Today, we’re going to have some fun by making a glowing lava lamp right at home! This experiment will teach us about something called density. But remember, always ask a grown-up for permission before starting any experiment.
Step 1: Fill your glass most of the way with water. This will be the base of our lava lamp.
Step 2: Pour some vegetable oil into the glass. Watch closely as the oil floats on top of the water. This happens because oil is less dense, or lighter, than water.
Step 3: Now, let’s add some salt. Salt is heavier than water, so it sinks to the bottom. As it sinks, it grabs some oil and pulls it down too. But once the salt dissolves in the water, the oil floats back up to the top. This makes the oil move up and down, just like in a real lava lamp!
Step 4: To make our lava lamp glow, sprinkle in some phosphorescent powder and stir it well. This powder will help our lamp shine brightly.
Step 5: Finally, shine a UV light on your lava lamp. Watch as it glows beautifully! Isn’t it amazing?
The best part is that you can do this experiment again and again. Each time, you’ll see the oil dance around in the water, glowing under the UV light. It’s like having your own little light show!
And that’s how you make your very own glowing lava lamp. Have fun experimenting and learning!
Density Detective: Now that you’ve seen how oil and water interact, try finding other liquids at home to test their density. Ask a grown-up for help and see if you can find something that floats on water like oil or sinks like salt. Make a list of your findings and share them with your friends or family!
Colorful Creations: Experiment with adding a few drops of food coloring to your lava lamp. What happens when you add different colors? Does the color mix with the oil or the water? Try creating a rainbow effect and observe how the colors move with the oil and salt.
Glow-in-the-Dark Hunt: Take your UV light and go on a glow-in-the-dark hunt around your house. What other objects glow under the UV light? Make a list of items and think about why they might glow. Share your discoveries with your classmates or family!
For today’s at-home experiment, we are going to create our very own lava lamp using the concept of density. Remember, all young scientists need a grown-up’s approval. For this experiment, you will need some water, a glass, vegetable oil, salt, phosphorescent powder, and a UV light to make our lava lamp glow.
First, fill your glass most of the way with water. Then, add the vegetable oil. Watch closely as the vegetable oil rises to the top because it is less dense than water.
Next, to create the lava lamp effect, we will use some salt. Since salt is heavier than water, it will sink to the bottom. When I add it, you can see that it grabs onto the oil and brings some of it down with it. However, once the salt reaches the bottom, it dissolves in the water, allowing the oil to rise back to the top again, creating the same effect we saw before.
Now, to make it glow, let’s add some phosphorescent powder and mix it well. Finally, we need our UV light to see the glow in action. Wow! Look at that, it worked wonderfully! The exciting part is that you can repeat this experiment multiple times. Look how cool that is! That is how you make your very own glowing lava lamp.
