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Liquid Conductivity The creating and testing of a conductivity meter. TEAM I Pedro Guerrero Roc-Quelle Barksdale Jamia Pugh. INTRODUCTION. Conductivity measures a materials ability to conduct an electrical current. Its measured in µS/cm
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Liquid ConductivityThe creating and testing of a conductivity meter. TEAM I Pedro Guerrero Roc-Quelle Barksdale Jamia Pugh
INTRODUCTION Conductivity measures a materials ability to conduct an electrical current. Its measured in µS/cm Conductivity is used to measure the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in water Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits a maximum of 500ppm of TDS for drinking water.
Making our Conductivity Meter We built our own conductivity meter. • Our meter: under $50 • Store bought: around $450 • Our meter is cheaper and portable. A B
A B Vernier Meter- $450 Our Meter- $50 Our purpose was to build an inexpensive, portable, working conductivity meter, without the expensive price. Our meter is 1/9 the price of a store bought meter!
Testing Our Meters… Conductivity of pure water = 0 Things that affect conductivity • Ion Concentration A molecule does not have same amount of protons as electrons, giving it a positive or negative charge.
Ion Concentration Affects Conductivity CaCl2 NaCl AlCl3
Temperature affects the conductivity. When temperature increases, conductivity increases.
WATER QUALITY • Samples of water were collected around the Penn State area and were tested with our conductivity meters • We took a field trip to the following water sources:
Because our devices were portable ShaversCreek • Whipple Dam Spring Creek
Calculating TDS • Conductivity can be calculated from the reading on our meters using Ohm’s Law. • We calculated Spring Creek to have a conductivity of 533µS/cm. • Then, by multiplying the conductivity by 0.75, then you can calculate total dissolved solids. • This means the TDS is 400ppm. Below EPA ‘s limit.
BRITA FILTER • Every Brita Filter contains charcoal and ion exchange resin (zeolites). • Charcoal is used to remove the chlorine ions and some organic compounds. • Zeolites are used to remove metal cations copper, zinc, mercury, and cadmium. A B
TESTING To test the zeolites and charcoal, we used an aluminum chloride solution.
Conclusion • We built an inexpensive, portable, working conductivity meter. • The meter is a good tool to use when trying to see if certain types of water meets EPA standards. • It can also be used in high school labs because of the low cost and portability.
Special Thanks to… • Eberly College of Science • Dr. Jackie Bortiatynski • Dr. Dan Sykes • Jody Markley • Derek James • Josh Harper • Cole McDonald • Sean Haggerty • Matt Johnson • UBMS Staff