Food Can Science
The properties of materials and using these in a responsible manner.

Lesson 2 - Which Food Container is the Strongest?

This lesson goes through the process of devising and evaluating a test, i.e. which food container is the strongest?

Learning Objectives:

To understand that different materials used in packaging containers have diverse properties.
To help devise a fair test to assess the strength of different packaging containers.
To plan and carry out the investigation safely.
To decide if the test was fair.

Resources:

A variety of empty food packaging containers, including; a plastic bottle, a glass bottle, a cardboard box, a steel can, an aluminium can.
A long hollow cardboard or paper tube. (This could be made from a rolled sheet of newspaper.)
Heavy metal weight (kilogram) that will pass, unimpeded through the centre of the tube.
Wooden board to protect the classroom floor.
Small quantity of plasticine.
A flipchart / white board on which the following table and key has been drawn.

Name of Container	Our predication of what will happen	What happened