STEAM Ed

Aim: To understand the formation of crystallisation Materials 4 Wooden skewers (cut in half) 1 cups of water 2 cups of sugar ( more or less depending on the environment) 2 clothes pegs 2 glass jars/drinking glasses Method Pour 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar.  Put it all into a large saucepan, because once you put it on the stove it will expand while boiling.  Mix up the first bit of sugar before putting it on the stove.  Once your pot is on the stove, w atch the sugar dissolve and  bring it to a low boil over medium heat, and continue to add sugar one cup at a time until you can no longer dissolve any more of it (making a completely saturated sugar solution). Turn off the heat and allow it to cool for 15 minutes. While your sugar is cooling you can prep your sticks.  Soak them in water and roll them in a coating of sugar to give the new sugar crystals something to “seed” to.  Be sure to let them dry all the way! If they are still too w

Aim Materials • Clear Jar (glass or plastic) • Oil • Water • Several drops of food coloring • Plastic Fork Method 1. Fill your jar ¾ full with warm water. 2. In a separate bowl, mix a few tablespoons of oil and several drops of different colours of food colouring. 3. Use your fork to gently mix the oil and food colouring together. 4. Gently pour the oil mixture into the jar. 5. Watch what happens—the food colouring will slowly sink out of the oil and into the water. When this happens, it will expand and begin to mix with the other colours. Conclusion Food colouring dissolves in water but not in oil. The oil is less dense than the water, it will float at the top. The coloured droplets will begin to sink because of their density.