Corrosion Work Sample
Directions: Please use this template to write your work sample on rusting or
corrosion. Before you turn it in be sure to clean it up and get rid of any extra
writing like this paragraph. Include your name/date/period and complete answers
to all of the questions below. Once you are sure you have answered the question
completely delete everything in the template except for the bold, numbered or
CAPITALIZED headings. Please separate it into four pages when you are
finished. You will then save it as a PDF and then attach it to the correct
assignment in Edmodo. Please remember to back up your work regularly into
your Edmodo backpack or the 4j Files 1 server.
Name: Mina Buchanan
Date: 3/15/14
Period: 4
Page 1 Forming the Investigation: Rusting Corrosion Work Sample
1. QUESTION: How do the rates of corrosion differ when nails are placed in different types of
water?
VARIABLES: Independent variable: Different kinds of water.
Dependent variable: How much rust appears on the nails.
2. BACKGROUND:
 With prolonged contact, pure iron and oxygen combine to make iron oxide, or rust.
 Salt spray causes breakdown, cracking and flaking of metals.
 Distilled water contains only hydrogen and oxygen atoms, with no extra substances.
3. Tap water contains not only water, but other minerals, such as fluoride and extra oxygen.
4. PREDICTION: I predict that the nail in the distilled water will rust the least, the nail in
saltwater will rust the most, and the nail in tap water will be somewhere in between. I predict
this because I think in distilled water, the oxygen and hydrogen have already bonded, and so
the oxygen will not easily bond with the Iron. In tap water, there is extra oxygen floating
around with no hydrogen, so those oxygen atoms are free to bond with the iron. The
saltwater contains the most impurities, and so I think it will rust the most.
Page 2: Designing the Investigation
1. VARIABLES:
1. Same environment (all placed in the same area of the room)
2. Same amount of water (10 drops added to a paper towel)
3. All the nails will be sealed in a petri dish with the water and paper towel.
4. Same type of nail (pure iron)
2. SAFETY: Wear safety goggles so that the salt will not get in eyes.
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3. MATERIALS: 3 pure iron nails, three petri dishes with lids, tape, salt (sodium chloride), tap
water, distilled water, paper towels, 2 pipettes, ruler, lab scoop, pen, three sticky notes, two
beakers.
4. PROCEDURE:
1. Gather materials.
2. Pour 1 cm of tap water into a beaker.
3. Fold a paper towel into a petri dish so it fits into the bottom.
4. Using the pipette, drop 10 drops of tap water into the petri dish. Write “Tap Water” on a
sticky note and stick it to the bottom of the petri dish.
5. Pour and stir three lab scoops of sodium chloride into the tap water beaker.
6. Repeat step 3 and 4 but with salt water.
7. Repeat steps 2-4 but with distilled water, and a new pipette.
8. Place an iron nail in each of the petri dishes, then seal the lid on with tape.
9. Take a picture of each set up. Insert them in the “Day Zero” boxes.
10. Put away all materials that are not included in the set up.
11. Place all three petri dishes next to each other on a counter.
12. Wait 24 hours.
13. Take a picture of all three petri dishes. Insert them into the “Day One” boxes.
14. Wait 24 hours.
15. Take a picture of all three petri dishes. Insert them into the “Day Two” boxes.
16. Insert the data in the data table below.
My numbered and detailed procedures with a drawing of my set up (use doodle buddy or take
before photos of your actual set up and insert them here)
Page 3 Collecting
and Presenting Data:
DATA: Below you will insert photos of your results and a data table as well as a scoring guide
for analyzing your results
Day 0 (start)
Day 1
2
Day 2
Salt Water
Distilled
Water
Tap Water
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Page 4
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Analyzing and Interpreting Results
QUESTION: My question from page 1
INTRODUCTION: My introductory sentence which provides an overview of my experiment
EVIDENCE BASED CONCLUSION: An overview of the general results followed by
evidence from your experiment that supports the overview. (in this investigation I found that
..... This can be seen in my results where...)
EXPLANATION: An explanation of why I think I got the results that I did. What is the science
behind the results? I believe I got the results I did because... (something about chemical
reactions, catalysts, environmental conditions etc)
PROBLEMS: Problems that may have affected your data. These should be specific and
should also explain specifically how the problem might have affected your data. eg did it
cause more rusting? less rusting?)
FUTURE EXPERIMENT: In a future experiment how could you fix one or more of the
problems you had OR in a future experiment what further information would you like to find
out? How is the future experiment related to the current experiment?
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