Racing M&M Colors

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Learners design their own experiment to determine which M&M color dissolves the fastest in water. Learners should have a plan to control variables such as type of plate, amount of water, temperature of water, how and where the M&M's are placed on the plate, etc. Learners perform their experiment, collect data and discuss their results. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org. Activity write-up only, images are unavailable.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 6 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • 6 Different colors of M&M's
  • 6 White plastic or foam dessert plates
  • Room-temperature water
  • Round film canister lid or a quarter
  • 1 Plastic cup, 3½ounces
  • Crayons or colored pencils
  • Permanent marker
  • Bucket or large bowl
  • Paper towels
  • Student Activity Sheet

Keywords

Subjects

  • Mathematics
    • Measurement
      • Units of Measurement
  • Physical Sciences
    • Chemistry
      • Solutions
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • About Inquiry
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • see color
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Kessler, James H. ; Galvan, Patricia M.

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, American Chemical Society, 2007