“Which toilet paper is the strongest?” Introduction “Which toilet paper is the strongest?” This is an important question. Toilet paper is something we...
“Which toilet paper is the strongest?” Introduction “Which toilet paper is the strongest?” This is an important question. Toilet paper is something we use daily and it is very interesting to find out which brand is the strongest. I became interested in the topic since everyone needs it daily and it’s essential in our life.
Background Toilet paper is made from new or virgin paper, using a mixture of softwood and hardwood trees. Toilet paper is approximately is made of 70% hardwood and 30% softwood. We believe the strongest toilet paper will have the least amount of holes. Looking at a single ply of toilet paper through a microscope, we could see small gaps where there were no fibres. No fibres means no strength. The least expensive toilet paper is not necessarily the weakest.
Abstract The hypothesis is that Naturale is the strongest toilet paper because it has fewer gaps which mean more fibre that gives the toilet paper more strength. This hypothesis was tested by two experiments that involved three trials each comparing the strength of each brand toilet paper. In the first experiment the paper was cut in two ways lengthwise and crosswise and was tested to see how much weight it could hold or resist before ripping. In the second experiment the toilet paper was wet and the same procedure was carried out to find how much weights each brand could hold. Then the results were compared to determine which brand is the strongest.
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Aim: To determine which brand toilet paper is the strongest.
Hypothesis: Naturale is the strongest toilet paper since it has less gaps which means more fibres that gives the toilet paper its strength.
The dependent variable: For the strength and the wet strength tests the dependent variable is the amount of weight the toilet paper can hold.
The independent variable: The dependent variable is the different brands of toilet paper
The controlled variables: Same size toilet paper Same number of ply Same kind of weights used Same paper clip for all tests
Materials: Four different brands of toilet paper Different weights Weight holder with a stand Two strong metal paper clip A table Scissors Ruler For wet test only Dropper and water
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Dry test-Lengthwise (the 4 brand of toilet paper are attached lengthwise) 1. Prepare all the equipment and needed items.
2. Drill a nail into a table
Hook the paper clip into the nail
3. Cut four equal pieces of toilet paper from each brand. (The four pieces must be exactly the same size)
5. Attach one end of the toilet paper to the first paper clip (Take 1 cm) 6. Attach the other end of the toilet paper to the second paper clip (Take 1 cm) 7. Hook one paper clip into the nail
8. Hook the weight holder to the hole of the paper clip that is hanging down
9. Add different weights till the toilet paper rips.
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10. Read how many grams it could hold before it rips 11. Repeat steps 6-11 with the other three brands. 12. Record your results in a table 13. Repeat the experiment as many times as possible until the results are consistent 14. Make sure you do the same thing and you follow exactly the same procedure for the other tries. Crosswise 1. Repeat exactly the same thing as above except that you have to attach the toilet paper for all brands and for all trials crosswise.
2. Record your results in a table. Wet test Lengthwise: 1. Use a dropper to wet each toilet paper with the same amount of water to keep it a fair test. 2. Do exactly the same steps as completed in the dry test. 3. Record how many grams the toilet paper could resist before ripping. 4. Repeat the experiment three times for better results. 5. Record the results on a table. 6. Repeat same steps for the other three brands. Crosswise: 1. Do exactly the same as the wet test above except attach the toilet paper crosswise. 2. Do the same thing for all brands and for the other tries. 3. Record your results in a table. 5
Results Experiment 1- Dry test-Lengthwise This table and graph show how many grams each brand toilet paper could hold before ripping when the toilet paper is attached lengthwise to the clip. Brand of toilet paper Kleenex (A) Naturale(B) Sorbent(C) Coles(D)
Try1
Try2
Try3
Average
525 685 670 550
575 715 700 610
525 695 695 650
541 698 688 603
Experiment 2-Dry test-Crosswise The following table and graph show how many grams each brand toilet paper could hold before ripping when the toilet paper is attached crosswise to the clip. Brand of toilet paper Kleenex (A) Naturale(B) Sorbent(C) Coles(D)
Try1
Try2
Try3
Average
525 685 670 550
575 715 700 610
525 695 695 650
541 698 688 603
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Wet tests Wet strength is the strength of paper when it is wet. It can be measured by the amount of weight that a wet toilet paper can support.
Wet Test Length Wise The following table and graph show how much grams each toilet paper brand can hold before ripping or tearing when the toilet paper is attached lengthwise to the clip. Brand of toilet Try1 Try2 Try3 Average paper Kleenex (A) 125 125 150 133 Naturale(B) 175 175 185 178 Sorbent(C) 150 175 175 166 Coles(D) 175 150 150 161
Wet Test Crosswise The following table and graph show how much grams each toilet paper brand can hold before ripping or tearing when the toilet paper is attached crosswise to the clip. Brand of Try1 Try2 Try3 Average toilet paper Kleenex (A) 110 125 110 115 Naturale(B) 150 150 160 153 Sorbent(C) 135 150 125 136 Coles(D) 120 125 110 118
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The following table and graph show the rate of the four brands of paper towels according to the number of weights they held, with the brand holding the most number of weights receiving a rating of 1, and the one holding the least number of weights a rating of 4.
Toilet paper brand
Results weights
(number
of
Rating
Kleenex
4
Naturale
1
Sorbent
2
Coles
3
From the experiments above we can see that Naturale could hold the most weights, followed by sorbent then Coles and finally Kleenex.
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Pictures Some pictures to show the ripping of the 4 brands of toilet paper and some weights attached to it. Picture 1
Picture3
Picture 2
Picture4
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Discussion: I researched some background information about the four brands of toilet paper and everything they claimed was true in a way. But there is a catch. All the toilet paper brands claim that their product is soft and strong. But they don’t clearly state how soft or how strong. As you know I had to determine the strength of the following brands of toilet paper: a. Kleenex b. Naturale c. Sorbent d. Coles Through my experiment I realized the difference a few words can make. The first brand is Kleenex. Kleenex is one of the most popular brands in Australia yet it displayed the least amount strength in my experiment. This brand in particular focuses on its softness. Without a doubt it is the softest and smoothest brand but it does not display a show of strength like the other three brands as you can see in my tables and graphs. The next brand I analysed was Naturale. This brand proved to be the strongest and it showed through both the wet test and dry test. Next up I experimented with the brand Sorbent. Sorbent proved to be quite a powerful brand with a very little amount of holes. However it came in very close second. Last but not least I experimented with was the Coles brand. This brand shocked me for having very few holes but as you know that isn’t all you need in a powerful toilet paper. Like all the brands it claimed it was soft and strong but to an extent where it couldn’t meet the standards of Sorbent and Naturale. I would have preferred to go by some things a little bit differently for example I would have preferred to buy toilet paper with similar amount of gaps. However I couldn’t determine this without buying the brand and looking through a microscope to determine this. Overall I think I went by most of the correct decisions and hopefully in future I can adjust on the minor issues. I could also try same texture toilet paper, same print or no print at all or look at toilet paper that are made from the same source (recycled paper or new wood products) but this would be too difficult since they tell you on the package from where it is made.
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Conclusion: Based on the information that has been collected and the experiments that have been completed, it has been concluded that Naturale toilet paper is the strongest brand. The data supports my hypothesis. My hypothesis was right. The fewer gaps the toilet paper has, the more fibre there is and the stronger the toilet paper is. Naturale was in the highest group, sorbent and Coles were in the medium group and Kleenex was in the lowest group. The popular brand name is not necessarily the strongest. The recycled one proves to be the strongest.
