Practical investigations
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I am currently planning my A2 vinegar experiment and I am considering investigating the 'cost-effectiveness' of two types of vinegar. I am thinking of performing a cost analysis on both types, concluding which brand of vinegar provides the most acid per penny. I cannot think of the way to calculate this once I receive my data from titration experiments. Is there a calculation for cost effectiveness? Secondly, is titration a valid experiment to receive data for the cost analysis? Thank you
Igloo replies ...
I am sorry to appear negative about your ideas, but I am not sure that it is meaningful to measure the “cost effectiveness” of two different types of vinegar in the manner you suggest. The quality of vinegar has as much to do with the other components present in it as it does with its acidity, and in any case “quality” in this context is a very subjective concept.
By all means determine the total concentration of the acids in the two vinegars, and compare one with the other, but the one with the greater acidity per penny isn’t necessarily going to be the one to choose when shopping. Apart from its use in pickling food and flavouring chips, vinegar is widely used in many recipes, and different vinegars work better in some situations than in others.
More ideas for investigating vinegar: see our tutorial on investigating vinegar which may help you
Investigating vinegar
Always carry out a risk assessment and check with your teacher before starting any practical work.
Risk assessment
Before attempting any practical work based on the advice and suggestions on this website, you must do the following. Identify any hazards, assess the risks from these hazards, and then decide appropriate control measures to reduce the risks. You must have these approved by those in authority in your school or college laboratory. Do not rely on what is said on this website.
For further guidance see our tutorial on Risk Assessment.
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updated: 08 February 2006
