Marshmallow madness
With help from a marshmallow and syringe (without the needle!), you can create pressure that's stronger than the atmosphere, right in the palm of your hand.
This experiment teaches principles of pressure, properties of foam, and ocean science. Uh, what do marshmallows have to do with the ocean? With this demonstration, you'll be able to basically see the effect of deep-sea pressure on just one marshmallow from the book Try This! Extreme by Karen Romano Young.
Draw a face or letter on the marshmallow. (This will help you see how it changes under pressure.)
Pull the plunger of the syringe all the way out, and insert a marshmallow. Replace the plunger.
Suck out the air by pulling the plunger. Observe the results.
Push the plunger back in. Observe the results.
WHAT'S GOING ON
The marshmallow may look solid, but it’s actually full of air pockets—a foam. When you pump air in, you increase the pressure on the marshmallows and the air inside them is compressed. When air rushes back in, the marshmallows may get larger—and if you suck it out they may get smaller.
Science Lab
(ad) try this extreme: 50 fun & safe experiments for the mad scientist in you, (ad) make this: building thinking, and tinkering projects for the amazing maker in you, (ad) try this: 50 fun experiments for the mad scientist in you.
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September 29, 2016
Puffing Up Marshmallows
Explore the power of hidden gas bubbles with Science Buddies
By Science Buddies
Did you know you can easily "inflate" marshmallows--without even touching them? With a little help from physics, you can make these sweet treats even puffier!
George Retseck
Key concepts Physics Gas Pressure Temperature Volume Gas laws
Introduction If you have marshmallows left over from camping or just an at-home s'mores dessert, you can put them to work for a science exploration! Did you realize that this sticky, tasty treat is mostly air, trapped in a stretchy substance? Have you ever tried to expand a marshmallow without getting your hands all sticky? How did you do it? And how big did it get? In this activity you'll get to “blow up” some marshmallows—with air. You might not “see” a gas like air, but could it help puff up a marshmallow? Be ready to have some fun and be surprised!
Background In everyday life we observe materials in a solid, liquid or gaseous state. In solids and liquids the particles making up the material are densely packed. They cannot get much closer when pushed together, making the volume of a solid or liquid more or less fixed.
Pressure in fluids
These resources explore pressure through investigation. The list provides a range of activities, lesson ideas, background information, practical tips and suggested teaching strategies. and links to the following areas of the 2014 National Curriculum:
• atmospheric pressure, decreases with increase of height as weight of air above decreases with height • pressure in liquids, increasing with depth; upthrust effects, floating and sinking • pressure measured by ratio of force over area – acting normal to any surface
Visit the secondary science webpage to access all lists: www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/secondaryscience
Machines 11-14
Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Institute of Physics: Supporting Physics Teaching
This whole suite of materials is good, but of particular relevance to this topic are the first three activities in the second unit; What’s in Pressure? You’ll find lesson plans in document Teaching Appraoches. Background information and teacher guidance are available in Physics Narrative and Teaching and Learning sections.
Having “played” with a tray of marbles in the first activity, students should develop quite a sophisticated understanding of pressure at a particulate level. They then go on to apply their ideas, thinking about the relationship between pressure, force and area before feeling the forces for themselves with a pair of syringes. Teachers will be able to assess students' understanding of this topic by asking them to draw diagrams showing the moving particles inside the syringes.
Vacuum Bazooka
Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: whynotchemeng
The bazooka demonstration is great fun but its real value is in helping students to appreciate the forces and pressures that cause the movement. So long as your school has a vacuum cleaner, your technician should be able to put the equipment together fairly easily – just make sure the tube is the right diameter.
Demonstrating Physics: Forces
Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Teachers TV
There are a couple of demonstrations included on this film which fit snugly into this topic.
Expanding Marshmallows starts about 3½ min into the film and shows how the air trapped inside marshmallows will expand significantly if the air pressure outside is reduced, it’s a great demonstration.
It is also an experiment that can be carried out quickly and easily by students using small marshmallows (the type used on top of hot drinks) and 10 or 20cm3 plastic syringes.
1. After removing the plunger, put the marshmallow into the syringe.
2. Replace the plunger and gently push it up until it is just below the marshmallow.
3. Putting the finger over the open end of the syringe, pull down on the plunger whilst observing the marshmallow expand.
4. The marshmallow shrinks rapidly when the finger is removed.
5. Similarly, using the plunger to compress a syringe full of air will shrink the marshmallow and it will now expand when the finger is removed.
The Cartesian Diver starts about 8½ min into the film and it is excellent for showing the effect of pressure in liquids. It’s good to demonstrate it with a test tube inside a two litre bottle so that students can see the air bubble changing size. Once they've seen this they could carry out the experiment for themselves, perhaps using sauce sachets which are easier to handle than the tubes.
Physics for Non-Physicists: Forces
Quality Assured Category: Physics Publisher: Teachers TV
Significant numbers of students will find the two demonstrations in this film counter-intuitive and that’s exactly why you should consider using them with your classes. The film shows a specialist from the Institute of Physics running some training for science teachers who are then seen trying the ideas out in their own classrooms.
The air bubbles demonstration (about 7 min into the film) takes a phenomenon that students will have seen many, many times; bubbles moving floating upwards in a liquid, and slows it down by using glycerol (propan-1,2,3-triol) in place of water. Challenging students to predict whether the smaller or larger bubbles will reach the top first is straightforward but asking them to give a give a reason will really put their ideas to the test. Encourage the use of physics terms and notice how the syringe has been set up to provide a good supply of bubbles.
Demonstrating Physics: Electrostatics
Ignore the fact that this film is entitled Electrostatics and fast forward to 12 min into the film. This is a fantastic, and really quick, demonstration that brings home what determines whether something will float or sink. Just make sure the students don’t really think that the metal ball turns into a polystyrene one!
Air Pressure
Quality Assured Category: Science Publisher: Gatsby Charitable Foundation
This is a linked pair of demonstrations which show how large forces can arise when atmospheric pressure is unbalanced. What's particularly useful is the explanation of why the crushed can demonstration may be confusing for students and how the second demonstration can be used to more clearly illustrate the effect of air pressure.
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Informal Education | Daily Do
What Happened to the Marshmallow?
Share Discuss
Disciplinary Core Ideas Is Lesson Plan NGSS Phenomena Physical Science Science and Engineering Practices Informal Education
Sensemaking Checklist
Teachers and families across the country are facing a new reality of providing opportunities for students to do science through distance and home learning. The Daily Do is one of the ways NSTA is supporting teachers and families with this endeavor. Each weekday, NSTA will share a sensemaking task teachers and families can use to engage their students in authentic, relevant science learning. We encourage families to make time for family science learning (science is a social process!) and are dedicated to helping students and their families find balance between learning science and the day-to-day responsibilities they have to stay healthy and safe.
Interested in learning about other ways NSTA is supporting teachers and families? Visit the NSTA homepage .
Sensemaking is actively trying to figure out how the world works (science) or how to design solutions to problems (engineering). Students do science and engineering through the science and engineering practices . Engaging in these practices necessitates students be part of a learning community to be able to share ideas, evaluate competing ideas, give and receive critique, and reach consensus. Whether this community of learners is made up of classmates or family members, students and adults build and refine science and engineering knowledge together.
Introduction
In today's Daily Do , What Happened to the Marshmallow? , families participate in a Dinner Table Discussion (see below) about the phenomenon of the expanding marshmallow. This sensemaking discussion has four parts:
- Families raise the question " What happened to the marshmallow ?" by introducing the phenomenon of the expanding marshmallow. Students and their families observe how a marshmallow acts differently when you make cook them in the microwave versus outside over a fire, making careful observations about what they are seeing before during and after cooking.
- Families ask students to explain what they currently understand about what happens to a marshmallow when it heats up or 'cooked'.
- Families, prompt students to generate questions about what they see happen to a marshmallow when it is cooks. This will look different depending on how it is cooked, open flame versus the microwave.
- Families read an article and do an activity together to find some answers to their questions about how and why marshmallows react differently depending on how they are cooked.
This activity is called a Dinner Table Discussion (DTD). Dinner Table Discussions do not have to physically happen at the dinner table. Rather, they are intended to facilitate connections for the family around a discussion about science ideas wherever you may congregate for a meal. Whether you cook dinner at home or order take-out, the Dinner Table Discussions are centered around relevant science phenomena and raise common questions children have about the world around them. The goals of DTD’s are to:
- foster connection among the family through discussion of relevant science ideas.
- prompt students and their families to think about what they currently know.
- help students and their families ask what they want to know more about.
- discover something new that moves everyone along the learning continuum of a particular science idea.
Like Daily Do’s, these types of activities are considered “micro-learning experiences”. They are not intended to replace classroom science learning, and are not intended to be used as “home school” stand-alone science lessons. They are not intended to result in being able to generate robust, complete scientific explanations of phenomena. Conversely, they are intended to move student thinking along the continuum of learning.
These are intended to be family-style discussions, with provided parent talk-moves, that stimulate thinking among family members and move everyone along the continuum of learning. Each dinner table discussion has these components to them linked below. These components provide fertile ground for the discussion to be authentic, phenomena-driven, rooted in science, and focused on sensemaking .
If this is your first Dinner Table Discussion in the Daily Do series, NSTA recommends reading the guidance before trying your first family discussion.
Dinner Table Discussions have three main components. The following guidance will support you in facilitating your family discussion.
Introducing the Phenomena & Raising the Question
Our goal is to raise a puzzling question for students that does three things: (1) prompts them to think about what they currently know, (2) makes them ask what they want to know more about, and (3) helps them discover something new that moves them along the learning continuum.
Tell me what you know....
We want to foster children explaining what they think they understand to be true. These previous understandings are critical to exposing what they know and the questions they have. As they work to explain their current understandings, they will realize they don’t know as much as they think, which will spur the generation of further questions
What questions do you have?
In developing insufficient explanations for things, students generate authentic questions they have that are the pathway to discovering the answer. In other words, these are our explanatory questions. That, if we were able to investigate, we would understand more about what we currently don’t understand. Our goal here is to generate lots of questions, but anticipate the common ones. The common questions are central to developing an explanatory idea, and we want to foster that environment by giving adult family members discussion prompts (talk moves) to facilitate the discussion for students as they work to articulate what they want to know more about.
Pursuing Common Questions
Our goal here is not to develop a robust and complete scientific understanding of a particular phenomenon. However, our goal is to help students/children understand a puzzling phenomenon more deeply than they do. Learning is a continuum, and our goal with these discussions are to move students further along the continuum; not get them to the end. The objective is to stimulate thoughtful discussion that is rooted in a scientific phenomenon and a scientific explanation.
What happened to the marshmallow?
Have you ever eaten an delicious gooey s'more ? Have you ever wondered what exactly is a marshmallow? What is a marshmallow made of and why is it so spongy? You might have noticed that it doesn't always cook in the same way. Cooking a marshmallow in a microwave may make you ask, " What happened to the marshmallow?"
In today's Daily Do, we will figure out some things about the expanding marshmallow!
Introducing the Phenomenon & Raising the Question
Many students are familiar with marshmallows, but many might have never seen what happens to a marshmallow when you put it in the microwave. Introduce the phenomena by asking some probing questions and asking students to make some predictions. This could happen in two ways:
- If students are familiar with roasting a marshmallow over a fire, start by asking them to remember that experience. You can ask them questions such as, 'What did the marshmallow look like when you roasted it? What size/shape was it? Did it accidentally (or on purpose) get set on fire? What color was it when you were done?
- If students are not familiar with roasting a marshmallow over a campfire, play the How to Roast the Ultimate Marshmallow video . As students watch the video, have them make careful observations about what they see. You can ask them some of the same questions shared above.
You may want to have some marshmallows on hand for your students to investigate (and snack on) as you engage them in the next discussion. Prompt them with some leading questions, such as:
- What do you think a marshmallow is made out of?
- What do you notice about the shape and texture of the marshmallow?
Making Predictions
Next, tell students there are other ways to cook a marshmallow, like in a microwave. Have students make some predictions about how a marshmallow might cook in the microwave. Tell each student to make a Before, During, and After chart on a sheet of paper. Have students make some predictions about what they might observe before, during and after cooking the marshmallow in the microwave. Students should also include an explanation of what is going on with the marshmallow.
After students have recorded their predictions, play the marshmallow in microwave video below. The video is short so you might want to play it a few times. Another option to consider is to allow students to watch what happens first hand by cooking a marshmallow in the microwave. (Microwaves are designed to keep the radiation in, so it's safe to watch.)
Guidance: If you are working with younger children, you might want them to draw their predictions and then explain what they think is going on through discussion. If you have students that are familiar with what happens to a marshmallow when cooked in a microwave, press them to think about why they are seeing what they see. Many students will have seen a marshmallow in the microwave, but can not explain why it gets so big.
Tell us what you know...
Encourage your students to explain to you what they know (or think they know) about why marshmallows get so big in the microwave. Ask them, “Explain the science of why marshmallows expand in the microwave but not over the campfire." Students will attempt many varieties of explanations, but our goal here is not to distinguish between right and wrong answers or ideas. Rather, we want to foster discussion about how or why there are differences between cooking a marshmallow in a microwave and a campfire.
Accessing Prior Knowledge
Students may call on knowledge from previous grade levels during this part of the discussion.
- Early elementary (grades K-2) students may mention that they know when things 'cook' they can change. They might also talk about how the appearance changes when it is cooked. When it is cooked over the fire it turns colors but when it is cooked in the microwave it gets bigger but doesn't really turn colors.
- Upper elementary students (grades 3-5) may mention heating or cooling a substance can cause changes that can be observed. Sometimes these changes are reversible and sometimes they are not. They also may notice that it is more solid when it's room temperature and more 'liquid-y' when it is cooked.
- Middle or high school students may talk about energy, and how when (thermal) energy is added it changes the marshmallow somehow. Some may know that a marshmallow contains air and might think it expands because something is going on with the air.
All of these connections to ideas and learning opportunities at previous grade levels should be encouraged by asking follow up questions such as: “Can you tell me more about that?” “How do you know that?”
You can say something like “It sounds like we have more questions than answers. What questions do you have about how and why the marshmallow cooks differently in a microwave and campfire?” Encourage students to ask as many questions as possible that are relevant to the discussion.
Common questions could include:
Why does it change color in the fire?
Why doesn't it get super big over the campfire?
What is in the marshmallow that makes it get so big?
Why does it start to shrink when you take it out of the microwave?
What makes it so gooey when it gets hot?
Read the Scientific American article Puffing Up Marshmallows (as a family or individually) and consider completing the activity in part or in whole as a family. High school students could engage in this activity independently. Younger students will need more assistance. After reading the article and completing the activity, ask your students the following questions:
What is one new thing you learned that you didn’t know before?
Which of our original questions did we answer by reading the article (and doing the activity)?
What other questions do you have about marshmallows, how they are made, and why are they fluffy?
Additional Activities: There are many investigations you can do with marshmallows! Consider engaging kids in some of the other investigations described below. These investigations can be done before or after the article is read.
- Have students kneed a marshmallow between their fingers until it is turns to a gooey, taffy-like consistency. Ask them to explain what they think is happening when the marshmallow is squeezed over and over.
- Make homemade marshmallows with your family or students. While you are making the marshmallows ask students to explain what they know about boiling, mixing and whipping.
- Put a marshmallow in a syringe (like one used to give medicine). Have students plug the end and then move the plunger and make observations about what happens to the marshmallow. Ask students how they think the marshmallow can change shape when nothing is touching it.
Now that we understand more about how and why marshmallows get so big in the microwave, it makes us wonder about how other things change when they get warmer. If you and your students would like to pursue another activity connected to this Dinner Table Discussion, check out the What happened to our ice? and/or the Why does some corn pop? Daily Dos.
NSTA Collection of Resources for Today's Daily Do
NSTA has created a What happened to the marshmallow? collection of resources to support teachers and families using this task. If you're an NSTA member, you can add this collection to your library by clicking ADD TO MY LIBRARY located near the top of the page (at right in the blue box).
Check Out Previous Daily Dos from NSTA
The NSTA Daily Do is an open educational resource (OER) and can be used by educators and families providing students distance and home science learning. Access the entire collection of NSTA Daily Dos .
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Growing and Shrinking Marshmallows
Vacuum packing peeps marshmallows is an incredible (and delicious) demonstration of air.
Print this Experiment
A vacuum packer is an amazing device that vacuum packs food to seal in the freshness. At least that’s what those late night infomercials tell us. We’re more excited about using this fascinating device to explore the amazing properties of air pressure. Fill the special storage container with marshmallows (we prefer those adorable Peeps) and remove the air. Watch out! It’s the incredible growing marshmallow trick!
Experiment Videos
Here's What You'll Need
A kitchen vacuum packer, a vacuum packer storage container, marshmallows of various sizes and types, let's try it.
Fill the storage container jar about half full with marshmallows and replace the lid.
Secure the lid that attaches to the special vacuum hose that came with the unit.
Place the hose over the vacuum port on the lid and start the vacuum packer.
Don’t take your eyes off those marshmallows and watch them grow!
When the unit turns off, remove the hose.
Release the vacuum. Watch as the marshmallows shrink when the air comes rushing back into the container.
How Does It Work
The job of the vacuum packer is to remove the air from inside the storage container. Under normal conditions, molecules of air from the atmosphere (called atmospheric pressure) are pushing on the outside of the marshmallow. When the vacuum packer removes the air that was once pushing on the outside of the marshmallow, the air trapped inside the marshmallow pushes out (expands) causing it to get larger. The marshmallows shrink when the vacuum seal is broken and air rushes back into the container, reapplying the pressure onto the marshmallow.
Take It Further
Now that you understand the concept, try using a small balloon in place of the marshmallows or fill the storage container with soap bubbles. What would happen if you placed a small bag of potato chips into a large storage container and removed the air? Let’s say the goal was to shrink the marshmallows – how would you do it? Place the marshmallows into one of the plastic storage bags that came with the vacuum packer. When the air is removed from inside the bag, you get to see the power of the air in the atmosphere as it compresses the marshmallows.
Science Fair Connection
Growing and shrinking marshmallows is pretty cool, but it isn’t a science fair project. You can create a science fair project by identifying a variable, or something that changes, in this experiment. Let’s take a look at some of the variable options that might work:
- Try other items besides marshmallows such as gummy bears, Rice Krispies, baked goods, etc. How much do these other items expand? What does this tell you about the amount of air inside of them?
- Try different brands of vacuum packers. Which one expands the marshmallows the most? What does this tell you about their quality?
That’s just a couple of ideas, but you aren’t limited to those! Try coming up with different ideas of variables and give them a try. Remember, you can only change one thing at a time. If you are testing different liquids, make sure that the other factors are remaining the same.
Safety Information
Adult Supervision Required – Not many kids have their own kitchen vacuum packer, so it goes without saying that adult supervision is required. Hey kids, you’ll have to fight for time with the vacuum packer machine after Mom and Dad figure this one out! Be sure to read and follow the manufacturer’s directions for using your specific kitchen vacuum packer.
Special Thanks
Thanks to Patti Duncan from High Point High School in Sussex County New Jersey for sharing this idea.
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The Expanding Marshmallow
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Help students explore and understand Boyle’s Law with this simple demonstration. See how a change in pressure affects the volume of marshmallow. Students will easily remember the relationship between pressure and volume after participating in this activity. By simply placing a marshmallow inside a syringe and using the plunger to increase and decrease the pressure, your students can watch the marshmallow expand and shrink to get a clear understanding of Boyle’s Law.
Marshmallow Puff Tube
Experiment with cardboard tubes of different lengths to see how far you can blow a marshmallow.
- One file folder (or other stiff paper or lightweight cardboard)
- Masking tape or transparent tape
- One or more full-sized marshmallows
- A few spoonfuls of flour
- Cut a rectangle from the file folder, measuring about 11.5 x 7.5 inches (29.5 x 19 centimeters).
- Place one of the long edges of the file folder inside the other and tighten to form a tube that fits around the circumference of a marshmallow. The tube should be snug around the marshmallow, but not so tight that the marshmallow isn't able to move. It may be easier to make the tube if you first pull the folder over the edge of a table to give the material a slight curve.
- When the tube has been rolled to the appropriate size, tape it once so it stays rolled, then tape the entire length of the seam.
Roll the marshmallow in flour, then shake it or tap it to remove any excess (this will help prevent the marshmallow from sticking to the tube).
Place the marshmallow in one end of the tube. Hold the other end of the tube up to your mouth, parallel to the floor, and blow hard into the tube. Notice how far the marshmallow goes.
Again place the marshmallow in one end of the tube, but this time put your mouth up to the same end of the tube where the marshmallow is located. Blow hard against the marshmallow itself, so that it has to travel the length of the tube before exiting. Be sure to keep the tube horizontal, and keep blowing the whole time the marshmallow is in the tube. Did the marshmallow go farther this time?
If you blow and the marshmallow won't move, check the diameter of the tube. It may either be too tight (in which case friction prevents it from moving) or too loose (in which case air blows right by the marshmallow instead of pushing it).
While the marshmallow is in the tube, your blowing increases the air pressure in the tube, creating a force on the marshmallow. As long as this force is greater than the friction force, there's an unbalanced force on the marshmallow. According to Newton's second law, F = ma , an unbalanced force accelerates an object. The speed of the marshmallow will keep increasing for as long as the marshmallow experiences an unbalanced force.
As soon as the marshmallow leaves the tube, your blowing no longer affects it. But the faster the marshmallow is traveling when it leaves the end of the tube, the farther it will travel before hitting the ground.
When the marshmallow is at the far end of the tube away from your mouth, it falls out of the tube almost as soon as you blow on it. The unbalanced force on it doesn't last very long, so the marshmallow doesn't accelerate very fast or travel very far.
When the marshmallow is at the end of the tube that's closest to your mouth, it experiences an unbalanced force for the entire length of the tube as you blow on it. Since the force acts for a longer time, the marshmallow is going faster when it leaves the tube, and it therefore travels farther.
The tube length that will provide maximum speed is determined by how long you can keep blowing strongly enough to maintain enough pressure in the tube so that the force produced on the marshmallow is larger than the friction force. If you have really powerful lungs, you can use a very long tube—and get a very fast-moving marshmallow!
Try using a significantly longer tube—double or triple the length of the file-folder tube. One-inch, Schedule 40 PVC pipe works well for this and eliminates problems you might encounter trying to tape file folders together.
Try elevating the tube at different angles above the horizontal to see the effect it has on the marshmallow's range.
What's the absolute maximum range you can achieve for the marshmallow? What combination of tube length and elevation gives this range? Do the results vary from person to person?
Here's a different challenge: The photo below was taken by Dean Baird during a demonstration by Don Rathjen and Paul Doherty at the fall meeting of the Northern California-Nevada American Association of Physics Teachers at Gunn High School, Palo Alto, California, on November 6, 2005.
In Dean's caption for the photo on the NCNAAPT Web site, he noted that the camera exposure was 1/30th of a second, and he posed the challenge of estimating the speed and range of the marshmallow, taking into consideration the non-zero launch height. Taking simple measurements from this photo and the exposure time provided, can you determine the speed of the marshmallow at the time the photo was taken? (Helpful hint: The blow gun is made from a file folder as described in this activity.)
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Growing and Shrinking Marshmallows
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| This question has two parts: 1. You can think of almost all solids as being held together by a huge number of atoms or molecules held together by springs. Marshmallows are made up of whipped sugar which forms a springy, spongy material with little air pockets (think a bunch of sheets of bubble wrap stacked up on top of each other...but now the bubble wrap is stretchy instead of hard plastic). As a point of fact, even rocks can be thought of this way - the 'springs' are just really, really stiff. So account for our forces: we have air around the marshmallow pushing on it (remember there's a lot of pressure from air pressing on us all the time) and a springy marshmallow material resisting that air pressure with the help of the air pockets that also push 'out'. 2. So the 'spring' of the white marshmallow sugar material really just wants to stay put - it will resist both expansion and contraction (springs really like to just sit). What we need is for that air to start pushing on the inside of the marshmallow more strongly than the air on the outside is pushing in. As you probably know, air expands when it is heated. SO! You can either somehow heat the inside of the marshmallow without heating the air around it (microwaves are good at this since microwaves really only heat water and there is water in the white stuff of the marshmallow. When that heats up, it heats up the air inside AND softens the 'springs' of the marshmallow making it easier to expand) -OR- you can reduce the pressure of the air around the marshmallow so that the air on the inside is pushing harder than the air on the outside. Be careful though.. if you cool the marshmallow during this process you'll make it stiff and it won't expand. Hope this helps, |
| If you bite in to a marsh mellow you will notice that kind of looks like a tiny sponge, with stretchy fibery bits and air pockets in between. These are good qualities if you want to make it expand, since the fibers are willing to stretch and the air pockets can help push apart the fibers as the marshmallow grows. So, the question becomes "what can we do to expand the air pockets in the marshmallow?". To answer that question we can use a series of equations (Boyle's Law, Charles' Law and the Ideal Gas Law) to see how different factors like pressure and temperature can change volume of air trapped in the marshmallow. Or, we can think about the experiments that were done to come up with all those laws and come up with the same answer without the math. Though math is awesome. Here are my questions to you: If a balloon was attached to an anchor and pulled to the bottom of the sea, would it be bigger or smaller than when it was on the boat? When a gas is cold the gas molecules do not have as much energy to zip around very quickly, literally, bounce of the walls of the container they are in or each other. This means that they stay closer together and don't take up as much space. You can also push gas molecules together if you reduce the size of their container. This gives us three ways to increase the volume. Heat it: put it in the microwave. (This is the classic but you are obligated to clean up any mess you make. Tip: wait till the goo cools down for a bit before cleaning. Sugar burns are not a pleasant way to end an experiment.) Decrease the surrounding pressure: put it in a vacuum chamber (excellent results but expensive) or in an empty glass bottle and use one of the rubber corks that comes with a pump to reseal wine bottles. Increase the amount of air in each pocket. (Also true but we did talk about this above.) This is more complicated to pull off and have never seen it done. It requires forcing more gas into each of the tiny pockets inside the marshmallow. I have a few Ideas and I will get back to you...I am off to the lab.Hope this helps. Answers: cold air is more dense than hot air. The cold balloon would be heavier. The cold balloon would be smaller. Air under pressure is more dense. The balloon would shrink as it was pulled deeper due to the increasing pressure. |
| Marshmallows are made of sugar, which contains carbon and water. The water evaporates off into water vapor when cooked, but it can't go anywhere inside of the marshmallow, so it puffs it out, taking up more volume but not being able to escape. to return to the search form. |
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1. If desired, use a felt-tip pen to draw a happy face on the end of a miniature marshmallow. 2. Remove the end cap from the tip of a 35-mL plastic syringe. 3. Remove plunger from the syringe and insert the marshmallow into the syringe. 4. Place plunger back in syringe so the volume reading is approximately at the 15-mL mark. 5.
Marshmallow expands and contracts inside a sealed syringe. It must know Boyle's law!This video is part of the Flinn Scientific Best Practices for Teaching Ch...
Draw a face on one side of the marshmallow and place it in the plastic syringe so the face can be seen from the side. 2. Place your thumb over the end of the syringe where the needle is usually located. Holding your thumb in place, push in the plunger. Observe what happens to the marshmallow as you do so. 3.
Marshmallow madness. With help from a marshmallow and syringe (without the needle!), you can create pressure that's stronger than the atmosphere, right in the palm of your hand. This experiment teaches principles of pressure, properties of foam, and ocean science. Uh, what do marshmallows have to do with the ocean?
conclusion of this experiment. Figure 1. A 140-mL syringe. Experimental Procedure Take the syringe apart. Place one mini-marshmallow in the syringe replace the plunger, pushing it down until it just reaches the marshmallow. Place the end cap on the syringe. Pull the plunger and observe the marshmallow. If desired, you can repeat this several times.
Puffing Up Marshmallows
The Expanding Marshmallow | Flinn Scientific. Your Safer Source for Science. All-In-One Science Solution. Your Safer Source for Science. 1-800-452-1261 ... By simply placing a marshmallow inside a syringe and using the plunger to increase and decrease the pressure, your students can watch the marshmallow expand and shrink to get a clear ...
1. If desired, use a felt-tip pen to draw a happy face on the end of a miniature marshmallow. 2. Remove the end cap from the tip of a 30-mL plastic syringe. 3. Remove plunger from the syringe and insert the marshmallow into the syringe. 4. Place plunger back in syringe so the volume reading is approximately at the 15-mL mark. 5.
By putting marshmallows in a jar or bottle, and using the vacuum pump, you can remove gas around the marshmallows. The gas in the bubbles keeps pushing outward, while less and less gas around the marshmallows pushes back. The gas bubbles expand, and the marshmallow puffs up. When air flows back into the jar or bottle, the gas bubbles need to ...
Replace the plunger and gently push it up until it is just below the marshmallow. 3. Putting the finger over the open end of the syringe, pull down on the plunger whilst observing the marshmallow expand. 4. The marshmallow shrinks rapidly when the finger is removed. 5. Similarly, using the plunger to compress a syringe full of air will shrink ...
Make homemade marshmallows with your family or students. While you are making the marshmallows ask students to explain what they know about boiling, mixing and whipping. Put a marshmallow in a syringe (like one used to give medicine). Have students plug the end and then move the plunger and make observations about what happens to the marshmallow.
See how marshmallows react when placed in a vacuum chamber. Here we demonstrate Boyle's Law pressure differential (pressure and volume). You will need vac...
Marshmallows have air inside of them, much as you do. In fact, what makes marshmallows, shaving cream, and whipped cream fluffy is the air. Now at any given moment, there are several pounds per square inch of pressure on your body and on just about everything you see in the room. The reason why you do not implode under the pressure is because ...
Fill the storage container jar about half full with marshmallows and replace the lid. Secure the lid that attaches to the special vacuum hose that came with the unit. Place the hose over the vacuum port on the lid and start the vacuum packer. Don't take your eyes off those marshmallows and watch them grow! When the unit turns off, remove the ...
The Expanding Marshmallow | Flinn Scientific. Your Safer Source for Science. All-In-One Science Solution. Your Safer Source for Science. 844-200-1455 ... By simply placing a marshmallow inside a syringe and using the plunger to increase and decrease the pressure, your students can watch the marshmallow expand and shrink to get a clear ...
The Magical Marshmallow - Relationship Between Pressure and Volume
Again place the marshmallow in one end of the tube, but this time put your mouth up to the same end of the tube where the marshmallow is located. Blow hard against the marshmallow itself, so that it has to travel the length of the tube before exiting. Be sure to keep the tube horizontal, and keep blowing the whole time the marshmallow is in the ...
Make marshmallows shrink and grow in vacuum chamber! You should be able to do this with a kitchen vacuum pack gadget such as a Seal-a-Meal. What you need: What to do: Place the marshmallows or Peeps in the sealed container. Attach the vacuum. Start the vacuum and watch your marshmallows expand. Turn off the vacuum.
Answers: cold air is more dense than hot air. The cold balloon would be heavier. The cold balloon would be smaller. Air under pressure is more dense. The balloon would shrink as it was pulled deeper due to the increasing pressure. Answer 3: Marshmallows are made of sugar, which contains carbon and water. The water evaporates off into water ...
The Story: An Overview of the Experiment
A brief history. Virtually all approaches to measure cardiac output apply the principles of the indicator-dilution theory (12,13) or are variations on the same theme ().The "Stewart-Hamilton equation" has become the fundament of indicator-dilution techniques for flow measurements ().The commonly used pulmonary thermodilution technique to measure cardiac output with a Swan-Ganz catheter ...
Syringe Exchange Programs - CDPH - CA.gov
the stented artery or control syringe during the 30 minutes of continuous turbo spin-echo imaging. A mild increase of less than 0.2°C occurred in both syringes over 21 minutes of maximum radio-fre-quency energy deposition at the SAR limit of 3.2 W/kg (Fig 1). Deflection Deflection of the stent from the vertical position