Activity
Adding Mentos to Soda
Explore which type of soda will cause the biggest explosion with Mentos with this hands-on science experiment for students who are blind or visually impaired.
This science project was done by Jose, who is a student at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI).
Question
Which soda will cause the biggest explosion when mentos is added? I will test Diet Pepsi, Sam’s Choice, Pepsi, Sprite, and Coke.
Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that the Diet Pepsi will explode the most.
Materials
- Diet Pepsi
- Sam’s Choice Soda
- Coke
- Pepsi
- Sprite
- 10 mentos
Procedure
- Find a big lawn.
- Unroll the package of Mentos.
- Using the tool, place 2 Mentos into the tube of the tool.
- Take the soda in your left hand with your right hand slowly twist the cap of the soda so that most of the gas will stay in the bottle.
- Empty the Mentos into the Coke.
- Repeat this procedure for each type of soda.
- Measure how much soda remains in the bottle.
- Analyze the data: the more soda left in the bottle, the less the explosion.
Data
Remaining liquid:
- Diet Pepsi: 1,000 mL
- Sam’s Choice: 1,305 mL
- Pepsi : 1,275 mL
- Sprite: 1,630 mL
- Coke: 1,130 mL
Liquid exploded:
- Diet Pepsi: 2,000 – 1,000 mL = 1,000 mL
- Sam’s Choice: 2,000-1,305 mL = 695 mL
- Pepsi: 2,000mL- 1,275 mL = 725 mL
- Sprite: 2,000 mL – 1,630 mL = 370 mL
- Coke: 2,000 mL – 1,130 mL = 870 mL
Results
The Diet Pepsi exploded the most.
Conclusion
My hypothesis was correct because the Diet Pepsi exploded the most.
Variations
I considered comparing different types of candies instead of different types of sodas.
NGSS Standards:
- Plan and conduct an investigation individually and collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, and in the design: decide on types, how much, and accuracy of data needed to produce reliable measurements and consider limitations on the precision of the data (e.g., number of trials, cost, risk, time), and refine the design accordingly. (HS-ESS2-5)
By Laura Hospitál
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