Pop Goes the Mentos®

| 4 Comments

Did you see Aliens in the Attic? If so, you probably noticed that scientific concepts were skimming along the surface of the dialogue and underwriting the tactics the kids called upon as they matched wits with the quartet of aliens from Planet Zirkon.

As the aliens' diplomatic guide book gets thrown out the window, gaming systems, cell phones, launchers, anti-gravity devices, static electricity machines, and high-tech joystick controls take center stage. And the Mentos® the kids' grandmother doles out (and which they graciously take and tuck away in their pockets) are put to the ultimate use: a bottle rocket.

Mentos®' bottle rockets are a popular science project and offer a good bit of excitement for younger observers. Unlike baking-soda and vinegar volcanoes, which depend on a chemical reaction, Mentos®' rockets exhibit a physical reaction.

With a bit of tweaking, this simple project can be extended and turned into a truly explosive classroom or backyard experiment. You'll be able to talk about chemical versus physical reactions, surface tension, nucleation sites, and more.

Let the Science Buddies' "Coke® & Mentos® - Nucleation Goes Nuclear!" project idea show you how! (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 2-3)

4 Comments

um, my friend did this in 6thgrade and said it was pretty fun and it was cool but i didnt think that it would be a good science project soo........... yea

my name is kolby poss and i cant find what i need on this expieriment for my science fair progect

Hi Kolby - This is a fun project to work on! If you've done your background research and reviewed the full experimental procedure and then run into trouble working on your project, you may find assistance in our Ask and Expert forums.

The link to the project is: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/MatlSci_p023.shtml

The link to Ask an Expert is: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/phpBB3/index.php

Good luck with the project!

~ Science Buddies

thumbnail
School and family science weekly spotlight: investigate family traits by making a family pedigree and tracking certain traits through your family history in this pair of genetics science projects.

thumbnail
When reading to your children, look to the great range of science-inspired titles to infuse your read aloud time with exciting science themes and people from the pages of science history. Children of all ages love to be read to,...

thumbnail
School and family science weekly spotlight: investigate to find out how often each color of M&M's appears. What are the odds of pulling your favorite color? Find out in these math and statistics projects.



Your Science!
What will you explore for your science project this year? What is your favorite classroom science activity? Email us a short (one to three sentences) summary of your science project or teaching tip. You might end up featured in an upcoming Science Buddies newsletter!


Kit Image

Science Buddies Kits

Science Buddies' convenient project kits contain everything you need to perform one of our Project Ideas—all in one box!


Help With Your Science Project

The following popular posts are designed to help students at critical stages of the science project process.


You may print and distribute up to 200 copies of this document annually, at no charge, for personal and classroom educational use. When printing this document, you may NOT modify it in any way. For any other use, please contact Science Buddies.