State the Problem: How much bacteria is going to grow on an apple dropped on the ground

for 2 seconds and 6 seconds after five days? Is there difference between the two?
Research:
Rationale:
We will now know if the 5-second rule actually is good. Because maybe the five second rule
isn’t the best rule we should follow anyway. This experiment will let kids know how much
bacteria is in an apple after it is dropped on the floor for a certain amount of seconds.
Hypothesis:
I predict that that both apples will be very dirty, crawling with bacteria, but the 6 seconded
one will be dirtier
My Supplies:
1. 2 Apple slices, about the same size
2. 2 plastic bags
3. A Sharpie
4. A floor
My Plan:
1. Use the sharpie to label the bags 2 seconds and 6 seconds.
2. Get the apple slices.
3. Drop the first apple slice on the ground for precisely 2 seconds, then pick it up and
put it in the plastic bag labeled 2 seconds.
4. Drop the second apple slice on the ground for precisely 6 seconds, then pick it up and
put it in the plastic bag labeled 6 seconds.
5. Wait for five days.
6. Check to see how much Bacteria is on each apple.
7. Record your results.
8. Celebrate the finishing of another experiment!
The Results: (usually a picture or a graph)
 Days Pictures Notes

Day 1 Not so disgusting yet

Day 2 No picture. Sorry! nothing

Day 3 We like to wait till the fifth day nothing
Day 4 Ooooh I wonder what it’s like nothing
Day 5 Blech! Ew! This is the most
disgusting thing ever.
(It barely even looks
like an apple anymore.)

My Conclusion:
Looking at our results, it is clear that our original hypothesis was a bit wrong, actually. One
way we know it is wrong is that somehow the 2 second one is dirtier. We think this happened
because we dropped both apples in the same place but the 2 second one already soaked up
the bacteria. Another interesting that that happened was that the bacteria is in some places,
but not in all places. I think this was because some parts touched the ground and some parts
didn’t. In conclusion, it turns out that both apples are very dirty and that the five second rule
isn’t necessarily correct. If I were to do this again, two things I would change would be to
use something smoother and drop them in two different places.