Consumer Science Investigation

As consumers we are constantly bombarded with messages about products in the marketplace. Your task is to devise and conduct a series of experiments to test different brands of a household product. With this information you can then validate or rebuke a manufacturers claims. You can also determine whether a product is a good value for money.

The task

You are to choose an inexpensive item from the supermarket that you are interested in testing. You are to compare at least three and no more than five brands of this product. You will then plan in detail how your group will test the performance and value of your items. Your plan should describe an appropriate number of different quantitative tests (where something is measured) and up to two qualitative tests (where something is judged and opinions can be used). Each of these tests must be repeated to obtain consistent results. All testing will be done during class time.

What can be tested?

The product that you test must fit the following criteria:

• It must be inexpensive.
• There must be at least three different brands that are easily obtainable.
• There are a number of different tests that can be done on the product.
• It must be able to be brought to school.
• It must not be dangerous.

You will need to write out a detailed plan for your investigation and the tests that you wish to conduct. You may also need to research your product to find out how it works. Be careful that you are able to meet the criteria above when selecting your product.

The report

Once you have completed the testing, you can assemble your final report. It must written in the form of a consumer report and should be readable for a general audience. It should include the following sections:

• Title
• Introduction
• Aim
• Hypothesis (if appropriate)
• Materials used
• Methods
• Results (tabulated where possible) including calculations and graphs
• Discussion of methods and results
• Conclusion
• References and resources used

Assessment

The report will be marked on the following criteria:

• Appropriate method / 5
• Care in obtaining reliable results / 5
• Presentation and discussion of results / 5
• Quality of written report / 5
• Group work / 5
• Research and bibliography / 5

This report must be completed by (a date to be determined soon).