Science Smarts: Flying grapes
By Patty Rooks on April 15, 2023.
I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Easter this year! With there being no school this week, I thought I would share one of my favourite activities to keep those young scientists’ hands busy. Let’s get started! *Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials • Dry yeast • Empty pop bottle • Warm water • Measuring spoons • Sugar • Petroleum jelly • Grape Procedure 1. Measure and pour 15 mL (one tablespoon) of yeast into the empty pop bottle. 2. Add 5mL (one teaspoon) of sugar to the yeast. 3. Fill the bottle half full of WARM tap water. 4. Swish the bottle around in order to dissolve the yeast and sugar. 5. Place the grape over the opening of the bottle. 6. Set the bottle facing AWAY from everything. 7. Observe. What is going on? You made a chemical reaction with the yeast and sugar in this experiment. As the yeast feeds on the sugar and grows it releases a gas called carbon dioxide. As the carbon dioxide increases in the bottle, it does not have anywhere to go and creates quite a bit of pressure. In order for the gas to escape the bottle, it literally blows the grape right off! Patty Rooks, Senior Scientific Consultant 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. Address: #12 826 11 Street S. E., Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403.527.5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca. 22-21
