How to Make a Soda Pop Geyser
A simple experiment of making a soda geyser using diet cola and Mentos candies is one way to teach children about physics and chemistry while having tons of fun. The chemical reaction between the ingredients makes a large amount of gas in a very short amount of time, resulting in a geyser of diet soda shooting into the air. There are some tubes that are designed for making a soda geyser, which are simpler to use, but you do not need one of these to make a successful geyser. The smaller a hole is that a pressurized liquid is going through, the more force that will be exerted on that one hole. So, making a smaller exit hole will give a higher geyser.
Things You'll Need
- Diet cola soda
- Mentos candies
- Sheet of paper
- Drill
- 3/16-inch drill bit
- Paperclip
Instructions
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Simple Geyser
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1
Place a 2-liter bottle of diet cola soda outside on a flat surface, unscrew the top.
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2
Make a cylinder out of the paper, small enough to fit into the opening of the bottle and large enough to fit the candies.
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3
Load about six candies into the paper tube, pinching the bottom around the candies so they are held in place.
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4
Put the loaded paper tube vertically in the top of the bottle. Let go of the candies, still holding the paper tube, and stand back. If successful, there should be a soda geyser shooting into the air.
High Power Geyser
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5
Take off the cap of a 2-liter bottle of diet cola soda.
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6
Drill a small hole in the middle of the top of the cap. A 3/16-inch bit will give a powerful thin geyser stream.
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7
Drill a hole large enough for a paperclip to pass through on six Mentos candies.
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8
Straighten a paperclip and make a small bend on one end. The bent end will prevent the candy from falling into the soda before it is time.
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9
Thread the candy on the paperclip. Pass the paperclip through the soda cap with the drilled hole.
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10
Pour out enough soda from the bottle so that the candy can be suspended directly above the soda without touching the liquid.
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11
Place the bottle outside on a flat surface. Screw on the cap with the candy while holding the paperclip holding the candy.
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12
Release the paperclip and stand back. A steady stream of soda should shoot into the air for a duration of a few seconds.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Try varying the size of the hole or amount of candy to make geysers of different sizes.
Always have a hole for the soda to pass through when making a geyser to prevent an explosion.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
