Monday, April 3, 2017

Marvelous Milk Marbling!

The time has come for Ms. Anna's class to delve into the spectacular world of science!  The Hilltop YMCA has moved on to Ms. Alyce's room for exploration in electronics.  Mr. DJ will be missed, but we are excited to get experimenting!

Ms. Anna's first lesson touched on the concept of surface tension.  This was first demonstrated utilizing black pepper, dish soap, and water in a plate.  First we reviewed our terms:


After introducing these terms, we tested the concept of surface tension with our black pepper experiment.  The students were asked to form their own hypotheses.  Some hypothesized the pepper would sink, move to the center, or move to the edges of the plate.  The two compounds, pepper and water, work together to create surface tension.  The pepper floats due to it's hydrophobic tendency; it repels water.  When our surfactant (dish soap) was touched to the water via a toothpick, the pepper "ran" to the edges of the plate!

Next, we decided to get crafty on our surface tension adventure using milk and food coloring as two compounds creating surface tension.  First, we poured the milk into our trays.


After pouring in the milk, we added food coloring to the surface.  The food coloring does not absorb into the milk due to the fat molecules present in the milk.  We then formed groups and took turns gently swirling the food coloring with toothpicks so as not to muddle the color.  


After I demonstrated the project, it was time for the students to give it a whirl!  They did a great job gently swirling their chosen food coloring.



Students then gently laid their paper on top of the food coloring, being careful not to push down to maintain surface tension.  Then, with teacher assistance, the papers were gently peeled from the surface to reveal beautiful works of art!


Thanks for tuning in!  Stay tuned for our next experiment; chemical reactions with balloons!

Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead!
- Anna


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