Investigatory Project Argumentative Essay Example

slice the pineapple skin into one-inch squares.

The skins of the pineapple were placed in a pot and covered with water. The pot was then heated on the stove at medium-high heat and boiled for 20 minutes. Afterward, the mixture was strained to remove the skins and transferred to a clean container. Finally, the container was covered and refrigerated.

In order to make the lye, the researchers collected two plastic buckets - one small and one large. The small bucket had to be able to fit inside the large bucket in a manner that allowed liquid to drip slowly from the small bucket into the large one. They also gathered fresh ash from burning hard wood, gallons of rain water, and a handful of straw. Following that, they created tiny holes in the small bucket, ensuring that these holes were of a size that only permitted liquid to flow through them. To test these holes, water was poured through the bucket.

The small bucket, which had a straw to cover holes, was placed inside the large bucket. This arrangement allowed liquid to drip through the holes without collecting debris directly into the large bucket. Wood ash was added above the straw, and cold water was poured over it.

The ash was positioned above the straw to separate it from the holes. The straw base acted as a barrier to prevent wood ash from mixing with the water. As the water was poured gradually, liquid lye passed through the openings in the small bucket and was gathered in the large bucket. Once all the water was poured over the ash, the process

was repeated with the liquid collected in the large bucket. The lye solution that was collected was poured over the wood ash (located above the straw) once more.

The lye solution was reused multiple times to concentrate it. After each repetition, the solution was collected and stored in a separate container for soap making. Metal utensils were avoided to prevent a temperature increase in the lye. Its strength was tested before storage, often with the help of fresh eggs.

If an egg remains buoyant near the top of the solution with a small amount of lye water above it, then the lye is the correct strength. Conversely, if the egg sinks, it indicates that the lye is not strong enough. On the other hand, if the egg floats well above the solution, it signifies that the lye is too strong. In cases where the lye lacks strength, the researchers introduced additional wood ash and repeated the process with the same solution. When the lye was too strong, water was added and the strength was reevaluated using the egg. This process of adding water was continued until the researchers were confident that the lye had reached the appropriate strength.