Project: Lava Lamp

Research question: How do density and polarity work?

Research:
Density – It is the measurement of how compact something is, the denser it
is the more likely it will sink to the bottom when put into a body of liquid.
And if it is extremely light in density, the more likely it will float.
Polarity – If there is a magnetic force or not. (If there are positive/negative
charges present inside the substance/object)
According to homesciencetools, a lava lamp works by having two layers of
liquids, water, and oil. Because water has a positive pole and a negative
pole, while oil as non-polar, it does not combine with water.
And oil is also less dense than water, so it floats on top. Then heat is applied
to the water molecules to cause it to float on top of the water since it makes
the water less dense. Since oil and water do not combine (polarity), you can
see the water droplets floating to the top. And when the water is at the top,
it is unaffected by the heat, so it just sinks to the bottom just to float on top
again. This causes a loop of reactions until the light is turned off.
But my lava lamp will use Alka-Seltzer instead of a heat source to cause the
reaction. When Alka-Seltzer reacts with water, it fizzes and produces carbon
dioxide gas. This carbon dioxide gas then floats to the surface and pops.

Hypothesis:
Based on my research, once I add Alka-Seltzer tablets to a bottle with both
water and oil, it will cause the water to rise to the top because the Alka-
Seltzer will create carbon-dioxide bubbles which will stick to water droplets.
This gas-liquid combination will cause it to be less dense than oil, which
again will cause it to float to the top of the bottle and popping the bubble.
Once the bubble pops, the water molecules that stick to it should sink to the
bottom again due to it being denser than oil.

Safety cautions:
Do not consume any of the substance/liquid or materials in general.
Keep the bottle on a flat/dry surface to prevent spilling

Variables:
Independent variable – Amount of Alka-Seltzer added
Dependent variable – Duration and intensity of the reaction
Control variable – Water bottle size
Procedure:
1 – Get an empty water bottle and fill 1/3 of it with water and the rest with
oil (can be vegetable or cooking oil). Make sure the top of the bottle is
slightly empty
2 – Add food coloring to the bottle, the droplets should sink to the bottom
and combine with the water since it is lighter than oil in density.
3 – Add 1 Alka-Seltzer tablet into the bottle and the reaction should happen
4 – Add another tablet if the reaction stops and you want to start it again.
Observation:
Trial 1:
After 1:26, the reaction gets slower, and the Alka-Seltzer is mostly gone. The
remaining powder of Alka-Seltzer dissolves and trapped carbon dioxide is
floating ontop
After 6:42, all the trapped carbon dioxide is released

Trial 2:
After 1:06, the reaction gets slower, and the Alka-Seltzer is mostly gone.
After 6:21, all of the trapped carbon dioxide is released.

The difference in the time is mostly because in trial 1, I accidentally broke

the tablets into small pieces, but the quantity is the same in both trials. This
caused the tablets in trial 1 to dissolve quicker but trapping more carbon
dioxide after it fully dissolved

Data table:
Trial Time it took for the Time it took for the
Alka-Seltzer to remaining trapped
completely dissolve carbon dioxide to
release
1 1 minute and 2 seconds 6 minutes and 42
seconds
2 1 minute and 26 6 minutes and 21
seconds seconds
3 1 minute and 20 6 minutes and 30
seconds seconds
Conclusion:
Explain if the hypothesis was true or not based on your analysis and results.
My hypothesis was true because I stated that when the Alka-Seltzer was
added, it would create carbon-dioxide that would float to the top, as well
carrying water molecules with food coloring inside to the top. And that is
exactly what happened in the experiment based on my analysis, the tablets
would create gas which would go to the top, carrying water bubbles that
would sink to the bottom once the gas reached the top.

Abstract:
This experiment uses the principles of density and polarity to cause a
reaction. The experiment uses density and polarity to keep the water and oil
separated, as well causing the reaction to happen once Alka-Seltzer tablets
are added. The Alka-Seltzer produces carbon-dioxide that sticks to water
molecules, and since this combination is lighter than oil, it floats to the top
of the bottle and pops. The water droplets that were at the top once the
bubble pop would then resume to fall to the bottom again. Food coloring is
added to water to make it look cooler and more visible when the reaction is
happening.
History of density:
The concept of density was first discovered by Archimedes somewhere
around 250 B.C, and the way he discovered it was interesting.
Around 250 B.C, The King of Syracuse ordered a blacksmith to make a crown
with the gold he provided. However, when the king received the crown, he
suspected that the blacksmith fused some silver into the crown to keep
some of the gold. Hence, the king requested Archimedes to solve the
problem.
When Archimedes was thinking about what to do, he decided to take a bath.
However, when he sat and immersed himself in the water, he noticed that
the water level would rise and overflowed out of the tub.
There are legends that say, when Archimedes discovered density as well a
solution to the King problem, he ran out to the streets naked and yelling
“Eureka! Eureka!’ which means “I have found it!”
And so, Archimedes took the blacksmith crown and a replica that is purely
made of gold to prove it. Archimedes put both crowns into a tub of water
and saw that the crown purely made from gold sunk more than the
blacksmith crown. Hence, Archimedes just proved to the king that he just
indeed been cheated, and that the crown had silver in it. As well as
discovering density.
What happened to the blacksmith? That is up to you to decide on your own.

Who is Archimedes?
Archimedes was born in 287 B.C in the city of Syracuse in Sicily. He is best
known for his talent in mathematician, physics, astronomer, and as well
being an inventor.
Density appliances in real life: Submarine – One of the most important
appliances in real life is the submarine, because the submarine allows us to
explore the ocean.

How submarine works: The submarine has ballast tank, which can take in
water or air. When in the surface, the ballast tanks are filled with air, which
allows the submarine to be less dense than water and giving the submarine
the ability to float. But the submarine's main function is not to float, but to
sink into water. When the submarine sinks, the valves on the submarine
open, allowing water to enter and fill the ballast tanks, making the
submarine heavier, and the more filled the tanks, the deeper it will sink.
Citations:

“Activity – Fizz Race.” American Chemical Society, https://www.acs.org/education/outreach/celebrating-

chemistry-editions/2021-ncw/fizz-
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Accessed 4 April 2023.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "density". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Aug. 2022,

https://www.britannica.com/science/density. Accessed 13 April 2023.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "polarity". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2019,

https://www.britannica.com/science/polarity-chemistry. Accessed 13 April 2023.

Friedman, Norman and Polmar, Norman C.. "submarine". Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Mar. 2023,
https://www.britannica.com/technology/submarine-naval-vessel. Accessed 13 April 2023.

Grigg, Cindy. “Eureka! Density!” Monadnock Regional School District,

https://www.mrsd.org/cms/lib/NH01912397/Centricity/Domain/245/3-eureka%20density.pdf.
Accessed 13 April 2023.

“How Submarines Work.” Oregon State University,

https://precollege.oregonstate.edu/sites/precollege.oregonstate.edu/files/cartesian_diver_lacuk
nos_10-15-20_-dc.pdf. Accessed 13 April 2023.

“The Legend of the Gold Crown.” Community Consolidated School District 93,
https://www.ccsd93.com/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=48&dataid=267&Fi
leName=The-Legend-of-the-Gold-Crown-and-the-Bathtub.pdf. Accessed 13 April 2023.

Tools, Home Science. “Home.” How to Make a Lava Lamp: DIY Lava Lamp Science Experiment + Video,
https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-make-a-homemade-lava-lamp-science-
project/. Accessed 4 April 2023.

Toomer, Gerald J.. "Archimedes". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Jan. 2023,

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Archimedes. Accessed 13 April 2023.