Mentos and the Scientific Method

1.) Observe the demonstration of Mento's placed in Diet coke.

2.) What are some things to measure or observe after the demonstration is done?

3.) We need to design an experiment to find out what causes this to happen.  First we must review the scientific method. Please define these terms:

a.) Hypothesis

b.) Independent variable

c.) Dependent variable

d.) Constant

e.) Control

4.) List some factors that might cause this demonstration to take place. (think about the ingredients in diet coke or think about the Mento's candy itself).

5.) Identify the factor that you think is most responsible and write it in the form of a hypothesis. Be sure to read through the handout on formulating a hypothesis and put your hypothesis in an if-then statement. For example:

If leaf color change is related to temperature , then exposing plants to low temperatures will result in changes in leaf color.

6.) Write a brief paragraph explaining how you would test for this factor including what you would measure to prove your hypothesis.

7.) Identify the parts of your experiment:

a.) Independent variable

b.) Dependent variable

c.) Constant

d.) Control

8.) Collect the class data for each variable tested.  Take averages for each variable if necessary and then construct a bar graph of the data.  Answer the following questions.

a.) Which variables tested showed a large "explosion"?

b.) Which variables tested showed a small "explosion" ?

c.) Can you pinpoint one specific variable that seems to be responsible for this "explosion"?

d.) What are some sources of error in this experiment?

9.) Sketch what you think a scatterplot of the height of the pop vs. the amount of pop left in the beaker.  Now construct this graph on Excel. 

Adapted from: Eichler, J.; Patrick, H.; Harmon, B.;Coonce, J.; J. Chem. Educ. 2007, 84, 1120-1122.