Mentos+Carbonated Beverage=? - Course
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Transcript Mentos+Carbonated Beverage=? - Course
By: Brandon Shillady and Sean Stull
WHEN ADDING A PIECE OF MENTOS CANDY TO A
CARBONATED BEVERAGE, OUT OF CARBONATED WATER,
REGULAR COCA COLA, OR DIET COKE, DIET COKE
SHOULD PRODUCE THE LARGEST REACTION.
If we drop four uncoated Mint Mentos into 2-Liter
bottles of Carbonated Water, Coca Cola, and Diet
Coke, then the artificial sweetener of the Diet Coke
will cause it to produce the highest eruption.
2 Factors Involved in Mentos & Soda Explosion
1st Component = Soda
▪ Provides a Key Reactant of CO2
▪ W/out CO2 from Soda, Bubbles that Form Explosion Would Not Be Formed
2nd Component = Mentos Candy
▪ Usually four Mentos Are Put in Each 2-Liter Bottle
▪ This Reactant is Provides the Little Grooves that Form “Housings” to Form Bubbles
▪ Bubbles Form in the Tiny Moon-Surface-Like Grooves on Original Mentos Candy Surface
Explosion Starts when Mentos Hit the Bottom of the Soda Bottle
Muir, Hazel. "Science of Mentos & Diet Coke Explosions Explained." NewScientist:
Physics & Math. Reed Business Information, 12 June 2008. Web. 02 May 2012.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14114-science-of-mentosdiet-cokeexplosions-explained.html.
Key Concepts:
Use Different Types of Mentos
Mint vs. Fruit
Nucleation Sites
Phase Transition in a Small Region
Physical and Chemical Reactions
Solution
Carbon Dioxide » CO2
Surface tension
Tests to Try During Experiment
Use Instead of Mentos:
Rock Salt
Pennies
Uncoated vs. Coated
Use Instead of Mentos:
Rock Salt
Pennies
Dice
Use Different Types of Sodas
Regular Coca Cola
Diet Coca Cola
Carbonated Water (Seltzer / Soda Water)
Flavored Soda
Dice
Agee, Sara. "Coke & Mentos - Nucleation Goes Nuclear!" Science Buddies. GuideStar,
23 May 2011. Web. 02 May 2012. http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fairprojects/project_ideas/MatlSci_p023.shtml.
Independent Variable: Type of Beverage
Dependent Variable: Height of Reaction
Constants:
Carbonated Water, to Test Sweetener Affects
Amount of Soda / Size of Bottle (2-Liter)
Amount of Mentos Added (4 Per Bottle)
(2) 14-Rolls of Mentos uncoated mint candies
(2) 2-Liter bottles of Carbonated/Seltzer/Soda Water
(2) 2-Liter bottles of Regular Coca Cola
(2) 2-Liter bottles of Diet Coca Cola
Video Camera with Tripod
Blue painter's tape
Tape measure
Ladder or Stepping Stool
Outdoor Space, with Height Markings (using tape)
Safety Goggles
Ponchos
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Organize Mentos
Test-Site Preparation
Set Up the Camera
Put on Safety Equipment
Remove Bottle Cap and Prepare
Start Video Camera, Record Each Trial’s Data
Drop Mentos into Bottle
Repeat Steps 5 to 7 for Remaining Sodas
Watch Videos, Analyze Data
Use Data to Make Graph
Mentos + Carbonated Beverage = ? ~~ Experimental Results
Soda Type + 4 Mentos
Trial 1 Height (in Meters)
Trial 2 Height (in Meters)
Average Height (in Meters)
Carbonated Water
0.1524
0.3048
0.2286
Coca Cola
1.9812
2.286
2.1336
Diet Coke
2.8956
3.048
2.9718
Mentos + Carbonated Beverage = ? ~~ Results
Height of "Eruption" (in Meters)
3.5
3.048
2.8956
3.0
2.9718
2.286
2.5
2.1336
1.9812
2.0
Carbonated Water
Coca Cola
1.5
1.0
Diet Coke
0.3048
0.5
0.2286
0.1524
0.0
Trial # 1
Trial # 2
Average
The Key Component of the Geysers was the Sweetener in the Sodas
Based on Implication that Carbonated Water = Constant
▪ To See if it Was Indeed Sweetener that Caused the “eruption”
We Think We Followed the Purpose Completely
We Found Which Soda Shoots the Highest
Got Results that Actually Supported our Hypothesis
Diet Coke Shot Up Highest at an Average Height of 2.9718 Meters
We Believe This Had to do w/ Its Artificial Sweetener: Aspartame
Regular Coca Cola was Next Highest with an Average Height 2.1336 Meters
Had Regular Sugar in it
Carbonated Water Reached a Mean Height of 0.2286 Meters (about 6” to 1’)
Most Likely the Result of No Sugar in Carbonated Water
We Confirmed Our
Myth
Diet Pepsi “Erupted”
the Highest
▪ It is the Result of the
Combo of CO2 AND Sugar
Carbonation Alone
Does NOT Determine
Size of the “Geyser”
This Experiment is
Really (Really, Really)
Popular
Just a Funny
Image We Found
If we had the chance, and the funds, we would
test many more types of Sodas, Mentos (or even
different types of Candies), and do many more
trials of each, and have as few possibilities of
errors as possible.