Volume/Mass Of Soda Bottles

By: Mandy

Purpose Of Our Experiment

We are conducting this experiment, to see if the amount of liquid on the bottle label is the same amount actually in the bottle, to see if consumers are actually getting for what they’re paying for. As consumers in a financial crisis, we need to know how much we’re getting, and if it’s a fair amount. In this experiment, we will be able to tell.

At the beginning of the experiment, we had only the amount of liquid on the label. This is clearly printed on the bottom of any label on a bottle, such as a 20 oz bottle of soda. This was all of the data we had, so we were basically starting from scratch.

Our hypothesis for this experiment is that the amount on the label is amount the bottle ca really hold, not the amount you are paying for. I believe this because using this method will save the beverage company a lot of money by only filling up the bottle so much, but saying they’re filling it up with more. This is a great way to do business, because most people wouldn’t bother to really check the amount, but just keep getting ripped off every time they buy a soda.

Necessary Tools For Experiment

• Graduated Cylinder• About 4 bottles

• Triple Beam Balance• Sink/Faucet• Large bucket

Safety Precautions

• General Safety Awareness- We were working with water, so we had to be careful not to get wet.

• Spill Alert- we are working with water, which could spill on the floor and people could fall.

Procedure For This Experiment

Here is the following procedure that we used to find the mass of the water during this experiment:

1. Using a triple beam balance, find the weight of an empty bottle, and record.2. Fill up the bottle to the brim, and carefully measure the bottle again, and record

the weight.3. Subtract the weight of the bottle from the total weight of the full bottle, so you

will get the weight of just the water, without the excess weight of the bottle.

Here is the following procedure that we use to find the Volume of water during this experiment:

1. Fill the same bottle with water from the very top.2. Using a gradulated cylinder, gently pour the water from the bottle into the

cylinder, recording the amount.3. Repeat until the bottle is empty. Dump the water that you previously used to

measure into a bucket.4. Count the amount of liquid in each time you filled the cylinder. Add them up, and

record.5. To find the amount o the label, just look at the label on the bottle (in ounces) and

record)

Repeat for Each Bottle

Data Retrieved From Our Experiment

Type Of Bottle

Mass Of Full Bottle

Mass Of Empty Bottle

Mass Of Water

Volume Of Water

Volume On Label

Coke Bottle Large

649.4 mg 25.3 mg 624.1mg 625.3ml 591ml

Gatorade Small

403.85mg 28mg 375.85mg 227.2ml 355ml

Sunny D 229.9mg 12.4mg 217.5mg 222ml 200ml

Coke Bottle Small

410.68mg 26.7mg 383.98 385.9ml 355ml

ConclusionAfter our experiment, our team discussed our outcome. All of the bottles we tested were accurate, due to careful measurements and precise recording. It seemed to be that some of the bottles had labels smaller than the actual amount of liquid, but one had more on the label than the bottle could hold! I know this may sound bizarre, but my team repeated the experiment, and got the same answer.

My personal hypothesis was that the amount on the label would be less than the bottle could actually hold. I believed that because it would be a great way to save a company money. My hypothesis was correct. I can prove this because in the large Coke bottle, the label read 591ml, but our experiment showed that the bottle could really hold 625.3ml of water. And in the Gatorade bottle, the label read 355ml, but the bottle could actually hold 377.2ml. The smaller coke bottle claimed to store 355ml, but the bottle can really hold 385.9. This proves that the company really IS ripping you off every time you buy a bottle of Pepsi. As for the Sunny D bottle, we are still puzzled on our outcome, but there is probably a logical explanation to that, and we will follow-up on it.

The only thing we really had difficulty with was the water. The nozzle wasn’t clearly marked, and instead of turning the water off, we accidently turned the water on full blast, soaking us and our equipment. Luckily, no major damage was done, except for a few wet notebook pages. Next time, we will be sure to keep our notebooks at a safe distance, to prevent damage.

So, are soda companies charging you for more than you’re getting? Yes. Is it a smart business technique? Yes. Do I feel silly for wasting my money on soda that I’m not getting? Of course. But that’s the way business works. Give a lot, get a little. So, I would proudly like to say our experiment is a success, a humiliating one to the soda industry, but a success to us.

Sources:•Photos: Mandy Juszczyszyn•Research: Q=SM2•Bottles: Sunny D, Coca-Cola, Gatorade