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Easy Science Experiment with Gas – Dancing Raisins
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Looking for a fun easy science experiment to do with household items? Look no further. Get ready to learn about gas and get your dancing shoes on.
Always Learning
Do you homeschool all year long? During this summer I have tried to make things even more laid back with schooling. I have not been a strict this is what we are going to do and grind through the tears kind of person, but I do try to set goals on things to accomplish each week and try to think of ways to make it fun and engaging. We put most of our focus on math and reading during the school year and then did a little history, science etc. But during the summer we are focusing on science – mainly science experiments. When I ask if anyone wants to do a science experiment my girls come running ready to see what we are going to do next, unlike near the end of the school year when my oldest was trying to find ways to get out of math and reading and I had to get really creative to keep her engaged. I have picked up a few big books of science experiments from the library and we just pick out what looks like fun. Here is one that we had fun with.
Experiment Set Up
This experiment is pretty simple to set up, with things you probably already have around your home. No worries about mess with this experiment either – it will stay contained.
Supplies:
Carbonated beverage (clear soda / fizzy water works best)
Handful of raisins
Clear glass
Experiment Instructions
Super easy to follow instructions for this simple experiment.
Step 1.) Pour your carbonated beverage into a clear glass.
Step 2.) Plop some raisins in that glass one by one. Perhaps make a hypothesis before hand as to what you think will happen.
Now watch the raisins dance up and down. Feel free to put some music on and dance with the raisins.
Why Do the Raisins Dance?
So why exactly are these raisins dancing up and down? Carbon dioxide is dissolved in water and forms carbonic acid, giving soda its fizz. Carbon dioxide is highly soluble in water and during manufacturing they pack in lots of carbon dioxide and then seal it shut via a soda bottle or can. When the can or bottle is opened the pressurized carbon gas within the can is released. Henry’s law states that the amount of gas dissolved in a liquid is proportional to the amount in it’s surroundings. This causes the gas to make its fizz as it escapes out of the water solution into the surrounding air which has about a .04% concentration in the earths atmosphere when the can is opened. Pouring the soda into the glass causing even more bubbles to be released due to the increase in surface area.
The carbon dioxide molecules fix themselves to the raisins in this experiment causing the raisins to be more buoyant and float to the top. You can actually see the little bubbles fixing onto the surface of the raisins, lifting it up to the top. When the raisin makes it to the top of the soda the gas is released into the air – therefore leaving the raisin and resulting in it falling back down. This process of fixing to the raisins and falling back down again is repeated over and over until all of the available carbon dioxide in the drink has been released – then you air just left with sweetened raisin water – which sounds kind of gross to me but feel free to drink it if you would like.
Why Do This Experiment?
I think this one is good for a range of ages. You could get more technical with the older kids as far as Henry’s law goes and delve deeper into that topic. You can keep it simple for the younger kids and just discuss gas vs liquid vs solids. I like how you can really see the gas bubbles fixing to the raisins , making the invisible gas visible to a child’s eye. I hope you had fun with this easy and slightly mesmerizing experiment. I’ll leave links to more science experiments at the bottom if you’re wanting more! Have fun learning!
More Science Experiment Fun
Ice and the Three States of Matter
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