liquid pool cover. It is obviously of no severe harm to human beings or pets- otherwise I wouldn’t be using it! But it does have quite a strong chemical like smell, and you should be cautious not to inhale a lot of it when dealing with it.
I also know that it is quite safe from the writing on the back of the TURBO liquid pool cover! It states that this is completely harmless to all swimmers when swimming in a pool with this item and is harmless to pets drinking from the pool surface. It will also not affect the chemical balance (PH, chlorine, alkalinity) of the pool.
Phew! What a relief!

AQUA CHECK: PH, chlorine, alkalinity and stabiliser measuring strips all in one:
It is very important with these strips that you instantly dip it into the liquid you want to test, then remove it quickly immediately. Because, if you keep it in a liquid for too long, the paper strip can become very wet and soggy and then just tear. Then it is a complete waste of a strip! Then it also extremely crucial to WAIT for 15 seconds before you compare the colours with those on the back of the bottle. This is the most accurate way of doing this. So I thought I should stress that.

ps. i was wanting to upload pictures of these items on to this blog, but for some reason it won't let me drag the pictures down , so i'll just post them in the next one.

Brief note about experiment:
Ok, well I plan to start the experiment on the 17th May, and then conclude it around the 31st May, as this will give me 2 good solid weeks to get some results recorded.
But in order to increase accuracy, I think I will complete the experiment for a second time from the 1st June to 14th June. NOTE: dates are approximate. The second time I think the experiment will be a lot more accurate and effective as I will not make as many mistakes and this will ensure more successful and correct results.
ALSO, from my pre SRP experiment, I realised that over a daily basis water levels hardly changed. And in my method for this experiment I said I will record water levels on a daily basis, but I think I will have to change this to every 2 days or 3 days to record the change in water level. I think this will be a lot, better, because daily results would be very insignificant and there would be hardly any change, if any!

xoxo Mira

Pictures for comparison method :)

Heyy everyone! :)

So in my previous blog I posted a comparison of my experiment with another. There were a few pictures I wanted to post, but because it was such a long post I thought it would be better to post them in a new one :). So yeah these are the pictures...

The following diagram illustrates the impact of evaporation on the total energy consumption of the outdoor pool.

Sorry! This picture came out a little blurry, but as you can see, evaporation (70%) is the major source for outdoor pool energy loss.

The following diagram shows the three different types of pool covers:

xoxo Mira

Comparison of SRP methods :)

Heyy everyone! :)

Ok so as Ms Zhang mentioned, I have already posted my method for my SRP experiment. As well as this I have included a vast discussion of my method and a lot of background research about my SRP topic and what to expect from my experiment that helped me to write my method. I have also sufficiently referenced the information for this. So, in order to exceed Ms Zhang’s expectations, I thought I would do some research to try and find a similar method to mine, to compare the two.

However, after researching for AGES I could not come across a method written simply that was similar to my own method. BUT, I did find an experiment on “determining how long it takes to heat a pool back up after water has been lost through evaporation”. Ok so I know this is not completely similar to my experiment, but it still considers many factors I will be considering in my SRP experiment, such as evaporation and the effects different pool covers have on this. So below I will write some interesting insights gained from this experiment and how it compares with mine.
Experiment done by: RSPEC- Reduce Swimming Pool Energy Costs.

Overview
Outdoor swimming pools are big energy consumers. Pool owner/ operators spend billions of dollars annually to heat the nation's pools. Much of this energy is often wasted and can be saved with proper management. Wasting energy also contributes to our growing air quality problem.

How Pools Lose Heat?
Pools lose energy in a variety of ways, but evaporation is by far the largest source of energy loss for swimming pools. When compared to evaporation, all other losses are small.The reason evaporation has such an impact is that evaporating water requires tremendous amounts of energy.

Minimize Evaporation
Since evaporation is the major source of heat loss for swimming pools, to minimize evaporation, one must cover the pool. Covering your pool when it's not in use is the single most effective way of reducing pool heating costs. Savings of 50-70% are possible.

Pool Covers
Pool covers also provide many other benefits besides saving energy. They conserve make-up water by 30-50% and can reduce chemical consumption. Cleaning time is cut by preventing dirt and other debris from entering the pool.It is highly recommended that the first step to cutting pool energy loss be the evaluation of the economics of using a swimming pool cover.Covers must be managed properly for safety. They should always be completely removed before anyone enters the pool.This is a diagram of the different types of pool covers that were used in this experiment:

Solar Heating Systems
One of the most cost-effective uses of solar energy is to heat swimming pools. Swimming pools require low temperature heat, which is where solar collectors are most efficient. You can use either unglazed or glazed collectors to heat an outdoor pool, however, unglazed collectors are most commonly used on outdoor pools. If your pool is operated year around and located in a cold climate region, the unglazed systems will not provide much heat in the winter, but may be more cost-effective overall because of their lower initial cost.Glazed systems are more expensive, because they usually have black chrome-plated copper absorber plates, require the use of a non-freezing transfer fluid and a heat exchanger to transfer the solar heat to the swimming pool water.Unglazed systems are usually made of a black plastic or rubber material and the pool water is circulated directly through the collectors. Neither system requires a storage tank. The pool serves as the storage tank.

Efficient Operation
It's a myth that it takes more energy to heat a pool up when you turn the temperature down than you save by lowering the temperature or by turning off the heater. Turn the temperature down, or turn off the heater whenever the pool will not be used for several days. Experiment to determine how long it takes to heat it back up. Lowering the temperature and raising it back up again always saves more energy than keeping it at a constant temperature.

Comparison of experiments:
Well obviously from what I have just written, you can tell that our experiments were not exactly the same. However, there were many similar elements that I have stated above and will mention again. First of all, this experiment was more about how to heat an OUTDOOR POOL back up after water has been lost through evaporation. Where as the main aim of my experiment is the effects of different variables on the evaporation of water from INDOOR SWIMMING POOLS and therefore to investigate what is the solution to minimise water evaporation from swimming pools. This shows that our experiments have differing aims.

Our experiments are different, because the RSPEC has done their experiment on outdoor swimming pools, where as I am doing my experiment on liquid placed indoors, therefore stimulating the water quality of indoor experiments. Considering my circumstances, I think it is better that I have opted for this option, all of my reasons are explained in intense detail in my previous blog.

Another major difference is that in their experiment they have used three different types of solid pool covers, where as I am using a liquid pool cover and just one solid bubble pool cover. The RSPEC used: a bubble/solar cover, vinyl cover and insulated vinyl cover.

However, although there are some differences in experiments both state that the use of pool covers do prevent evaporation as opposed to no pool cover. Both of our experiments also prove that evaporation is by far the major source of both heat and water loss from swimming pools.

xoxo Mira

ps. i think in the next post I will post some pictures I got from this experiment-because this post is tooo long! xxx

SRP method- for blog submission 2 :)

Heyy everyone! :)
This is the method for my SRP experiment:

Aim: to investigate the effects of variables on the evaporation of water from swimming pools; and to as a result investigate what is the best solution for minimisation of water evaporation from swimming pools.

Hypothesis: That the water in the glass with no cover and no chlorine content will evaporate the fastest, followed by the chlorinated water with no cover, followed by the chlorinated water with the liquid pool cover and finally the chlorinated water with the solid pool cover will evaporate the slowest.

Equipment:

• 4 clear kitchen glasses (there are no set dimensions of the glasses- just as long as they are all the same size)
• water beaker with litre measurings to measure the water chlorinated water (taken from a chlorine filled swimming pool)
• liquid pool cover
• sample of solid pool cover
• red sticker/ little red cut out of post it note (to show the original marking of liquid in the glasses)
• ruler (for measuring water level)
• camera
• labels for the different glasses
  

Method:
1. Set up the 4 clear kitchen glasses in a sunroom (you want the glasses exposed to a sufficient amount of natural heat/light so sufficient evaporation will occur- enough for you to make observations and conclusions). Make sure that the glasses are: a) away from constant action and movement, b) away from pets and c) in a location where sunlight is equal to ensure fairness and equality.
2. Measure 2/3 water in a beaker and pour this in Glass 1.
3. Place a label- "Glass 1 filled with water" next to glass.
4. Measure 2/3 chlorinated water in a beaker and pour this in Glass 2.
5. Place a label- "Glass 2 filled with chlorinated water" next to glass.
6. Measure 2/3 chlorinated water in a beaker and pour this in Glass 3.
7. Pour the liquid pool cover onto the surface of the chlorinated water in Glass 3. The liquid will disperse evenly and float to the surface of the water, forming an invisible pool cover.
8. Place a label-" Glass 3 filled with chlorinated water and liquid pool cover" next to glass.
9. Measure 2/3 chlorinated water in a beaker and pour this in Glass 4.
10. Place your solid pool cover sample onto the surface of chlorinated water (sample should fit neatly on the surface and fit the dimensions of the glass) in Glass 4, the solid pool cover will float.
11. Place a label- "Glass 4 filled with chlorinated water and solid pool cover" next to glass.
12. Accurately mark the current water level in all 4 glasses with a red marker or small red sticky note.
13. Place a pH strip into Glass 1- immediately dip and remove strip. Then wait and hold the strip for 15 seconds. Compare the alkalinity or acidity of the liquid against the chart on the back of the "pH strip bottle".
14. Repeat step 13 for Glasses 2,3 and 4.
15. Construct a results table.
16. Check the water level (using a ruler) and rate of evaporation in all 4 glasses on a daily basis (every 24 hours). Record these results in the result table daily. Plot a line graph using excel showing change in water level in each of the 4 glasses over a daily (or if this is too frequent, then weekly) period.
17. Repeat step 13 for all 4 Glasses on a daily basis. Record level in results table.
18. Keep all of the 4 glasses in the same setting to ensure all glasses are exposed to an even amount of heat/ sunlight. This needs to be done correctly to ensure the controlled variables are maintained.

Method Discussion:

VARIABLES:
Independent: amount of water used, chlorine content of water, liquid pool cover and solid pool cover.
Dependent: Water evaporation rate.
Controlled: The environment. All of the glasses simulating the pool water will be kept inside at the same place. This will ensure that the ‘mini pool’ water is exposed to identical temperature, heat, humidity etc.

Why Have I Chosen to Use Ordinary Kitchen Glasses Instead of Beakers?
I have chosen to do this because ordinary kitchen glasses are a lot more accessible and readily available to utilize as opposed to science beakers. They are also regular household equipment, so everyone should have them already.

By conducting my “pre-SRP” experiment, this ensured that regular kitchen glasses were acceptable to use for my actual SRP experiment, as they both served the same purpose. And so because my “pre-SRP” experiment was conducted fairly and successfully, I have therefore decided to opt for the plain kitchen glasses as opposed to beakers- which was what I was going to use.

Why Have I decided to Place the Kitchen Glasses Inside as Opposed to Outside?
I have decided to do this, once again because of the results shown from my successful “pre-SRP” experiment. Originally I was going to place the glasses outside because I thought this would have been a better option. But now, after completing my pre srp experiment and considering all of the environmental factors involved, I have decided to place the glasses inside, in the sunroom, exposed to plenty of heat and sunlight.

As I previously mentioned, one of the main reasons I did not want to place the kitchen glasses outside was because of all of the uncontrollable environmental factors involved such as wind, rain, hail, humidity etc. Although I would have placed the glasses outside if they were under shelter, many harsh environmental factors such as strong winds and rains could have knocked over the glasses, and this would have really stuffed up my experiment!
So as a result, I decided that it would be a much better option if the glasses were placed inside my house in the sunroom. This means that I would be able to have a lot more control over the experiment and the different variables such as temperature, heat etc.

Also, another benefit of the glasses being placed in the sunroom, means that they will all be exposed to an equal amount of heat- this environmental factor being essential in the evaporation of water, and therefore my SRP experiment! As without enough evaporation, I am not able to make valid and accurate observations, results and conclusions.

NOTE: It is also very important that all the 4 glasses are placed close to each other. They should be no more than 30cm apart, as this limits variation and ensures equality. This is also to ensure that the amount of heat and sunlight reaching each glass is as constant and equal as possible.

xoxo Mira

referencing for background research :)

heyy again!

ok, so just a little while back I posted some background information. Well I put all of the information into my own words, but these were the sites where I learnt and gained my understanding from:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:NoRpOm8LTrgJ:www.ideamarketers.com/%3Farticleid%3D797114+is+a+solid+or+liquid+pool+cover+better&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au
http://www.ehow.com/way_5185391_pool-cover-maintenance.html
http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module01/EvaporationandTranspiration.htm
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_evap.html

so yeah, those were the sites :)
xoxo Mira

background research for SRP METHOD/experiment and what to expect :)

heyy everyone! :)

In my spare time I have been doing a lot of separate research for my SRP, to make sure I am gaining a better understanding on the topic. My research is mainly about things such as evaporation (and all things in this) and the different types of pool covers (liquid and solid) and which one is better in minimising the effects of evaporation on swimming pools. (Remember that in my SRP experiment I will be having four separate glasses, one just with plain water, one with chlorine, one with a solid pool cover and one with a liquid pool cover; all representing mini pools). So yes, I thought I should share some of the information of what I have learnt here. :)

What is evaporation?

Evaporation is the process of liquid turning to gas by the folowing mechanism:

• The fastest moving molecules (those with the highest kinetic energy) at the surface of the liquid have enough energy to break the attractive bonds with other molecules. They then escape the surface of the substance. Obviously, this only occurs with the molecules at the surface of the substance.
  



• Since at higher temperatures the molecules have more kinetic energy, more of them are likely to escape, and so evaporation occurs more quickly at higher temperatures.
  



• In general, evaporation occurs because systems seek equilibrium (there is a low concentration of molecules in the air, and a high concentration in the liquid).

What causes water evaporation?

Water evaporates when the light from the sun hits it, what happens next is the energy from the sun's light causes the molecules of water to push away from one another. Like putting two north ends of a magnet against each other, they push away. The molecules of water that have split from the sun's energy change from a liquid state, to a gaseous state, the gas then rises into the Atmosphere where is cools down, or loses a bit of it's energy and start to become attracted to other airborne H2O molecules.

What is a liquid pool cover?

A liquid pool cover is a silicone based product that seals in pool water without the need for a roller or bulky solid pool cover. A I have been researching all sites are saying that liquid pool covers prevent almost all evaporation compared to normal solid pool covers, (however I will be seeing if this is true in my actual SRP experiment).

Ok so while I was researching liquid pool covers, I came across these pictures on a site (btw speaking of site, I will reference them al at once) promoting their liquid pool cover called, "Heatsavr". The picture on the left shows a pool without the liquid pool cover- Heatsavr, so you can see evaporation from the pool. The picture on the right shows a pool with the liquid pool cover- Heatsavr, where you can't see any evaporation. So these pictures are showing the differences in level of evaporation with or without the liquid pool cover.

What is a solid pool cover?

I have been looking at solar pool covers, these are solid. A solar pool cover gives the pool free heat from the sun. They are somewhat similar to bubble wrap, except of course made with more durable material. In fact a solar pool cover can raise the temperature in your pool from around ten to fifteen degrees celsius. But not only are they a heating mechanism, they can slow down evaporation rates in your pool, therefore lowering costs. As much as 70% of heat loss from a swimming pool is evaporative. A solar solid pool cover acts as a vapor barrier for both indoor and outdoor pools, dramatically cutting heat losses from evaporation, resulting in significant energy savings.

ok so this is just a picture of a sample of a solid pool cover. It is very similar to the actual one I am going to use.

Which type of cover is better in terms of evaporation?

Well generally speaking, all covers have their own separate advantages, for example, solid pool cover can keep out dust, dirt, leaves and debris, where as a liquid cover can't. Or a liquid pool cover looks nicer and you can dive into the pool at any time without having to worry about putting the cover on and off again. In terms of evaporation, different brand of pool covers claim different things. I guess I will just find out for sure from my experiment... :)

But just for now, I believe that theglass with plain water will evaporate the fastest, followed by the glass with chlorinated water and no cover, followed by the glass with the chlorinate water and liquid pool cover and finally the glass with the chlorinated water and the solid pool cover.

I am very interested to see especially between the last 2 glasses, in which one the water will evaporate the fastest. :)

ps. sorry for the long post! and sorry for the really weird spacing, whenever I insert pictures it stuffs up the spacing!

xoxo Mira