Question

In science class, Conrad learns that ocean oil spills can have a damaging effect on birds, as shown below.


Image courtesy of USFWS

His teacher tells him that dish soap is safe and effective in cleaning the oil off of birds. Conrad uses two pans of water to model the ocean. He adds oil to one pan. How can Conrad use dish soap with his model to study how adding dish soap to oil spills would help protect water birds from the oil?
A.
Add oil to the second pan, add dish soap to it, then dip one feather in each pan.
B.
Add dish soap to the second pan, then place them both outside to see which one birds would rather drink from.
C.
Add oil to the second model, add dish soap to it, then wash one dish in each pan.
D.
Mix dish soap into the second pan, then add oil on top of it.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To study how adding dish soap to oil spills would help protect water birds from the oil, Conrad should choose the option that allows him to directly observe the interaction between the oil and the dish soap in relation to their ability to clean or separate the oil. The best option is:

**D. Mix dish soap into the second pan, then add oil on top of it.**

This approach allows Conrad to see how the dish soap interacts with the oil and potentially alters its properties, demonstrating how dish soap can help in cleaning oil off of birds.

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