Lab Report: Banana Investigation

1. Lab Report:BananaInvestigation By: Marium SaeedRawan Al.AnsariJoud Abu-Odeh

2. Aim of the Investigation The aim of this investigation was to test the strength of different organic food materials. In this experiment our group tested the strength of the fibres in banana skin. The banana skin contains cellulose and microfibrils laid down in a mesh, like in all plant fibres to make it strong and to protect the inside of the banana.

3. Our Prediction We predicted that the banana skin would only support up to 5N of force, we did not think that the skin of the banana would be very strong we thought it only acted as protection for the inside of the banana from the outside environment.

4. Method • Cut 4 pieces of 2cm thick rings of banana • Take out the inside of the banana • Hook on to the upper clamp one of the banana rings • Hook on to the lower clamp the force meter • Use the meter’s hook to attach it to the banana ring • Lower the clamp slowly until the banana ring snaps • Meanwhile, watching the scale at eye level • Record how many Newtons took to snap the ring • Repeat experiment with the second banana

5. Steps Cut the banana rings Mark with an X Hook onto Newton meter Record how much force needed for the banana ring to snap Pull Newton meter While measuring at eye level

6. Results Total Average: 9.375 N

7. Data Handling

8. Conclusion Although we tested two different bananas, our results were very similar for each one, showing that the fibres in the banana skin were almost the same strength because they came from the same plant and had been through the same environmental conditions and had similar genetic codes. However we could also see that the strength of the banana skin of each fruit may vary, for example banana A was slightly stronger than banana B, withstanding an average force of 9.75N, while banana B only withstood 9N.

9. Analysis We predicted that the bananas we were testing would only withstand a maximum of 5N, however after conducting the experiment, we saw that it was quite strong, withstanding a force of more than 9N. This is due to its strong structure which contains cellulose microfibrils. These fibres are stacked up against each other in different angles to increase the weight the skin could handle by being able to compress in different directions due to the applied pressure. This proved that the banana skin provided protection and strength to the fruit.

10. Evaluation The experiment could be improved if we measured the width of the rings more accurately and by repeating the experiment again. We could have also tested different fruits to have a wider range of the role in which fibres play in protecting the inner fruit. Although we tried applying the force as accurately and as similarly as possible each time by using two clamps; using a mechanical machine which applied and read the exact force each time would have been more accurate. • Our experiment was quite accurate as we tried to keep all the other factors affecting the results of the experiment the same. • We made all the pieces 2cm wide and made sure that the same person took the readings each time, at the same eye level to avoid errors in the results. • We also cut the banana skin in ring shapes to test the banana skin in the direction of the plant fibres, rather than against it (vertically). • There was one result which was higher than all the others, however finding an average made it less likely to affect the overall results of the experiment.