Science Fair Last Year

Aim:
The aim was to see which fizzy drink reacts the most to Mentos.

Hypothesis:
My hypothesis was that Coca Cola would react the most.

Introduction:
The purpose of my science fair is to find out what kind of Cola has the biggest reaction to Mentos. I will be testing Coca cola, Pepsi, Pepsi max and Coca-Cola Zero. I have heard that Coca Cola has a big reaction when mixed with Mentos but I haven't heard anything about Pepsi Max, Pepsi or Pepsi Zero.

Materials:

1.5L Coca-Cola zero

1.5L Coca-cola

1.5L Pepsi

1.5L Pepsi max

2 packets of Mentos

              

Steps:

Step 1: Unscrew the lid to one bottle and balance the bottle on the ground so it is standing upright

Step 2: Drop two Mentos lollies in the bottle and quickly put your hand over the opening firmly until it starts to fizz up

Step 3:  Quickly take your hand off and stand back, if you have followed the instructions correctly the coke should spray up in the air or overflow with fizz

Step 4: Repeat steps 1 - 4 with the other types of cola

Results:

The biggest to the smallest reaction:

1. Pepsi

2.Pepsi max

3.Coca- cola

4.Coca-Cola zero

Conclusion

I found out that Pepsi had the biggest reaction to Mentos and Coca-Cola Zero had the least. I think that this happened because there is more sugar in Pepsi and none in  Coca-Cola Zero I think that sugar has an effect on the amount of reaction. This means my hypothesis was wrong.

There is carbon dioxide in cola and other fizzy drinks to make it bubbly. Cola reacts to Mentos because, when you put Mentos in the bottle the carbon dioxide in the cola is attracted to it. This causes lots of pressure and makes the cola explode because the pressure wants to leave the bottle. This process is called nucleation. It would be interesting to find out if Mentos reacts with other types of fizzy drinks such as Fanta or Sprite.

We can apply this to our life by not eating Mentos before drinking  Coca-Cola because when it’s in your stomach it might explode!!!  If I had to do this again I would finish the experiments a lot earlier and repeat them several times to make sure my results are accurate.

What did you do well last year?
The experiment.

What did you find difficult last year?
Getting all of the ingredients.

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