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In this activity, learners will observe laminar and turbulent flow of water using only a plastic bottle, liquid hand soap, food coloring and water. Normally, you can't see how water is moving inside a full jar of water; water that's moving in one direction looks the same as water that's moving in another direction. Glycol stearate, the chemical that gives liquid hand soaps their pearly look, lets you see patterns flow in water.
- Under 5 minutes
- 10 to 30 minutes
- $1 - $5 per group of students
- Ages 4 - 11
- Activity
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per group of students)
- A clear plastic bottle or jar with a tight-fitting, screw-on cap or lid (a clear plastic water bottle works great)
- Liquid hand soap that has glycol stearate in it (The brand we used is Colgate-Palmolive's Softsoap, but any brand of liquid soap with glycol stearate -- not glycol distearate -- will work; check the ingredients on the label.
- Water
- Food coloring
- Clear tape
Subjects
-
Physical Sciences
-
States of Matter
- Liquids
-
States of Matter
Informal Categories
- Arts and Crafts
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- see color
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
Other
This resource is part of:
Access Rights:
- Free access
By:
- Murphy, Pat ; Klages, Ellen ; Shore, Linda
Rights:
- All rights reserved, The Exploratorium, 1998