Both Dylan and Xander have shown a keen interest in science at school. They’re forever telling me things I never knew so I’m learning from it too. When BBC Terrific Scientific got in touch to see if we fancied trying an experiment, it was an easy decision.
The experiment in question was to make an egg bounce. Or an ‘eggs-periment’ as the boys insisted on calling it! If you want to try it for yourself, you only need a few items. You may well have them all to hand already.
- An egg
- A bowl
- Some white vinegar
- Golden syrup
- Food colouring
With everything in place, it was time to get underway.
White vinegar
We submerged the egg in a bowl of white vinegar and left it for three days.
Once the relevant time had passed, we removed the egg from the vinegar and rinsed it off under a tap. It had taken on a golden colour and was rubbery to the touch. It was time for the moment the boys had been waiting for – dropping it!
I must have held it slightly too high as it exploded. Not to worry though; we had prepared another one. This one was a success. It bounced two or three times before coming to a standstill. We were all wowed by it, but that wasn’t the end…
Golden syrup
We weighed the egg, put it into a bowl of golden syrup and left it for six hours.
After this time had elapsed, we removed the egg and dried it. It felt soft and wrinkly. Out came the kitchen scales again and, amazingly, it had lost around 20 grams. I wonder whether I could lose weight like that?!
Water and food colouring
Next, we placed the egg in a bowl of water and added a few drops of food colouring. Again, it needed to sit for six hours.
After its final soak, the egg had transformed once more. It was firmer than before and we could see some of the blue food colouring inside it. It also weighed around 30 grams more. I was as fascinated as the boys. Of course though, they were keen to get on with the important business of dropping it again…
It looked bouncier and proved to be too. It got some decent air time before coming to a rest.
We all really enjoyed taking part in this experiment and are looking forward to trying out a few more during the Easter holidays. As long as the boys don’t try to replicate this one with their chocolate eggs everything will be good!
There are plenty of ideas to keep kids occupied on the BBC Terrific Scientific website. They’re fun, educational and cheap too. Why not try a few yourself?
Disclosure: this is a collaborative post.
