What are Electrolyte?

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Recommended: Lecture about electrolytes

This research project involves experimentation to determine how many electrolytes a drink has compared to other drinks. Electrolytes are minerals such as potassium and sodium that are lost when you exercise and sweat. They break down into little electrically charged particles, known as ions, when dissolved by water. Electrolytes must be present in the human body to perform functions such as muscle contraction, neural activity, and fluid balance (Dolan). Low or high levels of electrolytes can lead to weakened muscles or muscles that contract too much (Nordqvist 2009). It can also lead to dizziness, irregular heartbeat, nausea, and other symptoms. The purpose of this investigation is to find out which type of drink includes, and replenishes, the most electrolytes so these symptoms can be avoided. Today, many different companies claim that their drink is the best electrolyte replenisher. The hypothesis is that if the drink is Gatorade, then it will have the most electrolytes. The experimental controls included the amount of the drink and the temperature of the drink. This topic was chosen because with this information, one would be able to replenish the most electrolytes with the best drink possible.

To investigate which drink contained the most electrolytes and get the best results possible a certain procedure was followed. First, one cup of each drink was poured into separate bowls. Next, the conductance of each substance was measured by putting a straw with two copper wires on each end of it. One copper wire was connected to a battery which was connected to the multimeter. The other wire was directly connected to the battery. The multimeter was set to measure the conductance in milliamps. The straw and copper wi...

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...sports-drinks/>.

Nordqvist, Christian. "What Are Electrolytes?." Medical News Today: Health News. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2013.
Dolan, Shawn. "Electrolytes: Understanding Replacement Options."ACE Fitness. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. .

"Sports Drinks Perform Poorly in Study, Do Not Have Electrolytes Plants Crave."The Inquisitr News. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. .

The Daily Meal. "Sports drinks: the myths busted | Fox News." Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013. .

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