!! IMPORTANT !! Rules Clarification:
Standard Curve Graph:
Delete iv. Virgin Olive Oil,
v. Great Egg Spectations,
vii. Carnation Evaporated Sweetened Milk, and
ix. Brer Rabbit Light Molasses from the list of liquids and
Change x. to read “
Meadow Gold or Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk”.
senyab wrote:In the rulebook, it says you can make a larger hole for more viscous liquids. Wouldn't this mess up your standard curve? I feel like this inclusion will give many strange looking curves at states... Does anybody else agree?
In what sense? It's almost necessary to have a larger hole for nonviscous liquids to actually get through in the next century...if you mean putting water in there wouldn't work, use tape or something to seal off the hole until you're ready to measure.
cupcakegirl wrote:I could be completely wrong on this, but I took this to mean that you would have two curve graphs, one for each viscotester with different sized holes.
On another note, we are allowed to bring more than two viscotesters, right? I just wanted to clarify this before the first competition this weekend

Ugh. The rules are unclear whether the back-ups have to be the same. Considering you can have standard curve graphS (plural), you may be able to have a few different viscometers. I don't know if that helps any, and I'd be careful about interpreting it that way if you get a supervisor who disagrees.
Theoretically, you can bring 50 of them.

I'd keep back-ups within reason, like one. I mean, do you really need more than one if not two?
senyab wrote:So, that seems like two size holes for one curve... I don't know...
They'd be two separate graphs (I suppose you could do an overlay plot). Also, recall you have a binder and can have it full of standard curves if you really wanted to.
youngswimmer wrote:hey um im new to this event and i know how to make the viscosity meter but i dont know how to use it. so how do you... i know how to do the timing part but the graph confuses me.
You have to
make the graph. Take each of the listed standards in the rules and run them through your meter timing them. It's up to you specifically how you want to do that since there are two or three methods. Whatever you do, be consistent. Then, open up Excel or some other spreadsheet program and make two columns, one for viscosity and one for time. Make a graph, and it should be a straight line.
So what?
You go to competition, and the Supervisor gives you a weird liquid (from the List) asking you to determine its viscosity using your homemade viscometer. Like you did at home with the standards, you run the weird liquid through it and time it. This shouldn't take long. Once you timed it, go back to your standard curve. Find the point on the line that matches the time you recorded from weird liquid, and look down at what viscosity goes with it. That's the viscosity of weird liquid. That make sense?