Mummified+Apples

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Explore how the Ancient Egyptians made a Mummy!

 * Discover how you can** make your own mummy. **Have you ever wondered why every time you eat salty foods, you get thirsty? Or why fresh vegetables tend to shrivel up when you sprinkle salt on them? The answer is simple. Salt is a desiccant - it helps remove water from things, including human bodies. In this activity, you will experiment with different salt compounds and discover which makes the best mummified apple. Materials [[image:http://www.newtonsapple.tv/images/13/Images/mummy.gif align="right"]]**
 * **2 fresh apples**
 * **large box of table salt**
 * **large box of Epsom salts**
 * **large box of baking soda**
 * **knife**
 * **eight 12-oz disposable plastic cups**
 * **measuring cup**
 * **large mixing bowl**
 * **permanent marking pen**
 * **roll of masking tape**
 * **sensitive balance or food scale**
 * **piece of graph paper and pencil**


 * 1) **Slice the two apples into quarters so that you have eight slices similar in size. Place a piece of tape on each cup and write the words "starting weight." Select one slice, weigh it, and record the weight on the outside of cup 1. Follow the same procedure with the other seven apple slices until each cup has been labeled with the appropriate starting weight.**
 * 2) **Add exactly 1/2 cup of baking soda to cup 1, making sure to completely cover the apple. Write the words "baking soda only" on the outside label. Fill cup 2 with 1/2 cup Epsom salts. Fill cup 3 with 1/2 cup table salt. Make sure you label each cup.**
 * 3) **Repeat the same procedure for cups 4-6 using a 50:50 mix of Epsom and table salts in cup 4, 50:50 mix of table salt and baking soda in cup 5, and a 50:50 mix of baking soda and Epsom salts in cup 6. Again, make sure each cup has the correct label.**
 * 4) **In cup 7 make a mixture of 1/3 baking soda, 1/3 Epsom salts, and 1/3 table salt. Leave cup 8 alone as a control. Place the cups on a shelf out of direct sunlight and let them sit for seven days. After a week has gone by, take out each apple slice, brush off as much salt as possible, and reweigh. (Do not rinse the apple off because that will rehydrate it.) Compare the starting and ending weights of each slice and calculate the percentage of weight which is moisture lost for each by dividing the difference in weight by the starting weight. Questions 1. Which compound would seem to work best at making an apple mummy? 2. Would you have achieved the same results if you used a whole, unpeeled apple? Try it and find out. 3. What was the point of leaving one of the apple slices in a cup without any salt at all? 4. Where did the moisture in the slices go? How could you confirm this?**