The Effect of Exercise on Carbon Dioxide Output

By: Lilly Sacchini, Rylee Kopchak, Sophia Whitesel, Ashley Robbins, Malia Fairbrother
Statement of the Problem:
Does exercise affect the amount of carbon dioxide produced within one minute?
Research:
Exercise: When exercising, a persons muscle cells respire more than they do at rest. This is
because carbon dioxide must be removed faster and oxygen must be transported more rapidly.
During a challenging exercise, the muscle cells of the person exercising could need a greater
supply. This is attained when someone increases their breathing rate which results in a quicker
heart rate.
Bromothymol Blue: Bromothymol blue solution is a widely used pH indicator. This solution
changes color on a pH range. It turns a yellow tint at 6 and changes to a blue tint at 7.6.
Bromothymol blue is mainly used as an indicator of dissolved carbon dioxide. When a solution
with low levels of carbon dioxide is mixed with bromothymol blue, it is a blue color. As the
carbon dioxide levels increase, the solution will become a yellow color. Bromothymol blue is an
important material to use in biology experiments because it exposes photosynthetic or respiratory
activity.
Hypothesis:
It was hypothesized that the more vigorous exercise you do, the larger amount of carbon dioxide
will be produced, causing the bromothymol blue solution to have a yellow tint.
Materials:

Bromothymol blue solution

Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)
Water
Straws
Pipets
Flasks
Graduated Cylinder
Timer
Paper towels

Procedure:
1. A control group and an experimental group, each consisting of two people, rested and
exercised, respectively. Two trials were completed during the experimentation process.

2.

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During the first trial, the experimental group ran up and down a flight of 28 stairs for two
minutes without resting, before testing the amount of carbon dioxide produced during the
two minute exercise period. The members of the control group sat at rest for one minute
before testing the amount of carbon dioxide produced during the minute at rest.
For the second trial, those who were at rest during the first trial exercised, and those who
exercised rested. The process was slightly different during the second trial, as the
experimental group ran down a hallway and back for two minutes without taking a break.
After both trials, the two members of each group placed a straw in a flask containing 50
milliliters of bromothymol blue solution, and blew in it for a minute. This process
transformed the vibrant blue solution to a pale yellow color.
The groups then used pipets filled with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to test the amount of
carbon dioxide in the solution. One drop of the sodium hydroxide was released into the
beaker at a time, and the solution was swirled.
The color of the tested bromothymol blue solution was then compared to a beaker
containing the untested solution. This process continued until the color of the tested
solution matched the untouched solution without reverting back to yellow within a
minute.
The amount of droplets that transformed the yellow solution back to bright blue was
recorded by the groups, and compared.

Results:
Amount of Carbon Dioxide Produced after Rest
Participants
Ashley Rylee Mali
a
Number of Drops of NaOH
28
26
25

Lill
y
24

Amount of Carbon Dioxide Produced After Exercise

Participants
Ashley Rylee Malia Lilly
Number of Drops of NaOH
35
33
26
29
Conclusion:
The scientists
hypothesis was supported
by the data collected in
the experiment. In
conclusion, the scientists
determined that those
who rested did not
produce as much carbon
dioxide as those who
exercised. The scientists
proved this by comparing
the amount of sodium
hydroxide (NaOH) drops it took to turn the bromothymol blue solution from its yellow tint back
to its original color. It was found that after exercising, it took an average of thirty-one drops of

NaOH to neutralize the bromothymol blue solution. On the other hand, after resting, it took an
average of only twenty-six drops to neutralize the solution.
The scientists data proved that the experimental group, the group that exercised,
produced more carbon dioxide than the control group, the group that rested. The lowest amount
of NaOH it took to neutralize the solution in the control group was twenty-four drops, while the
highest was twenty-eight. The lowest amount of NaOH it took to neutralize the solution in the
experimental group was twenty-six and the highest was thirty-five. After performing the
experiment, the scientists learned that while performing physical activity, you produce more
carbon dioxide. This is believed to be caused by the increased breathing rate, which results in
quicker respiratory activity. This applies to a real-life situation because many people participate
in sports and exercise regularly. It is helpful for them to know and understand how their body
functions and what the effects of exercising are.
Possible experimental errors that could have been made in this experiment are as follows.
Slightly inaccurate measurements may have been made when pouring the bromothymol blue
solution and when using the pipet to add drops of NaOH. Also, because determining whether the
color of the solution was a qualitative observation, there was no certain way of knowing if the
solution was completely neutralized. Overall, the scientists were careful to keep the chances of
error to a minimum throughout the experiment.
For future experimentation, the scientists will involve more participants to gather more
information, providing more accurate data. The participants would also exercise for a longer
period of time. In addition to changes in the duration of the exercise and number of participants,
the members of each group would remain the same throughout each trial, for consistency.