Mentos Carbonated Beverage By Brandon Shillady and Sean

Mentos + Carbonated Beverage = ? By: Brandon Shillady and Sean Stull

The Big Myth WHEN ADDING A PIECE OFMENTOS CANDY TO A CARBONATED BEVERAGE, OUT OFCARBONATED WATER, REGULAR COCA COLA, OR DIET COKE, DIET COKE SHOULD PRODUCE THE LARGEST REACTION.

Hypothesis 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.

Background Info: Source 1 2 Factors Involved in Mentos & Soda Explosion 1 st Component = Soda ▪ Provides a Key Reactant of CO 2 ▪ W/out CO 2 from Soda, Bubbles that Form Explosion Would Not Be Formed 2 nd 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. " New. Scientist: Physics & Math. Reed Business Information, 12 June 2008. Web. 02 May 2012. http: //www. newscientist. com/article/dn 14114 -science-of-mentosdiet-cokeexplosions-explained. html.

Background Info: Source 2 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 » CO 2 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. Guide. Star, 23 May 2011. Web. 02 May 2012. http: //www. sciencebuddies. org/science-fairprojects/project_ideas/Matl. Sci_p 023. shtml.

Variables and Constants 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)

Materials (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

Procedure: 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

Data Table: The Raw Results 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

Graph: Results Refined w/ Visual 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 0. 5 Diet Coke 0. 3048 0. 2286 0. 1524 0. 0 Trial # 1 Trial # 2 Average

Conclusion 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

Myth-Busting Results We Confirmed Our Myth Diet Pepsi “Erupted” the Highest ▪ It is the Result of the Combo of CO 2 AND Sugar

Interesting Facts Carbonation Alone Does NOT Determine Size of the “Geyser” This Experiment is Really (Really, Really) Popular Just a Funny Image We Found

What’s next? 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.