Silica Gel Beads
- TheChiScientist
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Silica Gel Beads
I've been doing my own research on silica gel beads and I've been wondering if other people have been doing the same?
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
My team hasn't been using silica gel beads and has been able to get a rather competitive efficiency but I heard that it silica gels can shave off a few tenths of a gram. Depending on costs, I might try using them in the near future. To any team that does use them, do you have any recommendations as to where to buy silica gels, preferably not being too expensive, as well as how much should be used?
- TheChiScientist
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
Amazon. To find the optimal amount (in grams) you must calculate the volume of your airtight container and use the recommended amount per volume. It's normally on the back of the big silica gel bag and then you mass the beads to get near the recommendation. (For me it's 22g) It is a major plus as it shaved off 0.14g which improved my score by 36 points more or less. Remember every point counts.Carrot wrote:My team hasn't been using silica gel beads and has been able to get a rather competitive efficiency but I heard that it silica gels can shave off a few tenths of a gram. Depending on costs, I might try using them in the near future. To any team that does use them, do you have any recommendations as to where to buy silica gels, preferably not being too expensive, as well as how much should be used?
A Science Olympian from 2015 - 2019 CLCSO Alumni
Medal Count:30
IL PPP/Mission Assistant State Supervisor.
CLC Div. B Tournament Director.
President of The Builder Cult.
"A true Science Olympian embraces a life without Science Olympiad by becoming a part of Science Olympiad itself"- Me
Medal Count:30
IL PPP/Mission Assistant State Supervisor.
CLC Div. B Tournament Director.
President of The Builder Cult.
"A true Science Olympian embraces a life without Science Olympiad by becoming a part of Science Olympiad itself"- Me
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
What do the gel beads do? I’ve never heard of any team using them
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- sciolyperson1
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
It keeps the inside of the container dry (it's the stuff in those seaweed packages)
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- MadCow2357
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
Ahahaha sorry this post is not at all useful, but the seaweed part reminded me of a time when 3 year old me decided it would be a good idea to eat the tiny silica gel balls inside my snack. Thankfully, I don't recall getting sick or dying, so I probably didn't eat too many...sciolyperson1 wrote:It keeps the inside of the container dry (it's the stuff in those seaweed packages)
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
gee thanks guys. these 2 posts were so beneficialMadCow2357 wrote:Ahahaha sorry this post is not at all useful, but the seaweed part reminded me of a time when 3 year old me decided it would be a good idea to eat the tiny silica gel balls inside my snack. Thankfully, I don't recall getting sick or dying, so I probably didn't eat too many...sciolyperson1 wrote:It keeps the inside of the container dry (it's the stuff in those seaweed packages)
but actually though im pretty sure that every little kid has opened the packets and eaten the gel
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- Cow481
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
But if they ate them, wouldn’t they die?waffletree wrote:gee thanks guys. these 2 posts were so beneficialMadCow2357 wrote:Ahahaha sorry this post is not at all useful, but the seaweed part reminded me of a time when 3 year old me decided it would be a good idea to eat the tiny silica gel balls inside my snack. Thankfully, I don't recall getting sick or dying, so I probably didn't eat too many...sciolyperson1 wrote:It keeps the inside of the container dry (it's the stuff in those seaweed packages)
but actually though im pretty sure that every little kid has opened the packets and eaten the gel
Medals
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Invitationals: 9
Regionals: 5
States: 1
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National Medals
2018: 5th in Towers
2019: Could have gotten top 3 in Boomilevers and Gliders if my team made it
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
i think if you ate like a few beads it would be fine but if you ate like 3 packets you'd probably get sick or something ad you'd probably die from like 15 packets...i dont think ive ever heard of anyone dying to gel beads.Cow481 wrote:But if they ate them, wouldn’t they die?waffletree wrote:gee thanks guys. these 2 posts were so beneficialMadCow2357 wrote: Ahahaha sorry this post is not at all useful, but the seaweed part reminded me of a time when 3 year old me decided it would be a good idea to eat the tiny silica gel balls inside my snack. Thankfully, I don't recall getting sick or dying, so I probably didn't eat too many...
but actually though im pretty sure that every little kid has opened the packets and eaten the gel
(i still have no idea why we're using it for boomi tho)
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- Cow481
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Re: Silica Gel Beads
They absorb moisture so the wood gets less affected by moisture. It is very helpful for rainy dayswaffletree wrote:i think if you ate like a few beads it would be fine but if you ate like 3 packets you'd probably get sick or something ad you'd probably die from like 15 packets...i dont think ive ever heard of anyone dying to gel beads.Cow481 wrote:But if they ate them, wouldn’t they die?waffletree wrote: gee thanks guys. these 2 posts were so beneficial
but actually though im pretty sure that every little kid has opened the packets and eaten the gel
(i still have no idea why we're using it for boomi tho)
Also i found this
“I did research on whether or not silica gel was poisonous, because I wanted to use a bunch of the silica gel beads as an abrasive method to clean out a bottle that was dirty. I added a bunch of silica gel beads and a bit of water into the dirty bottle to be cleaned, I put the lid back on and tilted the bottle back and forth and used the beads as a way of scraping the inside of the bottle clean. This did work well, but I found that upon adding water to the silica beads, quite a few of the silica gel beads cracked, this was from the silica gel beads absorbing water fast. The silica gel beads are designed to absorb moisture slowly from the air. The result of the silica gel beads breaking, were tiny slivers of sharp silica, so even if silica gel itself is not poisonous, eating them could be dangerous, because some of the silica gel beads will shatter into sharp pieces, and could cause cuts in the digestive tract, so avoid eating silica gel beads.”
Also they are not toxic
Medals
Invitationals: 9
Regionals: 5
States: 1
Nationals: 1
National Medals
2018: 5th in Towers
2019: Could have gotten top 3 in Boomilevers and Gliders if my team made it
Invitationals: 9
Regionals: 5
States: 1
Nationals: 1
National Medals
2018: 5th in Towers
2019: Could have gotten top 3 in Boomilevers and Gliders if my team made it
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