The Geyser Experiment

Here's a fun experiment that we tried yesterday. We were surprised at the results!

Simulate a geyser:

You needa 2 litre bottle of cola
2 Mentos mint candy

(You need to do this outside in the grass!!)

Place the cola bottle upright in an open area.
Remove the top from the cola.
Drop 2 Mentos mints into the cola bottle and STAND BACK. Watch what happens!

The cola will immediately begin to foam and will be forced out of the bottle's opening, creating a fountain of cola! Other carbonated drinks will work as well. Scientists disagree about the cause of the reaction that happens. Most think that the rough surface of the Mentos provides a place for the CO 2 to quickly change from being dissolved in solution to its gas form. It's not a chemical reaction that causes the fountain, but a physical change as the CO 2 changes from liquid to a gas. Geysers work because of a physical change as well. The most famous geyser is Old Faithful, which erupts about every 67 minutes!

This cool experiment is from the book "Weird Science." We borrowed a copy from the library and are having a ball trying the fun and easy experiments!

Another fun thing we did yesterday was visit the Hugh Mercer Apothecary in downtown Fredericksburg. Our tour guide explained the different herbal remedies the doctor would use to help you with the symptoms of your illness, but rarely had a cure for it. She described the techniques of Spring bleeding, by using razors or leeches. We were all amazed (and somewhat grossed out) by the fat, long and slimy leeches. She grabbed one from the bowl of water and carried it around for all of us to see up close. They would place 8-16 of them on the body. After that, we experienced what an amputation would have been like, thanks to a 10 year old volunteer. He sat in the chair, with 2 helpers next to him "to hold him down", while the tour guide went through each step. The whole process would have been finished in under a minute! One time the doctor did it in 26 seconds, but he accidentally cut off the fingers of his assistant!!!

Hope I didn't gross you out too much... It was a very interesting field trip and it gave us a new appreciation for the modern advances in medicine and for the good doctors we have today.

Speaking of doctors, please say a prayer for my mother. She continues to receive chemo treatments. This week has been one of her worst, as she deals with mouth sores, stomach pains, weakness and a low blood count. In a word, she feels awful. Her fighting spirit is flagging right now, and my brother and I are worried about her.

If you are in good health,
Rejoice!
If you aren't, or know someone else who isn't,
Pray!

Marla