Tyler did his science fair project this week. He wanted to do SODA EXPLOSIONS with Mentos, experimenting which soda went higher. We bought a PVC pipe and marked it every foot from the ground. The first time we tried it, the sun went down as we were setting up, so we moved it out to the baseball diamonds near our house. Because I didn't want to deal with the mess and waste, we first tried using 12 oz bottles of soda, but it didn't work. We needed more soda and had to try again.
The second time, it worked better with 2 Liter bottles, but Tyler had trouble getting all the Mentos into the soda bottle before it started exploding.
The Root beer went highest at 5 feet with 7 Mentos. The Sprite earned second place with 4 feet and 4 Mentos. Diet coke got to 3 feet and 3 Mentos. Coke went to 2 ft with 1 Mentos, earning last.
This is what we learned:
Soda has sugar or sweetener, flavorings, water, and preservatives. The thing that makes it bubble is invisible carbon dioxide gas. When you shake soda then open it, the gas escapes and brings some of the delicious soda with it. People thought the explosions were chemical reactions. Scientists claim that Mentos-Soda Bombs are a physical reaction, not a chemical reaction. When Mentos touches the soda, the soda uses less work to make bubbles. The candy shell allows the bubbles to form easier. The Mentos have pits, like the moon, which are the perfect places to bubble up with carbon dioxide. The Mentos is heavy and sinks to the bottom, making more bubbles. The bubbles expand and have to find more room quickly, shooting out the top, the only opening, creating a soda explosion!
If you ever want to try it, find a way to slide all the Mentos into the top at the same time!
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