Learn science in a fun way with this cool experiment

Fireworks in a Glass

You have exhausted your supply of fireworks and your parents are not going to buy you new ones. It is all quiet now. What do you do? How about diffusing some silent and harmless firecrackers?

Things You Need

Tall and Clear Glass

Warm Water

Red and Blue Food Colour

Cooking Oil

Crystal

4 Steps to Make Fireworks in a Glass

· Take a very tall and clear glass, and fill it with crystal clear and slightly warm water.

· Now take another small glass and add a few drops of water soluble red food coloring (that your mother uses to make those delicious angry bird cupcakes) and cooking oil to it. Try mixing these two but it will be in vain.

· Now take another small glass and add a few drops of blue food coloring and cooking oil to it. Again they won’t mix.

· Now add these two stubborn mixtures to your elongated glass of water.

What happens?

The food coloring molecules happily free themselves from the chains of the oil molecules; and mix with the more friendly water molecules. They prance up and down; exploding inside the glass in gaiety. Some of these homemade firecrackers sink down; pause; and then shoot up suddenly.

We all know that oil and water do not mix. The food coloring molecules are heavier than water molecules; and as they sink down, they leave trails that resemble fireworks display in the sky. Density is defined as how tight the molecules are in any substance. Oil has a lower density than water; and floats on top. One oil molecule was trapped by the food coloring molecule; and was dragged down. But the food coloring molecule became distracted as it mingled with water; the lighter oil molecule shot up; thus creating the later spark of color.