Group Experiment #2

This is the story of the second group.

Materials needed:  

• vegetable oil and vinegar (the vinegar is dyed blue)
• funnel
• test tube
• straw

Procedure:

1. Put the funnel in the test tube.
2. Pour blue vinegar halfway.
3. Pour vegetable oil halfway.
4. Mix everything with a straw.

Predictions:  

• It will be a green liquid.
• It will turn orange.

Now keep in mind the vegetable oil is a pale yellow and the vinegar is dyed blue.  I used food coloring in the vinegar to throw the children off, and because I knew someone would choose this combination for their experiment.  It is surprising to see when two liquids don't mix.

The young scientists tried mixing and mixing and mixing, but did not get the result they were expecting.  

"It's not mixing."

"I don't want to do it anymore."

"But this is the problem.  It's all like this."

"I don't know."

"Maybe you mix it." (to the teacher)

So that is what happened.  With teacher help and a lot of shaking, the test tube was mixed as best as it could be.  Once the tube was set back on the table, it started to un-mix!  The liquids get back to their original places with the oil on top and vinegar on bottom.  Small bubbles were seen and they moved slowly to separate.  

The children couldn't explain it, but something abnormal was happening.  These are their findings.    "Oil and vinegar did not mix!"