We recently came across this video by SooToday.com‘s reader Phil Sabine making its rounds on the Internet. In the video, Sabine takes a cold bottle of water, turns it upside down and then taps the bottom. The water instantly begins freezing from the bottom down to the top.
Is it magic? A slight of hand? Or did he switch the liquid in the bottle to something other than water?
The answer to all of the questions is no, there is no trick. The solution lies in the science behind the freezing temperature of water and how ice crystals form. This is also referred to as Supercooled Water.
Everyone knows the freezing temperature of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius. When this temperature is reached, the water molecules freeze by forming ice crystals. It’s easier for the water molecules to turn to ice on top of already formed crystals. Ice crystals build on existing ice crystals to eventually freeze the entire bottle of water.
What starts the freezing ice crystal process?
The process of starting the ice crystals is called “nucleation.” This starts from an impurity or scratch or piece of dust on the container holding the water. In this case, the
Becky Ditchfield never wants to know what we’re doing for our Science Mondays segment on KUSA-TV 9News. This was our last segment of the year and I wanted to make it one for her to remember. I pulled out an old favorite from the Spangler repertoire, but it was new to Becky. In anticipation of your next question, here’s the disappearing ink recipe.
We salute and thank all of those great teachers out there who find engaging activities to get their students back in the seats and ready to learn for another school year. If you’re a teacher, you know all too well the challenges we face keeping our students engaged and interested. If we’re not careful, it’s easy for some students to disappear into their surroundings and become that “invisible kid.” This segment featured two demonstrations from our Science of Leadership workshop for teachers that use elements of the science demonstration as a metaphor for learning. Oh, by the way, teachers shared their best first days of school activities on our Facebook Fan page this week.
Take a look at our First Days of School Kit with ideas for getting your students excited about the year after the first bell.
Since fireworks are no longer an option, you have to find some way to occupy your time on the 4th of July. I turned to my demo team and brainstormed anything we could do in the backyard at 9News for the celebration. Here’s the classic Elephant’s Toothpaste demo using hydrogen peroxide and potassium iodide as the catalyst to make a red, white and blue patriotic eruption that shot up about 20 feet in the air.
We also learned that Oxiclean is the magic cleaner that will remove iodine stains from the beautifully pressed white shirt of a news anchor (thanks to Mark Koebrich for being the best Science Monday co-host in the world!)
UPDATED JULY 5, 2011 – Mark Koebrich asked photo journalist Brian Willie to share some behind-the-scenes video of this amazing eruption. Yes, everyone was wearing safety glasses. It’s important
Everyone knows that Halloween is my favorite holiday. That doesn’t stop me from finding experiments for every holiday year round. Why not mix a little science into your holiday calendar? I don’t have a secret formula for the science of relationships, but I have some fun ideas to do this February. Whether you are looking for a fun, different and scientific Valentine to give, or some fun activities to do in the classroom or during a Valentines Day party, we have ideas to make your Valentines Day amazing.
For Valentine’s this year, don’t go to the store and buy the boring paper Valentines. Add a little “oooh and ahhh” while spreading the love. Take test tubes –or my favorite, Baby Soda Bottles– fill them with candy and add an experiment that the recipient can perform after the candy is gone. They will be the hit of the Valentine exchange.
If you are looking for some activities to do during a Valentine’s party or for a project, get some Goldenrod indicator paper. When this special paper meets a basic substance, it turns bright red. Cut out hearts or favorite Valentine shapes and
Everyone knows that Halloween is my favorite holiday. That doesn’t stop me from finding experiments for every holiday year round. Why not mix a little science into your holiday calendar? I don’t have a secret formula for the science of relationships, but I have some fun ideas to do this February. Whether you are looking for a fun, different and scientific Valentine to give, or some fun activities to do in the classroom or during a Valentines Day party, we have ideas to make your Valentines Day amazing.
