Science Projects With Rice Cookers

Rice cookers make ideal equipment for science experiments.

Rice Cookers are a perfect base for science projects. Their combination of contained, controllable heat and versatility means they can be used as the basis for experiments exploring boiling points, the effect of color on heat and more.

The Effect of Salt on Boiling Points

First fill the rice cooker with water and bring it to the boil. Note what the maximum temperature is. Then, refill it and add some salt. Bring it to the boil again and note the temperature. The salt should change the boiling point of the water, raising it noticeably. (See Reference 1)

The Effect of Color on Temperature

Place two identical, small glass containers in the rice cooker, one with black paper wrapped around its interior and one with white. Fill the glasses with water. Bring the rice cooker up to just below boiling and then reduce it back down. Measure the temperature of the water in the two glasses using a thermometer. The temperature of the glass wrapped in black should be higher, as that color absorbs more heat than white. (See Reference 2)

Buoyancy

Fill the rice cooker container with three parts water and one part vinegar. Very slowly add a teaspoon of baking soda and wait for the bubbles to die down. Then add another and wait again. Drop some rice into the mixture and you'll see it sink, then rise, then sink then rise over and over as carbon dioxide formed by the baking soda and vinegar combining collects on the rice grains, causing them to float to the surface where the carbon dioxide dissipates and they sink back down. Be sure to thoroughly clean the rice cooker after this experiment. (See Reference 3)

Surface Tension

Fill the rice cooker and drop match sticks and pieces of tissue and plain paper into it. Note which ones float and which ones don't. Then turn the rice cooker on to medium heat, not to boiling, so the surface is moving. Try the same experiment, being careful no to touch the water, and wearing gloves if necessary, and note how the disturbed surface effects what floats and what sinks. (See Reference 4)

References

• Effects of Salt On Boiling Points
• Effects of Color on Temperature
• Buoyancy Experiments
• Surface Tension Experiments

Resources

• Anti Gravity Rice