Science Fair Projects on Which Sodas Explode the Highest

Soda, a favorite beverage among many young children, is available in many varieties, such as regular and diet, and flavors, such as cola, orange and grape. Use the fizzy properties of soda to get your students interested in science; conduct exciting, hands-on experiments that explore which type of soda explodes the highest. Children will love getting messy while they learn.

Materials

The materials required for science fair projects on which soda explodes the highest are quite simple; alongside several 2-liter bottles of soda, you need a video recorder for taping the experiments as well as a notebook and pencil for recording your observations. If young children are conducting these experiments, it is advisable that an adult handle the video recording. Decide on the types of soda you would like to experiment on in advance. For example, compare three different flavors of the same cola, such as regular, lime and vanilla, or three different brands of orange soda.

Hypothesis

Have your students develop hypotheses as to which sodas will explode the highest. A hypothesis is a tentative prediction or explanation as to what the outcome of the experiments will be . For example, the children may choose to hypothesize that diet sodas will explode higher than regular sodas due to the difference in ingredients, such as real versus artificial sugar. Once the experiments have been conducted, the students will establish whether their initial hypotheses were correct, or whether they must be revised.

Conducting the Experiment

Choose an area where it is okay to get messy, such as a field or the schoolyard on a nice day, and have your students bring a set of extra clothing to school. Once everyone is wearing clothing that can get dirty, set the video camera up far enough from where the soda bottles will be exploding that it will not get wet. Record each 2-liter soda bottle being exploded for each group of students; the bottles should all be shaken for the exact same amount of time, such as 15 or 30 seconds, before being set on the ground and having their caps unscrewed. Once all of the trials have been recorded, the students can watch the footage to establish which type of soda explodes the highest, and whether their hypotheses were correct.

Variations

Another way to conduct this experiment that children will find entertaining is to use "Mentos" candy. Mentos, when dropped into soda, elicit explosions of liquid due to the reaction between the candies and the carbon dioxide gas, or bubbles, in the soda. Have your students test which type of soda explodes the highest when a Mentos candy is dropped in, or which flavor of Mentos candy creates the highest soda explosion.