Two hundred and fifty Jamaica Elementary School students put their scientific theories to the test for the school’s annual Science Fair.

Jackie Leatherman/T News-Herald photo Alex Gifford, pictured above, was one of several Lake Havasu High School Honor Roll seniors who volunteered to judge the Jamaica Elementary School third- and fifth-grade Science Fair.

Third- and fifth-grade students had to come up with a theory to test, guess the outcome, and then, through scientific testing, determine results. From clean mouths to diaper storage … here is a glimpse at some of this year’s theories (students’ names were withheld during judging):

Juicy Pennies

Which citrus juice rusts pennies the fastest?

A student placed a penny in a glass filled with lemon juice, a glass filled with orange juice and a glass filled with grapefruit juice for 24 hours. The pennies were then placed outside for one week to see which one rusted fastest.

The results: The penny soaked in orange juice rusted more quickly.

The 10-day No Chip Challenge

What brand of “long-lasting” nail polish will last the longest?

A student wore brands from Sally Hansen, Maybelline, Rimmel, Revlon and Wet ‘n Wild on each finger for 10 days, with photo documentation of nail polish deterioration over time.

The results: Wet ‘n Wild “Mega Last” lasted the longest.

Soda: Your teeth’s

worst enemy

Which soda is worst for your teeth?

A student soaked an extracted canine tooth in a cup filled with Diet Coke, a cup filled with Sprite and a cup filled with Dr. Pepper for eight days.

The student also tested the acidity of each soda and then compared deterioration.

The results: Diet Coke resulted in the most damage to the tooth

Lady bug, Lady bug

Which color are lady bugs attracted to the most?

A student placed 15 lady bugs in a glass case with four pieces of paper, one green, one pink, one black and one red.

After three trials of releasing the lady bugs in the case, green seemed to always be the most popular.

Kernel of Truth

What method of cooking popcorn leaves the least amount of un-popped kernels?

A student placed a microwave bag of popcorn in the microwave, and also popped one-quarter cup of popcorn in an air pop popcorn cooker and one-quarter cup of popcorn cooked in oil over the stove.

The popcorn cooked in the popcorn cooker resulted in the least amount of un-popped kernels.

Drippiest Diaper Debate

Which brand of diaper will absorb the most amount of liquid without leaking?

The student weighed one dry diaper of Pampers, Parents’ Choice, Huggies and Luvs. The student then weighed water balloons and popped a hole in the balloons, and then weighed the diapers after they were wet.

The results: Pampers absorbed the most water after conducting the test three times.

You may contact the reporter at jleatherman@havasunews.com