Awards Earned:
 2nd Place, 8th Life Science, PCA Science Fair
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Problem to be Solved:
Does supplementary vitamin C prevent colds?
Hypothesis:
Vitamin C will prevent people from getting colds.
Procedure:
Materials: 500 mg vitamin C, eight people, calendars
Control Group: no vitamin C group
Variable: vitamin C group
Procedure: I have four people take one 500 mg vitamin C per day for one month. They write down on a calendar each time they experience cold symptoms (unusual coughing, sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose, sore throat, etc.). I have four different people who do not write down each time they experience cold symptoms on a calendar for one month. I have no one take any vitamin C for one week just to get it out of their system. Then for the next month I do the same as the first, but I switch the people who do and do not take vitamin C. When the month is over, I compare the calendars to see whether vitamin C prevented colds.
Results:
Recorded Cold Symptoms Over a Month
| |
Severe Symptoms |
Minor Symptoms |
| With Vitamin C |
21 |
53 |
| Without Vitamin C |
31 |
49 |
Conclusion:
There were more severe cold symptoms without vitamin C than there were with vitamin C. There was no significant difference between the minor cold symptoms. In further experimentation, more people could have been tested over a longer period of time. Also variables such as other health problems people had would be better controlled to obtain more accurate measurements.
Biblical Application:
I Corinthians 6:9 says, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?"
Since our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we are to take good care of our bodies. Therefore, we are to try to preserve them so that we can live as long as possible or at least to keep them healthy and strong. By taking vitamins and taking care of our bodies, we will hopefully live longer and be able to do God's will and live for God longer by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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