Science Fair
Project
Beat the heat
Environmental
By: Shannan Higgins
and Maya Mazier
Statement Of Problem
o
Does the greater SPF effect how long the
sunscreen will protect a person from the
sun’s UV rays?
Project Overview
 We
are going to apply spf 15, 30,50 and a
control group( there will not be any
sunscreen applied to this strip) to UV sun
sense strips. We will be testing to see
weather or not the spf’s strength makes it
last longer. We will have several trials for
each category. So, we get a more
accurate answer.
Research





We made sure we had all things labeled
correctly (such as our independent variable,
dependent variable and etc.
We researched what was need of us to carry
out our project
For example what sunscreen we needed to
use
We researched what type of information was
needed to make the data tables
We also created a system which had made it
easier to label each individual group
Variables
 The
independent
variable is the spf
number
 The dependent
variable is the time
it takes for the
sunscreen to stop
working effectively
 The
constant
variables are type
of strip, type of
sunscreen, location
of strips, time strips
are outside,
temperature, and
the amount of spf
Hypothesis
 If
we apply SPF 15, SPF 30, and SPF 50 to
UV SUN Sense wrist bands then we will find
that SPF 50 lasts the longest compared to
SPF 15 and 30 because it has the strongest
UV sun protection.
Materials
 Sun
 SPF
15 Coppertone spray sunscreen
 SPF 30 Coppertone spray sunscreen
 SPF 50 Coppertone spray sunscreen
 Sun Wise Sun Strips
 Timer
 Paper
 Labels
Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Follow safety precautions such at being sure not to look at the
sun directly and be sure no to get sun screen in your eyes.
Gather materials
Place UV Sun Sense wrist band face up on to the according
piece of paper labeled by spf strength(for example 15 , 30 and
so on)
Apply spf 15, 30 ,50 and leave one band without sunscreen
Wait outside along side the wrist bands for fifty minuets and
record the times of when the wrist bands turn from cream to
purple
Calculate the amount of time it took the strips to change for
each trial
Find the average time for each spf
Analyze data to see which spf lasted the longest
Photos
Data/Observations
Results and Data
Control
Group
Spf 50
Spf 30
Seconds it Took to Change
7000
6000
5000
trials 1
12
4740
6420
trials 2
trials 3
13
10
4860
4620
6060
5940
4000
trials 1
3000
trials 2
2000
Measured in seconds
trials 3
1000
0
Control
Group
Spf 50
Groups Tested
Spf 30
After sitting alongside spf 15 for
2hrs nothing changed!
Conclusion
 We
found our hypothesis to be incorrect
because we felt that spf fifty would last
the longest
 Surprisingly spf 15 lasted longest
Possible Experimental Errors
 Stopping
timer to quickly.
 Not starting early enough in the day when
UV rays are strongest.
 Not starting at same times in the day for
each experiment trial.
Applications and
Recommendations







Start at the same time during each trial.
Make sure the data is organized and labeled.
Make sure the data is protected from the wind.
The independent variables need to stay constant
during the whole experiment.
For this experiment you will need more than one
person.
Do the experiment again with a generic brand
sunscreen.
For application in every day life make sure to
reapply sunscreen very often when you are
exposed to the sun’s UV rays.
Works Cited

Weisbaum, Herb. "Does A Higher SPF Really Matter? | Seattle News,
Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News | News Archive." Seattle
News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News |KOMO News. Web. 12 May
2011. <http://www.komonews.com/news/archive/4156666.html>.
"Spf Sunscreen | Best Sunscreen." Lotion Sunscreen | Spf Sunscreen. Web.
12 May 2011. <http://www.lotionsunscreen.com/ar/spf-sunscreen.php>.
"Top 10 Sunblock Tips." Worthy Articles Directory. Web. 12 May 2011.
<http://worthyarticles.com/Article/Top-10-Sunblock-Tips/45302>.
"Sunscreens | Http://www.aad.org." Home Page | Http://www.aad.org. Web. 12 May
2011. <http://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/prevention-andcare/sunscreens>.