'Try this' challenge 8: Water colours

You will need:

Quick start:

Four identical see through bottles. If you can only find two, just do it twice!

Jug of cold water from your cold tap

Jug of hot water from your hot tap (run until it is hot, not just warm)

Food colouring. Two colours would be great, one is fine

Teaspoon

Funnel/large straw or just steady hands

Scraps of thin card. If you don’t have thin card, paper works better than thick card

Sink or waterproof tray in case it all goes wrong

Genius:

  • Different shapped containers and colourings.

MIGHT/WILL GET WET DO IT SOMEWHERE THAT WILL BE EASY TO CLEAN UP

What to do:

  1. Choose different food colouring for your hot and cold water.

  2. Add a small amount of food colouring to your water jugs. Give each jug a good stir with a spoon.

  3. Fill two bottles all the way to the top with cold water and two to the top with hot water. Use the funnel if you need to.

  4. Put one hot water bottle and one cold into your drip tray/sink.

  5. Put the card over the top of your cold water bottle. Holding the card in place, flip the bottle over and then balance it on top of your hot water bottle.

  6. Do the same with your hot bottle, balancing it on top of the cold water bottle.

  7. Carefully remove the cards separating the bottles, making sure that the bottles stay balanced. Get some help for this bit if you can!

Genius challenge:

  1. Can you use your understanding of the particle model and density to explain what is going on?

  2. Does the shape of the container matter?

  3. How can you make this demonstration more impresive?

email your photos/ videos / explanation to trythisathome@mountbatten.hants.sch.uk to get your reward!