Tis the season for hot chocolate and marshmallows! If you sprinkle a few marshmallows in the top of your hot chocolate, no doubt they’ll stay at the top. If you’re looking for a simple way to incorporate a fun experiment into the rotation this winter, check out this peek into the density of marshmallows.
If you put a marshmallow in a glass of water, it will float. Do your students know why? And could they make it sink if they were challenged with that task?
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The air pockets in a marshmallow make it puffy and the lack of density makes it float. Because of this, the marshmallow’s sugar gets spread out and makes it less dense than the water. However, if you squeeze, and pound, and squish, and press the air out of the marshmallow it will sink. The key: the smaller the marshmallow, the more dense it becomes.
Tip: to keep the marshmallow off your hands, cover them in cooking spray or oil before you start. A mug of hot chocolate (with marshmallows of course!) is optional at the end of the experiment ☕
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