Douglas 4-H Summer Program Science Week 3

We talked about the states of matter and we showed them an experiment in which you combine a solid compound (baking soda) and a liquid compound (Vinegar) to create a gas.  This gas was carbon dioxide and was used to blow up a balloon. The next experiment again was a creation of a gas, however this time through the use of liquids (dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, water) and yeast. The experiment entitled elephant toothpaste was the creation of foam. The yeast was used to act as a catalyst and separated the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide. This released oxygen which caused the dish soap to essentially foam up. The final experiment this week dealt with non-Newtonian fluids. This was done to explain that though there are three main states of matter there are those exceptions that do not follow the normal conceptions. The students created a non-Newtonian polymer that called for a mixture of borax, glue and water. A demonstration was then given to show that under more stress or pressure the fluid will behave in different ways at room temperature.