Activity Overview
Spark the interest of young scientists of all ages in this quick and easy Fireworks display in a bottle experiment. In in this experiment on density you will observe bursts of color spreading through the water in the jar. This phenomenon occurs because the oil and water in the experiment do not mix, but food coloring and water do.
Whisking the colors into the oil temporarily causes the food coloring and the oil to stick together. When you pour the colorful mixture into the jar, the oil keeps the mix floating at the top. But as the colors begin to separate from the oil, they fall down into the water in droplets that begin to break apart and dissolve, making them look like a tiny fireworks explosion.
Materials Needed
- Gel food coloring
- Cooking oil
- Water
- A clear glass jar
- A small bowl
- A spoon
- A dropper
How to Do It
- In a small bowl or two, mix a few tablespoons of cooking oil and gel food coloring together with a spoon. We used two or three different separate colors.
- Fill a clear glass jar with water.
- Use a dropper to drop the oil and food coloring mixture into the water.
- Observe.
