Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. I’m excited to share my latest insights from science class. Today, we learnt about liquids. In this blog post, I’ll explore what I learned about liquids, their properties, and their importance in our everyday lives. From water to various types of beverages, liquids play a crucial role in countless processes and activities. Hope you learn something new today while reading this blog post.
Enjoy!
Learning Intention: Explore the properties of liquids
What is a liquid?
A liquid is a state of matter that can flow and take the shape of its container. Unlike solids, liquids do not have a fixed shape, but they do have a fixed volume
How do liquids behave?
Flow and shape
- Liquids flow easily and can be poured
- They always take the shape of the bottom of their container
- Think of how milk spreads out in a bowl
Fixed Volume
- Liquids keep the same amount, no matter the container
- If you pour 100ml of juice into a cup or a bowl, it’s still 100ml
- Liquids do not expand to fill the whole space like spaces
Properties of liquids
Can flow
- Liquids move and can be poured from one place to another. This is called flowing
Takes Shape
- liquids take the shape of their container but do not change their volume
Visible Surface
- liquids have a clear, visible surface called the meniscus
Particles in liquids
In liquids, particles are close together but can slide around each other. This movement lets liquids flow and take the shape of their container.
Compare: Liquids and Solids
Liquid
- Flows and takes the shape of its container
- Fixed volume
- Particles move past each other
Solids
- Keeps its own shape
- Fixed volume
- Particles packed tightly, only vibrant
Experiment (if we did it)
Aim: To look at why some liquids float on top of other liquids
Materials:
- Glass or cup
- Tap water
- Food colouring
- Scissors
- RUler
- Rubber band (wide)
- Small piece of wax
- Craft stick
- Small, clear jars or transparent mini cups (2~oz) with lids (at least 2)
- Permanent marker
- Masking tape
- Small piece of Styrofoam
- Tablespoons (3)
- Dark corn syrup
- Vegetable oil
Instructions:
- Take a clean tablespoon (tbsp) and pour 1 tablespoon of dark corn syrup into cup 1.
- With the second tablespoon, carefully pour 2 tbsp of coloured water into cup 1 on the tip of the corn syrup.
- Use the third clean tablespoon to pour 2 tbsp of vegetable oil into cup 1 on top of the coloured water
- Now take an empty cup 2 and add the same liquids, but reverse order. Start by pouring 2 tbsp of vegetable oil.
- Next, add 2 tbsp of coloured water on top.
- With a fresh tablesoon, carefully pour 1 tbsp of dark corn syrup into cup 2 on top of the water.
- Wait 1 or 2 minutes to let all the liquids settle in cups 1 and 2. Then look at both cups are compare how the different liquids are layered.
- Now take a cup 1 and close it with a lid. Carefully turn it upside down and set it on the table again. Observe the different liquids.
- Compare the upside-down cup 1 with cup 2 after a couple of minutes.
- Get all your cup-up objects and your penny ready, and drop the penny into cup 2
- Next, take the piece of rubber band and rip it into cup 2 with the craft stick, pushing the rubber band piece all the way down to the bottom of the cup. Make sure it does not stick to the bottom and can float freely.
- Now drop the piece of wax into cup 2 again, push the wax all the way down into the cup with the craft stick, but make sure it does not stick to the bottom or to the sides of the cup. It should be able to float freely.
- Last, take the piece of styrofoam and drop it into cup 2. Submerge it with the craft stick and wait for it to settle in one of the layers.
- Look at all four objects that you dropped into cup 2, and compare their locations.
- Finally, take cup 1, which is still upside down, and shake it really hard. Be sure to hold the lid tight. then pback on the table ( this time, right side up). Observe what happens for about 5 to 10 minutes
Rainbow Dish – Chromatography (experiment)
Aim: To look at the density of skittles when mixed in water.
Materials:
- Pertri Dish
- Water
- Skittles
The experiment will be done in groups of 2. You will need to use the Skittles to see how the sugar in Skittles prevents them from mixing.
Method:
- I set up the experiment by placing all the skittles around the edge of the petri dish.
- Water was poured into the middle of the petri dish.
- I watched as the colours of the skittles flowed separately to form a colour wheel.
Thanks for reading
Shreeya