MICROWAVE POPCORN—NAME BRAND OR GENERIC?
A. Project Design Plan
Popcorn is a favorite snack when a family sits down to watch a movie. With the convenience of microwave popcorn, within two to three minutes you can have your snack while enjoying your movie. The problem is finding the right brand of microwave popcorn that pops the most kernels. I am going to take three different brands of popcorn and find out which one pops the most kernels. We all want the most out of anything we purchase.
A1. Literature Review
I found multiple web sites performing this same type of experiment. I chose two sites to use for comparison of my work. The fist site I viewed showed Orville Redenbacher’s brand was the best popping corn. However, they counted popped and un-popped kernels to get a percentage of popped kernels. The second site I viewed showed that the Act II brand had the least amount of un-popped kernels. Their experiment is comparable to mine. They counted only the un-popped kernels to get a percentage of un-popped kernels. Just like the second site viewed, I am only focusing on un-popped kernels.
A2a. Experimental Design Steps
1. Purchase three different brands of microwave popcorn. Same flavor (butter, kettle corn, natural, etc.) and same size bags, or as close to the same size as possible.
2. Create a data sheet with five columns and three rows. Label the first column “brand name”, label the next three columns with “bag 1, bag 2, and bag 3”. Label the final column, “average”. Label each row with each brand name used.
3. Mark three bags of each brand with numbers 1, 2 & 3.
4. Follow popping instructions on each brand. Pop only the amount of time indicated, this will slightly vary for each brand. You don’t want to burn the popcorn.
5. Warning: Let popcorn cool before opening bag.
6. Separate popped corn from un-popped of each bag popped.
7. Count un-popped kernels and record the amount on your data sheet in the appropriate columns.
8. Once all bags have been popped, counted and recorded, total all un-popped corn for each brand. Take the total and divide by three to get an average of un-popped corn.
9. Record average in the final column of your data chart.
A2b. Reasoning
I chose this design plan because it seemed to be the most logical to conduct this study. By monitoring my controlled variables I am able to minimize threats to internal validity.
A2c. Sequence of Events
To collect my quantitative data, after each bag of popcorn has been popped, I will count each un-popped kernel of each brand and record it on my data sheet. Once all bags have been popped, and recorded, I will calculate the total of each brand by adding the un-popped kernels of all 3 bags per brand. Lastly, I will divide the total un-popped kernels of all 3 bags for the first brand and divide by 3 to get the average of un-popped kernels per brand. After all 3 brands have been averaged I will be able to determine which brand of microwave popcorn leaves the least amount of un-popped kernels.
A2d. Tools, Technologies, and Measurement Units
To conduct this experiment the following tools & material will be used:
• 3 bags of ACT II microwave butter flavor popcorn
• 3 bags of POP Waver microwave butter flavor popcorn
• 3 bags of Orville Redenbacher’s microwave butter flavor popcorn
• 2 large bowls to separate popped from un-popped kernels.
• 1 microwave
A3. Variables
The controlled variables for this study will include using the same microwave and the same temperature for all samples. The same amount of cooking time between popping each bag, using the same flavor of popcorn and using the same amount of test samples for each brand. My independent variable will be the brand of microwave popcorn. My dependent variable will be the average of un-popped kernels per brand of microwavable popcorn.
A4. Threat Reduction to Internal Validity
Threats to internal validity can be anything other than the independent variable that might affect the outcome of the dependent variable in an experiment. I will use the following techniques to preserve the reliability of the experiment and attempt to reduce the threat to internal validity.
1. I will pop 3 bags of each brand for consistency
2. I will wait 5 minutes between each bag popped to prevent pre-heating as a variable.
3. I will use the same microwave and temperature.
4. I will use an average of un-popped kernels per brand.
A5. Hypotheses
If both, expensive and inexpensive brands of microwave popcorn are popped; I believe that a higher number of popped kernels will result in the more expensive brand, the more expensive brand being Orville Redenbacher’s. I normally purchase both name brand and generic grocery items depending on the product. I find that some generic items are just as high quality as name brand. My belief is that generic popcorn will have a higher average of un-popped kernels compared to name brand popcorn.
B. Process of Data Collection
After each bag popped I emptied the popped corn into a bowel and separated the popped from the un-popped. I counted each un-popped kernel. Any kernel that did not pop at all or did not fully pop was considered un-popped. I then recorded my findings in the chart below.
Brand Name Bag 1 Bag 2 Bag 3 Average
Orville Redenbacher’s 55 39 31 42
POP Weaver 78 45 39 54
ACT II 69 47 36 51 B1. Appropriate Methods
The above method is straight forward and easy to follow and I believe the best way to collect data for this experiment. By using an average of un-popped kernels as measurement allowed me to compare how each brand performed in the study.
C. Results
The results show Orville Redenbacher’s butter flavored had an average of 42 un-popped kernels, Act II an average of 51 un-popped kernels and POP Weaver had an average of 54 un-popped kernels. The graph below shows the comparison of each brand. D. Conclusion
Orville Redenbacher’s Butter flavored microwave popcorn clearly shows to produce the smallest amount of un-popped kernels according to data collected. The data shows that POP Weaver’s Butter flavored microwave popcorn, the generic brand, had the highest average of un-popped kernels.
D1. Confirmation of Hypothesis
According to the averages shown in my findings, it is apparent that the name brand butter flavored microwave popcorn has the smallest average of un-popped kernels. I accept my initial hypothesis.
D2. Experimental Design as Key Factor
Different designs and procedures will produce different results so this makes the experimental design a very significant part of the scientific experiment. The experimental design I chose to use only showed the average of un-popped kernels with the name brand of buttered microwave popcorn having the smallest average of un-popped kernels. If I had chosen to count only the popped kernels, I could have quite possibly come out with a different result given that the up-popped kernels were not counted before they were popped to get a count of each bag.
D3. Replication
If each of the design steps is followed, the investigation will be easily replicated. It is vital to monitor the controlled variables (same microwave, same temperature and same wait time between each bag popped) to ensure validity of the experiment. It is essential to use multiple samples of each brand chosen.
D3a. Evaluation of Validity
To be considered scientific, a hypothesis must be falsifiable. The design of my experiment was different from the other two experiments I viewed, however, they all three in the end showed that the name brand had the least amount of un-popped kernels.

E. References

Boyd, S. (n.d.). The jawbreakers of the popcorn industry. Retrieved from http://home.ptd.net/~sequoia1/Science/popcorn.htm

Saum, J., Delap, K., Skinner, K., & Galli, B. (2003, January 12). Popcorn and college students. Retrieved from http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/nsfall01/FinalArticles/PopcornandCollegeStudents.html