Hip hop

This term for KiwiSport we have been doing Hip hop. For our last session we had to create our own dance with a group. Here are our cool dances.

Coke and Mentos Experiment

This week we did the long awaited Coke and Mentos experiment. We used both Classic Coke and Coke Zero. Compare the results for yourself and then read the science behind the experiment.

The thing that makes soda drinks bubbly is the carbon dioxide, the thing that makes soda drinks bubbly is the carbon dioxide that is pumped in when they bottle the drink at the factory. It doesn't get released from the liquid until you pour it into a glass and drink it, some also gets released when you open the lid (more if you shake it up beforehand). This means that there is a whole lot of carbon dioxide gas just waiting to escape the liquid in the form of bubbles.

Dropping something into the Diet Coke speeds up this process by both breaking the surface tension of the liquid and also allowing bubbles to form on the surface area of the Mentos. Mentos are covered in tiny dimples (a bit like a golf ball), which dramatically increases the surface area and allows a huge amount of bubbles to form.

Bubbling Brew

Today we carried out the Bubbling Brew experiment. We made some great predictions and then here is what happened.

Baking soda plus the citric acid mixture create a gas, carbon dioxide, which fills the balloon.