NDLI: The Search for Surfactants: What Is the Best Soap?

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The Search for Surfactants: What Is the Best Soap?

Content Provider	TeachEngineering: STEM curriculum for K-12
Author	Richard, Shawn Blue, Lauchlin
Copyright Year	2016
Description	Student teams are challenged to evaluate the design of several liquid soaps to answer the question, “Which soap is the best?” Through two simple teacher class demonstrations and the activity investigation, students learn about surface tension and how it is measured, the properties of surfactants (soaps), and how surfactants change the surface properties of liquids. Student teams are challenged to evaluate the design of several liquid soaps to answer the question, “Which soap is the best?” Through two simple teacher class demonstrations and the activity investigation, students learn about surface tension and how it is measured, the properties of surfactants (soaps), and how surfactants change the surface properties of liquids. As they evaluate the engineering design of real-world products (different liquid dish washing soap brands), students see the range of design constraints such as cost, reliability, effectiveness and environmental impact. By investigating the critical micelle concentration of various soaps, students determine which requires less volume to be an effective cleaning agent, factors related to both the cost and environmental impact of the surfactant. By investigating the minimum surface tension of the soap, students determine which dissolves dirt and oil most effectively and thus cleans with the least effort. Students evaluate these competing criteria and make their own determination as to which of five liquid soaps make the “best” soap, giving their own evidence and scientific reasoning. They make the connection between gathered data and the real-world experience in using these liquid soaps.
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Rights Holder	Regents of The University of Colorado Rice University
Subject Keyword	Algebra Measurement Physical Science Physics Problem Solving Reasoning and Proof Density Meniscus Concentration Liquid Soap Surface Tension Micelle Capillary Action Dilution Experiment Product Evaluation Surfactant
Content Type	Text
Time Required	PT2H30M
Education Level	Class XI Class XII
Pedagogy	Experimental Activity
Resource Type	Hands-on
Subject	Modern Physics Geometry

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