JOIN USScience experiments you can do at home
1. Make a stickman float
What you need: Dry erase or whiteboard marker, plate or container (glass preferred), and a glass of water.
Method:
1. Draw a stickman using the dry erase marker on the serving face of the plate.
2. Now slowly pour water on the plate from its edge to the center. The stickman figure will loosen from the bottom and start floating.
The science behind it: The magic lies in the whiteboard marker. Unlike the permanent marker, the whiteboard marker comes off easily. The marker’s ink is less dense than the water and also insoluble. Hence, the figure starts floating while remaining intact at the same time.
2. Make colourful layers with sugar density
What you need: Sugar, warm water, food colours (red, green, yellow and blue), four cups, and one glass.
Method:
1. Fill four cups with warm water.
2. Add 2 to 3 drops of colour to each cup: Red in the first cup, green in the second, yellow in the third and blue in the fourth.
3. It’s time to add sugar to all the cups except the first one. Add one tablespoon of sugar to the yellow cup, two tablespoons of sugar in the green cup, and three tablespoons of sugar in the blue cup.
4. Stir the mixture until everything dissolves. The warm water will speed up the process.
5. Now take an empty glass and add the blue solution to it using a syringe or pipette. Then add green, yellow and red solutions — in this order. It is important to pour the solutions slowly. There you have — a glass of water with distinct colourful layers.
The science behind it: Density refers to the number of particles in a given volume. In this experiment, the solution with more sugar, and hence, more particles, will be denser than the solution with lesser sugar. That makes the blue solution the densest of all. That is also why it stays at the bottom while the red solution (with no sugar) floats on top. The different densities cause the solutions to separate and create colourful layers.
Caution: Conduct experiments under parental supervision.