BLOBS IN A BOTTLE!

Abstract Blobs in a Bottle The purpose of my experiment was to make a model to discover the basic principal of a lava lamp. I believed that the more Alka Seltzer tablets added, the longer it would take for the tablet to dissolve. To discover this, I had to make the bottle, add a tablet (or 2), and record the time it took for the tablet to dissolve. I recorded that the more tablets added, the longer it would take to dissolve. I learned that my model related very well to a real lava lamp.

Materials 1 liter bottle ¾ cup of water Vegetable oil Alka Seltzer Food coloring Funnel Stop watch Flashlight

Procedures Pour the ¾ cup of water into the bottle. Use a funnel to pour the vegetable oil into the bottle until it is almost full. Add 10 drops of food coloring to the bottle (you may have to shake the bottle for them to mix). Put an Alka Seltzer tablet (or 2) into the bottle. Use a stopwatch to record how long it takes for the tablet to dissolve completely, and stop when the bubbles stop moving. Then, shine a flash light under the bottle for a true lava lamp effect.

Data The following chart shows the time I recorded from when I put the tablet in, to when the bubbles stopped. *NOTES* 3rd Tablet It over flowed, because 3 tablets made more gas, which took up more space. Pieces of Alka Seltzer were sitting on the top and on the bottom, not dissolving. Didn’t completely dissolve while shaking, but dissolved 15-20 seconds afterword. Number of Tablets Time 1 tablet 9 min. and 32 sec. 2 tablets 11 min. and 57 sec. 3 tablets 15 min. and 22 sec.

What I’ve Learned I learned several things from this project; that my hypothesis was correct and that my lava lamp relates to a real lava lamp. My hypothesis was that the more Alka Seltzer tablets added, the longer it would take for the tablet to dissolve. I found this out by recording this with the stopwatch. In my data, I found out that my hypothesis was correct; the more tablets added, the longer it would take for the tablets to dissolve. I also learned that the parts in my homemade lava lamp and a real lava lamp work very similarly. In my lamp, the oil represents the liquid, the water represents the wax, and the Alka Seltzer represents the heat. That is what I learned from this project.

Sources Galgas, Steve . "Science Bob." . 2010. . April 6th 2010 <http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/lavalamp.php>.

Thank You! Acknowledgements I would like to thank my mom and dad for buying the materials, and taking all of the great pictures I used. I would also like to thank my teacher, Mrs. Johnson, for helping me make this project, and help me with all of the questions I had. Thanks a lot!