A sweet treat and a science lesson: Lessons involving soda, whipped cream and more



MILWAUKEE -- Christmas break is coming up -- and your kids are probably bubbling with excitement. Professor Maria with Mad Science joins Real Milwaukee with some fun experiments you and the kids can try together.

CLEAR COLA
WHAT YOU NEED: BOTTLE OF DIET COLA, MILK, MEASURING CUP, FUNNEL, TRAY
WHAT YOU DO:
Step 1: Place the cola bottle on the tray and remove the label.
Step 2: Open the cola bottle and pour out some of the liquid into the measuring cup. Take note of the amount.
Step 3: Pour out the cola into the sink, and pour the same amount of milk into the cup.
Step 4: Place the funnel at the bottle opening. Slowly pour the milk into the funnel.
Step 5: Cap the bottle to close it. Observe your experiment every hour or so. What happens to the cola?

WHAT'S GOING ON:
Adding milk to the cola causes a chemical reaction! The proteins in the milk react with phosphoric acid molecules in the cola by attaching to them. This attachment makes the molecules denser, and they sink to the bottom of the bottle. The clear, less denseliquid floats to the top, giving you clear cola!

COLORFUL CREAMY SODA
WHAT YOU NEED: FOOD COLORING, CLEAR DRINKING GLASS, LEMON LIME SODA, STRAW, WHIPPED CREAM.
WHAT YOU DO:
Step 1: Fill the glass ¾ of the way with lemon lime soda.
Step 2: Top the soda with a thin layer of whipped cream.
Step 3: Add a few drops of food coloring on top of the whipped cream and wait a couple of minutes. What happens?
Step 4: Once you have finished observing the food coloring, mix the whipped cream and soda with the straw.
Step 5: You may now do a taste test!

WHAT'S GOING ON:
This experiment combines a bunch of science into one delicious glass! The first science concept is density. Whipped cream floats on top of the soda because it is less dense. This means that the soda`s molecules are more closely packed than the whipped cream`s molecules. The food coloring is denser than both. This is why it drips through the whipped cream and soda. Soda has gas forced into it which makes it bubbly. As the bubbles rise, they knock into the food coloring drops, pushing them around. This makes the pretty patterns that you see. The second science concept is diffusion. Over time, the food coloring moves throughout the liquid. It travels from a denser area to a less dense area - this is called diffusion. This causes the soda in the glass to become the same color as the food coloring. Now, enjoy your colorful, frothy treat!