CSAV Hawaii: Best Science Magic Trick with Milk

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by Jay, 10 years ago
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Fantastic science trick! You need milk, dish soap, food dye, a plate. Spectacular & colorful demonstration of how soap breaks surface tension. A great classroom demonstration, or entertainment for kid parties. For detailed information on this experiment, please visit the amazing Steve Spangler web site, at http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000066 Spangler explains: "Since milk is mostly water, it has surface tension like water. The drops of food coloring floating on the surface tend to stay put. Liquid soap wrecks the surface tension by breaking the cohesive bonds between water molecules and allowing the colors to zing throughout the milk. When you add soap, the weak chemical bonds that hold the proteins in solution are altered. It becomes a free-for-all! The molecules of protein and fat bend, roll, twist, and contort in all directions. The food coloring molecules are bumped and shoved everywhere, providing an easy way to observe all the invisible activity. At the same time, soap molecules combine to form a micelle, or cluster of soap molecules. These micelles distribute the fat in the milk. This rapidly mixing fat and soap causes swirling and churning where a micelle meets a fat droplet. When the micelles and fat droplets have dispersed throughout the milk the motion stops, but not until after you've enjoyed the show!"