Putting the 'FIZZ' into Science!

We have no idea who first decided to drop Mentos mints into their diet cola but, in the past year, lots of video clips have been posted on websites like YouTube showing back-garden experiments with spectacular fizz. One of Mrs Pendle's' students came across such a clip and asked  Mrs Pendle about it. She then asked the Science technicians Mrs Vicki Withers and Mrs Alison Winchester to research the experiment to find if it was suitable for use in the classroom environment.

On doing so the technicians found several sites and television programs explaining the reaction (Mythbusters ), video clips, and a competition organised by MENTOS themselves.

Mentos was encouraging schools to submit a video clip or photo of their Mentos and coke experiment to put on their website, with the most impressive winning £2000 worth of Science equipment and runner up prizes of £400 for regional school winners.

At first a group of year 8 students, Bethany Pick, Dannielle Short, Daniel Stubbs and Sam Gledhill with help from the science technicians put together a display of coloured coke fountains using different methods to add the mints to the cola. One of these impressively went higher than the surrounding trees. A second group of year 7 students, Kodie Robinson, Bradley Shaw, Andrei Maynard and Charlotte however made a display of the letters C and M out of coke bottle fountains on a display reading  COKE + MENTOS =

These were submitted to Mentos for the competition and news of this reached the Grimsby Telegraph who asked if they could come and interview the pupils involved and take pictures of the experiment. It was decided that a display in the form of the Whitgift logo would be produced and this was done so with spectacular effect.

The pupils explained how this was done and how much they enjoyed taking part, giving up their spare time to be involved in Science.