Of course, why have one big bottle full of air when you can have millions of tiny capsules that you can eat when you’re done with them? Yes, this is the same idea – but with tastier results.
What you need:
- At least one large, soft marshmallow
- Microwave-safe plate
What you do:
- Put the marshmallow on the microwave-safe plate.
- Let an adult heat the marshmallow on high for 5-10 seconds.
- Watch through the window of the microwave as it grows - sometimes to ten to fifteen times its original size!
- Remove from microwave, let cool, and enjoy. CAUTION! Marshmallow may be extremely hot.
What happened:
This works for the same reason as the last experiment. Marshmallows look like they are a solid, but in fact, they’re mostly made up of lots and lots of tiny bubbles of air. The bubbles expand as they warm up, so the whole marshmallow takes up more space. When you turn off the microwave, the air starts to cool down again, and the marshmallow shrinks. Of course, some of the marshmallow may have melted into a sticky goo – but that’s all the better for eating, my dear.
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