Praxis: Floating letters in your stomach?
By Medicine Hat News on September 15, 2018.
How did it sneak up on me this year? It is hard to believe, but it is finally here. Science Literacy Week starts now! As usual, we have some pretty exciting things happening around Medicine Hat so all of the aspiring scientists can take part in some hands-on fun this week! Make sure you check out the Medicine Hat Public Library website for the most up-to-date information on the programs that will be offered. Do not delay, there will only be a couple of events and space is limited. I just cannot resist, here is another sneak peek at what some of the preschoolers may be doing later this week — I hope to see you all there. Let’s get stared! *Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials – one bag of M&M candies – petri dish or shallow clear dish/bowl – water Procedure 1. Place the dish on a sturdy work surface. 2. Take two or three M&M candies and place them in the middle of the plate. Try a few different colours. 3. Pour in enough water to just cover the candies. 4. Observe every few minutes. 5. Do not touch 6. Be patient. As the M&Ms sit in the water, you will witness the coloured dyes start to dissolve into the water. After a bit more time passes, you will see a translucent shell, along with the white “M” float to the surface of the water. Cool! Want to try different colours? Try doing the experiment with Skittles candies! What is going on? As the candies sit in the water, you should be able to see that the coloured dye slowly begins to turn the water the colour the candy was and the candy is white now. This is because the dyes are water soluble or able to dissolve in water. It is quite pretty really with all of the streams of colours in the water! The real “magic” here is that you should be able to see the letters that are normally in the centre of each candy begin to float and hover in the water. How is this happening you might ask. Well, I will be honest, it is not really magic, it is science. The letters on the candies are not water soluble like the dyes used to colour them. The letters do not dissolve but the adhesive that is holding them on to the candy is water soluble which means that it dissolves in the water, allowing the letter to float onto the water so you can clearly see it. Do you think these letters are floating around in my stomach? Something to investigate next time perhaps! Patty Rooks is senior scientific consultant at PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community.” Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. 19-18
