Testing Inertia and Blue to Red
Testing Inertia
Materials:
- 1 small bucket with handle
- Strong string
- Water
Instructions:
1. Fill the bucket halfway with water.
2. Attach the string to the bucket handle.
3. Very quickly, swing the bucket around using the string, creating a steady circular motion. Whathappens to the water?
The water in the bucket does not leave the bucket because of the laws of inertia. The spin of the motion keeps the water in the bucket through centripetal force.
Blue to Red
Materials:
- 1 potted violet plant in bloom
- 1 bottle of vinegar
- 1 medicine dropper
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup of water
- Watch
Instructions:
1. Choose two of the violet flowers to experiment on. Don't pick the flowers off the plant!
2. Using your medicine dropper, drop a few drops of vinegar onto one flower. Two drops per petal should be fine. Note the time.
3. Wash your medicine dropper with water by letting water go in and out of the dropper.
4. Take the dropper again and this time, drop a few drops of lemon juice onto the other flower. Two drops per petal, and again note the time.
5. What is happening to the flowers?
We know that plants and flowers have more than one pigment in each of them. Violet flowers happen to have the pigment that is also found in litmus paper, that it can turn red when acidic. Dropping vinegar or lemon juice will turn your flowers red and reddish. Which acid gave a stronger effect?
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