What
started as a classroom science experiment quickly turned into a world-wide
internet sensation. Learn how to trigger an enormous geyser by dropping MENTOS
chewy mints into a bottle of diet Coke using the Geyser Tube. The eruption is
amazing . . . and so is the learning if you consider the science behind the
fizz.
Age: 8 +
What
you get
Steve
Splangler’s Geyser Tube carded. Mentos not included. The easiest way to get the
diet coke and Mentos experiment to work.
How
does it work?
Each Mentos chewy mint has
thousands of tiny pits all over the surface. These tiny pits are called
nucleation sites – perfect places for carbon dioxide bubbles already in the soda
to form. As soon as the Mentos hit the soda, bubbles form all over the chewy
mints and then quickly rise to the surface of the liquid. Couple this with the
fact that the Mentos are heavy and sink to the bottom of the bottle and you’ve
got a double-whammy. When all this gas is released, it literally pushes all the
liquid up and out of the bottle in an incredible soda blast. That’s the simple
explanation. Want to know the rest of the story? Visit www. GeyserTube.com to
learn more about the science behind the Geyser Tube
experiment.
Teach
- Carbon
dioxide gas
- Saturated
solutions
- Gas
pressure
- Nucleation
FAQ
Will I get
wet?
There is a
possibility but the geyser tube device is designed to minimize the likelihood of
getting wet, especially with the 3-foot long string.
Is it
reusable?
Yes, all you
need to do the experiment again is another pack of Mentos and a new bottle of
Diet Coke.
How high does it
shoot?
It all depends
on the bottle of Diet Coke; a new bottle works better than one that has been
sitting around for a while. On average though, it shoots to a little over
6 meters. Huge!
What type of soda
works best?
We have
experimented with all types of soda and the soda that gave us the best results
was Diet Coke due to having the most carbonation. However, any soda or
carbonated beverage will work.
Does it hold the
entire roll?
No, the
maximum that the tube holds is 11. The roll is 14 so you can snack on the
other three!! We found that 7-10 Mentos produces the highest
Geyser.
CAUTION:
Keep
soda out of eyes.
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small Parts. Not
for children under 3 years.
