We think that the solar filter will work better because it would be more reliable. the solar filter works with the water cycle, which is a lot more reliable I think

Most of the research we looked at was AI generated due to the fact that This is an experimental project. We got all our information and steps from Chat GPT.

What I Change: The type of filter I use (Solar or Gravel). What I Measure: How clear the water looks at the end. What I Keep the Same: Using the same amount of water and the same kind of water for both tests. My Guess: I think the Solar Filter will win and make the water cleaner because the sun's heat helps it.

How we did the solar filter is we got a tub and put a smaller container in the middle. Then, we poured a bit of dirty water (enough to fill the big container). After that, we covered the big tub in plastic wrap and put a rock on the saran wrap right above the smaller container. Next, we just let it sit out in the sun and let the water cycle do its thing.

How we did the gravel  filter is we got a 13 litre pop bottle and cut the bottom half off. Then, we took off the cap and drilled holes in it so the water could pass through. After that, we got a mason jar and put the top part of the bottle on the jar so it rested on the mouth of the mason jar. Next, we poured some sand into the pop bottle and then we poured some small pebbles (gravel) on top of that and on top of THAT we put some larger pebbles (gravel) and on top of THAT we folded up some cheese cloth and placed it on top of the large pebble (gravel) layer. After, you pour the water in the pop bottle and let the water flow through the layers. The gravel filter catches all the debris and the water gets filtered out cleanly. (-:

DATA Solar filter:

• It worked well but it was very slow
• There was still a lot of leftover pond water 
• We used a test strip to see how clean the water was and it was much more clean that it was before it was filtered 

Gravel filter:

• One problem was we forgot to clean the pebbles/gravel so all the dirt from it made it look like chocolate milk.
• We tried it again and it worked a lot better than before.
• It looked much cleaner the second time and  not at all like chocolate milk or like hot chocolate or all those other Brown liquids

We accidentally forgot to wash the rocks so the water showed up like hot chocolate. Because the unwashed rocks made the water really dirty. After we did that we washed the rocks in the sink.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion none of them were actually better because it depends on your surroundings! If you were in the desert, then a solar filter would work really well because the desert has a lot of sun so it would get the best results and for the gravel filter it would be good for basically anything as long as you have the right materials. Also there's a lot of materials that you have to find/get.

This project helps people who don't have clean water at home. It shows them how to make a filter using simple things like gravel or the sun. It could also help hikers or campers who get lost and need to find a way to clean their drinking water to stay safe.

One source of error in our experiment was that the gravel was not pre-washed before testing. This likely caused cross-contamination, as the dust and silt already on the rocks were added to the water. This made the gravel filter appear less effective than it actually is because the 'filtered' water came out looking dirtier than the 'unfiltered' water.

the things things that helped make this project a reality is: Google, and Reddit. Also our parents who say that I should not put their names down. And Abi’s cat, for ripping up the paper we don’t need.

thank you to: my Mom, for helping me stay focused Piper, for also helping me stay focused to my Sister, for showing us that we still had to fill out all these forms and to my cat, for ripping up the papers I didn't need.