The Cool Findings
A- The Results of the Big Experiment
Click on this link and you will be able to see the results of the big experiment in bright colors animated!!!
Data THINK MINT (BIG EXPERIMENT).ppsx
B- Discussion of the Results
- In all cases of the control candies without Menthol and the candies with Menthol, the mouth temperature is rising after the sucking of the candies.
- However, the rise in the mouth temperature is more significant after sucking candies with menthol compared to the control case. ( 1.3 >0.686 °C)
- After sucking the whole candy containing Menthol and drinking water, students reported important feelings of cold sensation compared to nearly none while sucking the control candies. Nevertheless, the mouth temperature reported after drinking the water decreased but still ABOVE the initial mouth temperature when the student was not experiencing any freshness or cold sensation at all!!
- So the mouth temperature increases in sucking canding with Menthol and not decreases as expected in the first hypothesis!!!
C- Obtaining Odd Results
The results showed out that of 18 students, only 3 (F6, M8, and M15) got their mouth temperature drop while they were sucking candy containing menthol. Then students tried to find out the reason for these odd results, so they found out that the 2 students had errors while recoding the data.
(One student had put the thermometer on the candy and not on her tongue, and the other student didn’t keep the thermometer still in his month on the tongue instead he moved the thermometer in his mouth, and both students were talking and laughing a little during the measurements.)
D- Some Students Were Disappointed
The students were expecting the mouth temperature to change because some of them believed more in the first hypothesis (that may be the Menthol makes a chemical reaction absorbing the energy in the mouth to drop its temperature to make the mouth feel cold), but the results have shocked some. They are now sure that their first hypothesis is wrong. So they are going to do a research on the second hypothesis to explain how the Menthol can send nervous messages to the brain to make our body feels the illusive cold sensation.
E- A Surprise
The students were expecting the mouth temperature to stay the same in case of control or to decrease in the case of Menthol; however, they were surprised to find out that the mouth temperature increased in all cases after the sucking of the candies.
F- Conculsion
- Since the temperature didnot drop in the presence of Menthol, the first hypothesis is not verified :" If the temperature of the mouth drops after tasting Menthol, then Menthol reacts chemically with the saliva to absorb heat."
- So we are going to do a research to learn more about the verification of the second hypothesis "if the temperature of the mouth doesn’t drop, then Menthol affects sensory receptors in the mouth to feel cold by the brain through sending a nervous message" with Dr. Minty.