 To determine the best conditions for rust to form on steel wool.

 Write a hypothesis using the IF, THEN, BECAUSE format.

 Manipulated: The amount of water.  Responding: The amount of rust.  Controlled: 1. The amount of steel wool 2. The amount of time

 steel wool  3 cups  water  scissors  masking tape

1. Gather lab materials. 2. Using the masking tape, label the cups with group member names and class period. 3. Using the scissors, cut the steel wool into 3 equal size pieces. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL 4. Place one piece of steel wool into a cup and then fill the cup to the top with water. 5. Place another piece of steel wool into a 2 nd cup and then fill the cup so half the steel wool is below water and half is above water.

6. Place the last piece of steel wool into the 3 rd cup and add no water. 7. Place the 3 cups on the side counter and allow the cups to sit for 48 hours. 8. Observe the appearance of the steel wool in each cup and record the results in data table Clean up.

Cup Number Labeled drawing of steel wool before Labeled drawing of the steel wool after Rust Rating (amount of rust) 1 = least 3= most 1 Full of water 2 Small amount of water 3 No water

Make a bar graph of the rust rating of the 3 cups. (remember to include a title and labels for each axis. Make a bar graph of the rust rating of the 3 cups. (remember to include a title and labels for each axis. Write your conclusion following the format on the “How to write an 8 th grade lab write-up” handout. Write your conclusion following the format on the “How to write an 8 th grade lab write-up” handout.