Variables

All variables were carefully controlled throughout this experiment. The following is a list of variables and descriptions of how they are controlled:

Independent Variable

Dependent Variable

Controlled Variables

• Temperature: The entire experiment for each pepper was performed under room temperature (~22 °C).
• Surface area of peppers: The peppers were cut into small pieces regardless of the size of the peppers.
• Amount of ethanol: Enough ethanol was added to completely cover the peppers (70 mL).
• Sealed beaker: The beaker was sealed during the stirring to prevent ethanol from evaporating early. Also, it was sealed before taking the mass to ensure that dust particles did not accumulate in the beaker.
• Time for stirring: The peppers were stirred for the same amount of time (5 hours).
• Absorption by filter paper: Filter paper was saturated with ethanol first before filtering out the peppers.
• Time for evaporation: The ethanol was given enough time to evaporate completely.