On December 11th, 8th Graders got the result of their fermentation experiment. Last Wednesday, they prepared five identical plastic bottles and put different amounts of sugar, yeast, and salt in them. After that, they filled each bottle with warm water, and tightened a balloon around the neck of each bottle. The yeast inside each bottle went through fermentation. Byproducts of fermentation for yeast were ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. The sizes of the balloons over time depended on how much carbon dioxide the yeast released. Through measuring the sizes of the balloons, students now have a rough idea of how much fermentation occurred. Through this experiment, they understand the process of fermentation and the role yeast played in it. They also understand how different factors affect the fermentation of yeast.

(Written by Jessie Li Pictures by Rongzhang Hu Supervised by Rongzhang Hu)