Jess+Earl

Jess Earl

Electrolytes in sports drinks

I am testing which drinks would have a better impact on physical and athletic performance based on their amount of electrolytes. I myself am an athlete so this would be useful information to try to enhance my game or practice performance in any way I can. It's sometimes difficult to decide which drink would be the best to drink during a game. Coaches tell players to drink sports drinks for the electrolytes. If a drink has more electrolytes in it, then it will theoretically perform better than other drinks with less electrolytes. Electrolytes are pretty much salts, specifically ions. It's an ion that is electrically charged and moves to either a cathode or an anode. Electrolytes are necessary because they help maintain voltages across the cells as well as carry electrical impulses. When you exercise and sweat, you lose electrolytes through that sweat. It's important to keep replenishing them. (Discovery). Some of the more important electrolytes are Sodium, Calcium, Chloride, Magnesium, and Potassium. They are essential for the heart, nervous system, and muscles. So athletes need electrolytes to help their muscle and nerve movement. (Bennett) Water is the better fluid to use when exercising under an hour. However for longer, it's better to drink a sports drink or one with electrolytes. (Dulan) However, chocolate milk has been tested to see if it is better than sports drinks. It has all the important electrolytes and proteins but doesn't have the same sugar that sports drinks do. (Chocolate)

Independent Variable: The drinks Dependent Variable: The amount of electrolytes in them. Constants: Same amount of liquid, Same instrument

Control Group: Distilled Water Group 1: Gatorade Group 2: Powerade Group 3: Low Fat Chocolate Milk

Materials Digital multimeter Alligator clip leads (2) 9 volt battery and 9 volt battery clip Beakers (4) 150 ml of Gatorade 150 ml of Powerade 150 ml of Chocolate milk 150 ml of distilled water Drinking straw Scissors Copper wire bare, 24-guage (5 feet) Cost would be $40 - $80.

Method

1. Use scissors to cut a 5 cm piece of the straw. 2. Still using the scissors, cut two pieces of the wire, both about 12 cm long. 3. Make a conductance sensor as the picture shows. 4. Start assembling the conductance measuring circuit by attaching the battery clip to the 9 V battery. The schematics diagram 5. Plug the multimeter test leads into the multimeter. Note: Make sure the multimeter probes are plugged into the right jacks, or it will not work. 6. Use one of the pairs of alligator clips to connect the positive (red) wire of the 9 V battery clip to the positive (red) multimeter probe. To do this, clip one of the alligator clips to the positive (red) wire of the 9 V battery clip, and clip the other end of the pair of alligator clips to the metal part of the positive (red) multimeter probe. 7. Using the second pair of alligator clips, attach one of the copper wire tails of the conductance sensor to the negative (black) probe of the multimeter. You can use either tail of the sensor. To do this, clip one of the alligator clips to one of the wire tails of the conductance sensor, and clip the other end of the alligator clips to the metal part of the negative (black) multimeter probe. 8. Twist the other wire tail of the conductance sensor around the metal end of the black lead from the 9 V battery clip. 9. Clean the four small bowls with warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and dry them right away with a clean dry cloth or paper towel. This will remove ions in the tap water. If you want to be extra careful, rinse the bowls with distilled water before drying. Label pieces of making tape and put them on the bowls. 10. Pour each liquid into the appropriately labeled bowl. All of the solutions should be at room temperature. 11. Turn the multimeter to read DCA (direct current). Make sure it is reading direct current (DCA) and not alternating current. Then place the sensor in the distilled water and make sure it's completely immersed. 12. Read the current on the multimeter. If you are not using an auto- ranging multimeter, move the dial to its highest sensitivity (e.g., 200µ). Record your results. 13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 with the other liquids but rinse the sensors before moving to another liquid. 14. Convert microamps to amps by dividing by 1,000,000. Convert milliamps to amps by dividing by 1,000.(Electrolyte)
 * 1) =====Wrap one piece of wire around the 5 cm straw piece near one end a few times, leaving a 5 cm (2 inch) tail of wire.=====
 * 2) Wrap the wire snuggly around the straw. If the wires on the conductance sensor move while you are taking measurements, your measurements may be inaccurate.
 * 3) =====Wrap the second piece of wire around the other end of the straw tube a few times, leaving a 5 cm (2 inch) tail of wire. There should be no contact between the wires, and they should be wrapped tightly enough that they will not slide off the tube.=====
 * 4) =====Caution: Make sure the two wires do not touch. The conductance sensor will not work if the wires touch, and touching wires will blow the fuse in your multimeter.=====
 * 1) Make sure to clip the alligator clips to the metal part of both the multimeter probe and 9 V battery clip. The circuit will not work if the alligator clips are not connected to the metal parts of the probe and clips leads because the circuit will not be complete.

 Bibliography  Bennett, Paul B., Jr. Ph.D. "Hydration and Electrolytes - Impact on Athletic Performance." //Hydration and Electrolytes: Impact On Athletic Performance by Paul B. Bennett on 1Vigor //. 1Vigor, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013

 Discovery Health." //Discovery Fit and Health //. Discovery Fit & Health, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

 Dulan, Mitzi, RD, HFI. "Sports Drink Comparisons, Water or Sports Drink, Which Sports Drink Should I Choose?" //Nutrition Expert //. Mitzi Dulan, RD, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

 "Chocolate Milk: The New Sports Drink?" //CBSNews //. CBS Interactive, 26 Feb. 2006. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

"Electrolyte Challenge: Orange Juice Vs. Sports Drink." //Electrolyte Challenge: Orange Juice Vs. Sports Drink //. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.