Physics and Chemistry of Liquids Experiments

The Densities of Water

Learn why water and ice have different densities. How does this affect life on Earth?

Water and Solubility

Learn more about water’s role in dissolving some common substances—solubility—and how temperature changes affect this ability.

Oil and Coffee

Watch  a sprinkling of nutmeg break up the foamy milk topping on a cappucino, and discover why the powdered spice defoams the drink. Can this ability be applied to other situations?

Sea Ice and Glaciers

What happens to the level of the ocean when sea ice melts? Use this simulation to discover how melting sea ice and glaciers can affect the whole world.

Water Ladder

Watch water move up a paper towel and into another cup in this demonstration of capillary attraction at work.

Cargo Overboard

Simulate what happens to the water level of a small pond when large weights fall off a boat and into the water. Does the water level rise or fall?

Cork in Ice

Predict what will happen to the water level in a bowl when a floating ice cube containing an embedded cork melts. Does the water level rise or fall?

Flipping the Bottle

Flip a plastic bottle filled with water, sand, or marbles to discover how different substances affect the rotation and balance of the bottle as it moves through the air.

Buoyancy Explorer

Play with hundreds of combinations of liquids and solids as you predict what floats and what sinks in this online game.

Removing Cuttings from the Borehole

Simulate the circulation of drilling mud and investigate the importance of viscosity in bringing cuttings to the surface when an oil well is being drilled.

Cool Clay

Learn why clay tile roofs, popular in hot climates, help cool buildings.

Viscosity Explorer

Experiment with temperature and different liquids to develop an understanding of viscosity in this online game.

Viscosity and Temperature

Test the effects of cold and warm temperatures on viscosity as you time the speed at which a pebble drops through corn syrup at various temperatures.

Viscosity and Temperature II

Observe the effects of cold and warm temperatures on viscosity as you time the speed at which a marble falls through a bottle of shampoo at different temperatures.

Viscosity of Liquids

Time the speed at which a pebble drops through corn syrup to gain a basic understanding of viscosity.

Viscosity of Liquids II

Compare the speeds of a pebble dropping through different liquids to gain a deeper understanding of how viscosity varies in these liquids.

Viscosity of Liquids Presentation   
By Youth, For Youth

Watch online presentations of viscosity experiments.

Cartesian Diver

Learn how scuba divers control their movement up and down in the water with this simulation using modeling clay and a pen cap.

Buoyancy

Discover how to measure the buoyancy of an object by comparing its weight in air with its weight in water.

Ketchup: Thick or Thin?

Wondering why ketchup flows sometimes and gets stuck at others? Solve the mystery behind ketchup's strange behavior as you discover the properties of thixotropic liquids.

Is It Liquid or Solid?

Experiment with a corn starch–and-water mixture to learn more about non-Newtonian liquids, which appear solid when they are still but liquify when mixed.

Yellow Money

Try to steady a coin on a floating lemon or lime in this tricky challenge. Why do you get the results you see?

Food pH Indicators

Use red cabbage as a pH indicator for your food.

Floating and Stability

Tape coins in various locations on a floating block of wood to experiment with floating stability.

Clay Boats

Challenge your students to use clay and build a boat that can hold the most weight.

Make Your Own Rain Gauge

Learn to build a rain gauge for measuring local rainfall.