So you really just want to make a mess and blow something up, but if you learn scientific method along the way, we’ll call it a win-win!
First, check out the description of the reaction and photos from those that have tried it, here:
Mentos Diet Coke Geyser at Steve Spangler Science
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/original-mentos-diet-coke-geyser
via @SpanglerScience
Then, using what you have learned on this website, design a “real” experiment with it. Most judges have seen this demonstration, so the key will be in the details of designing your own experiment. I also recommend going beyond the one experiment and done approach. If you want to transform this demonstration into a winning project, you’ll need to have several linked experiments. Let’s start with some examples.
Examples of questions include:
Which soda produces the most explosive reaction?
Does diet soda react more or less explosively than regular soda?
How does the color of the soda affect the explosiveness of the reaction?
How does the temperature of the soda affect the explosiveness of the reaction?
Problems to overcome:
1. Defining and measuring “explosiveness of reaction” (the dependent variable) – HINT – think about what comes out of the bottle and how, but also consider what says in the bottle…
2. Proper Replication – i.e., getting the same number of candies into the bottle in a repeatable (i.e. consistent) way
Remember that you can also focus on the candy. For example,
Does the flavor of the Mentos, affect the explosiveness of the reaction?
Does the number of candies, affect the explosiveness of the reaction?
Does the ratio of candies to soda, affect the explosiveness of the reaction?
Does the temperature of the candies (frozen vs. room temp.), affect the explosiveness?
magnificent post, very informative. I wonder why the other experts of this sector do not notice this. You must continue your writing. I am sure, you have a huge readers’ base already!
i love the idea but i wanted to use pop rocks and mentos and see what happened