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What you need
What you need
colorful candies, such as Skittles
shallow dish or bowl
warm water
What to Do
What to Do
Begin by arranging your candy around the edge of the plate or bowl. Make sure to leave a small space between each candy, so they are not touching each other.
Carefully pour warm water onto the plate, making sure not to disturb the candies. You want the water to be deep enough to touch the bottom of the candies but not so deep that it covers the candies.
The magic happens as the water makes contact with the candy. The colors from the candy will start to dissolve and spread in the water.
If you want to experiment further, try using different temperatures of water (hot or cold) and see if it changes your results.
Try to arrange the candies in different patterns to create amazing works of art!
Be sure to clean up and put away your items. Good scientists clean up after every experiment.
How does it work ? Dissolution and Capillary Color Spread
How does it work ? Dissolution and Capillary Color Spread
The rainbow effect you see when you place Skittles in a circle on a plate and then pour water over them is a fantastic demonstration of color mixing and water's properties.
Dissolving the Dye: Skittles are coated in colored dyes and sugar. When you pour water over the Skittles, the water starts to dissolve these coatings. Since water is a good solvent (it can dissolve many things), it easily picks up the colored dyes.
Capillary Action: Water has a property called capillary action, which means it can flow through narrow spaces without needing help from forces like gravity. In the case of the Skittles, water spreads out across the flat surface of the plate, moving outwards from each candy.
Spreading Colors: As the water moves over the surface of the plate, it carries the dyes dissolved from the Skittles with it. Each Skittle's dye starts to spread out in a circle around it.
Color Mixing: If the Skittles are arranged in a circle with different colors next to each other, the dyes from neighboring Skittles start to blend where they meet, creating a beautiful spectrum of mixed colors. This shows how primary colors combine to form secondary colors.
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