Science Crime Busters B

[robotman]

It has been fixed (you are able to edit the wiki also)

And when I did it last year it took a little bit for the tin to start to show reaction

[sciolystudy]

im new to this event so can somebody help me?
my partner and i have been doing other events, so can someone give me a list of the most important things to concentrate on? We only have a short amount of time left
and also, my partner has the rules sheet, so can someone tell me if this year we are allowed a notesheet? (Div. B) i didnt think so, but the wiki and some posters say so.
thanks! (:

[prelude to death]

Yup! You are allowed a double-sided 8.5 x 11" (standard size, I think) notesheet. It'd be a good idea to study reactions of liquids, metals, and powders and stuff like that so that you can identify them. Also, know the 3 basic types of fingerprints and maybe know how to identify polymers or put that on your notesheet.

[icyfire]

Are they allowed to crush the sugar/salt into powders? If so, then how do we tell them apart, as it would be impossible to tell their shape differences. That is currently the only way we do it, and even when not crushed it's not very reliable. If anyone could provide some tips on I would very much appreciate it. Sorry for the abrupt change of topic, but our regionals is next week and i realized that I didn't do very well on our last practice test.

[prelude to death]

It's no big deal! My partner and I just do a taste test! (Kidding!)

Well, in all the tests and practice tests I've taken, I've never had it crushed up into a powder, so.... >.<

But looking at the shape is a great way to tell the two apart! If you use small hand microscopes, you'll notice that sugar is more hexagonal shaped, while salt is cubic. Hope that helps!

[dholdgreve]

Are they allowed to crush the sugar/salt into powders? If so, then how do we tell them apart, as it would be impossible to tell their shape differences. That is currently the only way we do it, and even when not crushed it's not very reliable. If anyone could provide some tips on I would very much appreciate it. Sorry for the abrupt change of topic, but our regionals is next week and i realized that I didn't do very well on our last practice test.

Any event Coordinator that would grind the crystals is just not worth his salt! (Sorry couldn't resist). Seriously though, i've been coaching this event over 10 years, and visual inspection is really the only way to tell the two apart. There are major differences in the solubility of the 2 in hot and cold water, but since you cannot heat the water, that doesn't help much. If you don't already have one, pick up a 30x jewelers loup hand lens. That may help. The 5x and 10x lenses you can get at the local office supply are but toys compared to the loup! Good luck!

[EpicFailure]

It has been fixed (you are able to edit the wiki also)

And when I did it last year it took a little bit for the tin to start to show reaction

If both tin and aluminum have delayed reaction with HCl, is there any other way to tell them apart other than tin has a yellowish tinge?

[Momo]

how do you get ready for invents such as crime busters,anatomy,and disease dectectives? I'm going to regionals soon, and this is my first year so I don't know what to expect! how is it like?

[prelude to death]

For Anatomy, I'm not an expert, but you should really study a lot and maybe check out the Anatomy thread. They'll have better answers for you there.

For Disease Detectives, again, go to the Disease Detectives thread, as there are more experienced people than me. However, you should take a lot of practice tests.

For Crime Busters, take a lot of practice tests; maybe quiz your partner by giving them unknown substances. Have them do the same with you, too. Also, maybe sit down and have a talk about your strengths and weaknesses. It'll come in handy during the competition! For some odd reason, time seems to fly by faster when you're actually competing!

[DiscoLava]

Hi,
I saw a list if reactions to pretty much all powders, metals, etc., then the post got lost in history, the post was a table of sorts, and I really was hoping on this post to get me through the next 2 weeks until my competion. The post had the PH level, some comments like "fizzes with everything", or "changes color with ____". This is crucial information. If anyone could PLEASE help that would be VERY nice.
Regards,
DiscoLava