Loading ...It has the potential of being the most popular science fair project of all time. The Mentos Geyser is definitely fun to watch, but some teachers are missing the opportunity to use the activity to teach science. Over the last few weeks, I’ve received emails from students explaining that their teachers are forbidding them from doing the Mentos Geyser as a science project. Why? The common response is… “there’s no science to blowing up pop.”
What? How did these teachers miss the rich science content that oozes from the bottle with every eruption? Combine the strong science with the student’s motivation to want to use the scientific method and you’ve got an amazing activity.
Brian Rice, a math teacher at Gwinn Middle School in Michigan, recently used the Mentos Geyser as a great teaching opportunity. As one of the experiments, the middle schoolers measured how high pop would spray when a Mentos candy is dropped into the pop bottle. In one day, eighth-grade classes and some seventh-grade classes conducted the Mentos and pop experiment with the objective to see whether different types of pops have greater eruptions. They ended up testing a total of 44 different varieties, ranging from Diet Coke to root beer.
This is a great example of science in action. Here’s to Brian Rice - a great teacher who gets it! Instead of forbidding the activity, Mr. Rice uses the Internet sensation to grab his students’ attention and put the scientific method to the test.
Your can read the article that appeared in the Mining Journal on January 8, 2007.
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January 18th, 2007 at 7:25 am
Steve can you tell me an interesting 5th grade experiment thaat my friends and i can do? Oh by the way your blog is pretty cool.
January 20th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Thanks ayon. We have a lot of fun experiments listed on my website. Many of them you can do at home. You can even share one of your favorite experiments with me and my readers. Just go to http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments/.
Thanks again,
Steve
January 23rd, 2007 at 4:55 pm
I wanted to thank you for your website as a homeschooler of 4 children your website has proved to be very valuable. I plan on doing this mentos experiement the minute we get a warm day, i have also bought a video that explains why the reaction between the mentos and soda is so explosive, i think this will be a wonderful learning lesson and i am looking forward to doing it. Thank you for the wonderful experiment ideas.
January 24th, 2007 at 11:56 am
I would love to know what video Shana Curtis bought. I was unner the impression that no one has been able to prove WHY the experiment works. I know there are lots of theorys, from the Cocunut Oil and Gum Arabic to the who knows what else… I keep telling students in my workshops and demos that, if they really want to become rich and famous, they need to work on figuring out why this works…
January 24th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
I think that Shana Curtis is referring to the videos from our show on the NBC affiliate KUSA 9NEWS. It’s well established that this is a physical reaction and not a chemical reaction. There is no evidence that the gum arabic or coconut oil has anything do to with the reaction. For a full explanation, check out this link:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000109
You’ll also find a great discussion thread on this blog at the address below:
http://www.stevespangler.com/archives/category/mentos-experiment/
January 25th, 2007 at 9:48 am
I’m a teacher in Honduras Central America and I would like to thank you for the experiment of the torando in a bottle. My students were amazed and excited to do it.
Thanks,
Rhina.
January 25th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Thank you so much for your comments Rhina. It’s exciting to hear from amazing teachers in Honduras!
January 30th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Hey Steve,
I use the Mentos Geyser to show propulsion. Following the demonstration, I ask the kids if we could have gotten the Mentos into the bottle and turned the bottle upside down, what direction would the bottle go. (They always answer UP!), I explain that is how rockets work, to push the “fuel” into a small area. (If I’m wrong in doing it this way, I would love some feedback!!)
Sincerely,
JoAnna
January 31st, 2007 at 11:35 am
JoAnna - I really like your example for propulsion. You can also show what happens if the top of the bottle has a smaller opening. Take a look at the LifeSavers Trigger Method.
You can also do something similar with Mentos. Our new Geyser Tube toy will be available in stores in a few weeks and this will also let you change the opening on top of the bottle.
Keep up the great work.
February 14th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
I’m a student in the education field and I like to look for future experiments to do with my students. This sounds like an exciting experiment to do with students of all age.
Sincerely,
Marilyn
March 12th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Seen at mentos.com:
Why does dropping a Mentos into a bottle of soda create a reaction?
The reaction occurs because of a simple rule of physics. It is not a chemical reaction. Soda drinks contain a certain amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide) dissolved in water in the form of tiny bubbles. This combination of water and CO2 molecules is in a permanent instable state. When Mentos dragées fall into this liquid, this state is disturbed. The more Mentos are dropped into the liquid the more this state is aggravated. The reason for this lies in the surface of a Mentos which looks smooth but is actually very rough! Within the nooks and crannies of the microscopic rough surface, bubbles form, which are in turn transformed into foam, which can lead to very impressive foam fountains. (See: http://www.eepybird.com)