Praxis: Creating your very own snowstorm
By Medicine Hat News on February 17, 2019.
What a couple of weeks we have been experiencing – from the frigid temperature and a couple of raging snow storms, we are finally experiencing a REAL southern Alberta winter. I am in agreement that it has been a bit difficult to accept the record breaking low temperatures. We have not been “seasoned” yet this winter. Normally, this would be just another week of winter for many of us. Well, as the weekend approaches, they are calling for more snow, so with a long weekend I may just stay inside and make my own snowstorm! Let’s get started. *Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials – baby oil – medium sized clean glass jar – glitter – white acrylic paint (the kind in a squeeze bottle) – water – measuring cups – measuring spoons – alka seltzer tablets Procedure Squeeze a good amount of white paint into the jar. Measure 125 mL (1/4 cup) of water and pour it into that jar. Slowly pour the water into the jar. Mix this very well – you want it to be quite saturated with white paint so do not worry if not all of it mixes with the water. Measure 250 mL (one cup) of baby oil and pour it into the jar slowly down the side. You do not want it to mix up too much with the oil. Sprinkle a good amount of glitter into the jar – this is entirely up to you – go crazy! Break the alka seltzer tablet into smaller pieces. Add a small piece one at a time into the mixture. Observe. What is going on? In this experiment, you should be able to see the oil floating on top of the water. This is because oil is less dense than water. When you drop the alka seltzer tablet into the jar, it reacts with the water. This reaction that occurs creates pressure forcing bubbles upward but the oil stops the bubbles pushing backwards! You get a “snowstorm” due to this pressure. 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. 24-23
