We think that Canola oil will make the best lava lamp.

We started our research by trying out different recipes to make lava lamps.  We experimented with a few recipes and found the one we liked best.

 Next we researched why lava lamps work. When the water and oil are mixed together the water sinks and the oil floats because water is denser than oil. Then when the Alka Seltzer goes in the mixture it sinks to the bottom because it is denser than both water and oil. The tablet dissolves and co2 fizzes up. The water and gas mixture is less dense than oil and it floats up. Some of the gas pops and the water sinks back down. This creates the lava lamp effect. The drops go up and down until all the Alka Seltzer is used up 

Our experiment has 3 types of variables

Maipulated variable: The 1 thing we change

Dependent variable: What we measure

Constants: What stays the same

Our Experiment:

Manipulated Variable: The type of oil

Dependent variable: How many bubbles or How long they last 

Constants: amount of oil, amount of water, how much alka-seltzer, amount of food colouring, size of jars. 

Procedure:

1. Put 3 Tablesoons of water into each of 3 jars that are all the same size. 

2. Put 2 tablespoons of canola oil in the 1st cup of water.

3. Put 2 Tablesoons of corn oil in the 2nd cup of water. 

4. Put 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the 3rd cup of water. 

5. Add one drop of food colouring in each of the 3 bottles. 

6. Put 1 full alka seltzer tablet into each container. 

7. Observer what happens. Time how long the bubbles last. 

Canola oil

-lots of small bubbles going up and a few down

Bubles were abount 5 mm in size

-You can see the alka-setlzer tablet dissolving

-Bubbles are poping

-Started fast and then slowed down 

-At this point it had about 10 bubles floating at a time

Corn Oil:

-Small bubbles

-Bubles were about 2 mm in size

-Lots of bubbles moving fast

-lots going back down

-at 10 minutes bubbles were only going up

-speed of bubbles slows down 

-At this point about 50 bubles at a time

-Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolved

Vegetable oil:

-Medium to big size bubbles

-Bubles about 7 mm

-Lots of bubbles moving fast going up and down 

-Alka - Seltzer tablet dissolved

-Speed of Bubbles slowed down

-At this point there were about 25 bubbles at a time 

We did the experiment 4 times. We got similar results each time.

After observing all 3 lava lamps. The vegetable oil made the best lava lamp. The type of vegetable oil affected the amount and size of bubbles. It also affected the amount of bubbles that went up and down.  

The lava lamp made with vegetable oil was the best. It was the best because it had several bubbles going up and down. It also had the biggest bubles. 

Density is important because it helps determin what items float and what sink. This project makes us want to investigate in the futue how the amount of Alka-Seltzer, and the amount of oil affect how a lava lamp works. We are also interested  hin learning about how Density is used by scientists in other areas. 

We measured all the ingredients and could have made mistakes. 

Container seal, There were too many bubbles building up pressure and the laval lamp ingredients were bubbling out of the container and we  had to hold it shut.

Container was too small, this was difficult for us because we had to contain everything into a little container. Once the bubbles are too big, all that we  could see  were many different sizes of bubbles.

https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-make-a-homemade-lava-lamp-science-project/

https://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/lava-lamp/ 

Karen and Lucas Hamilton

Carolina Kreiser

We thank the people who have created the websites on how to create a lava lamp. 

we thank the teacher - Miss. Spelay for letting us do a science fair

We also thank Our parents for driving us to each others's houses to work on the project and helping us get what we need.