HJHS Science Club

T. Trimpe 2008 http:///sciencespot.net/

Bubblegum Trivia

1. How many sticks of gum does the average American chew in a year?A. 200 B. 300 C. 400

2. How many tons of gum are chewed every year?A. 50,000 B. 75,000 C. 100,000

3. If all the five-chunk packs of Bubble Yum ever chewed in the U.S. since it's introduction in 1975 were laid end-to-end, how many times would it circle the earth at the equator?

A. 2 B. 5 C. 7

4. San Luis Obispo, California, is the home of 'Bubble Gum Alley'. What is it?A. An alley with brick walls covered with ABC (already-been-chewed) gum wads.B. The place where bubble gum was invented.C. The home of the largest collection of bubble gum machines.

5. Richard Walker holds the record for the Chomp Title by chewing 135 sticks of gum for the longest time. How long did he chomp?

A. 5 hours B. 6 hours C. 8 hours

6. The Topps company holds the record for having made the largest single piece ofbubble gum. How many pieces of normal-sized Bazooka did it equal?

A. 5000 B. 8000 C. 10, 000

7. The 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie card is the most valuable Topps Company card.How much did it sell for at auction?

A. $75,000 B. $120,000 C. $1,000,000

8. What is the Official Gum of Major League Baseball?A. Bubble Yum B. Bazooka C. Topps

9. When was the first successful bubble gum invented?A. 1891 B. 1906 C. 1928

10. Susan Mont"Gum"ery Williams is the Guinness Record Holder Of the WorldsLargest Gum Bubble. How big was it?

A. 19 inches B. 23 Inches C. 27 inches

Topps presented the gum to baseball player Willie Mays in 1974. Mays then cut it into small chunks and gave it to children in nearby hospitals.

The first successful bubble gum was invented by Walter Diemer in 1928. He was an accountant who knew nothing about chemistry, but created it in a tiny laboratory in Philadelphia. The only food coloring he had on hand was pink. "It was an accident," said Mr. Diemer, "I was doing something else and ended up with something with bubbles."

World’s Largest Bubble Blower Blows Triple Bubble

Bubblegum Basics

How do we make bubblegum?

Materials Needed:

Bubblegum Base

Corn Syrup

Powdered Sugar

Bubblegum Flavor

Steve SpanglerBubblegum Science

What are the steps involved in making gum? List them below.

How does our bubblegum compare to the regular brands of bubblegum?

Sweet BubblesWhat will happen to the mass of your bubblegum as you chew it for 10 minutes? I predict that the mass will: A. increase. B. decrease. C. stay the same.

Directions:1 – Make a foil “boat” to hold your gum.2 - Find the mass of 1 piece of bubblegum using the triple-beam balance. Write the amount in the chart.3 – Chew the gum for 5 minutes and then find the mass of the piece of bubblegum using the triple-beam balance. Write the amount in the chart.4 – Chew the gum for another 5 minutes (10 minutes total) and then find the mass of the piece of bubblegum using the triple-beam balance. Write the amount in the chart.

Think About It!

How did the bubblegum’s mass change?

What caused the change in mass?

How does your results compare to someone else with a different brand?

How would the mass change if you chewed the gum for another 30 minutes?

Super ChompersHow fast can you chomp a piece of bubblegum? My prediction is _______ chomps per minute.

Directions:1 – Use the piece of gum you chewed in experiment #1 since it already nicely chewed.

2 – Use a timer and count the number of chomps you can do in 60 seconds. For a "real" chomp, your jaws must open more than an inch. Record the amount in the chart below.

3 – Repeat step 2 two more times and record your results in the chart.

Think About It!

Which was your fastest trial? ___________ Slowest trial? ____________

What caused the change in speed?

How would your speed change if you chomped for 60 seconds on each trial?

How close were you to your guess?

Bubblegum Blowout

Which brand of bubblegum will make the best bubbles?

My guess is ______________________.

You will have 5 minutes to practice.

The competition period will run for 5 minutes. The person who can blow the largest bubble in that time will be the

champ!

Stick to the smaller amounts of gum; more gum doesn’t mean more bubble. If you can blow your bubble and you still have gum in your mouth, you need more practice, not more gum. Remember, you are allowed only three pieces of gum when going for the world record.

All gum contains sugar and artificial flavoring which is great for taste, but bad for bubbles. Be sure to chew your gum long enough to work out all of the sugar and artificial flavoring, this will help to strengthen your bubble. Find the right consistency to where you can push your tongue through the gum to make the pocket, but where you don’t push all the way through and leave little gum to make a big bubble with.

If you want to blow the biggest bubbles possible, be careful and blow slowly. Use slow even breaths, this gives your gum time to stretch and grow, but also keeps even pressure on the gum to keep it from sagging. Don’t tighten your lips around the bubble like you just sucked on a lemon, this will force you to blow harder and pop your bubble. Instead keep your mouth open so you inflate the bubble through a larger hole.

Practice, practice, practice! Blowing championship bubbles will require not only practice but a strong jaw, tongue, and diaphragm. Try different combinations of the tips above to find the perfect conditions for blowing the biggest bubbles possible.

Tips from the Pros