I just had my eighth grade science fair at my school, and my experiment was quite interesting.
My partner, Jenny, and I observed the differences between the reactions of two kinds of bar soap when microwaved for a certain time. The two bar soaps we microwaved were Dial, and Ivory.
First, we microwaved each soap for one minute, and the second time for two minutes. The Ivory soap puffed up like Souffle, and the Dial soap flattened like a pancake.
Why did this happen? When Ivory soap is being made in the factory, air is pumped into it, resulting in several air bubbles inside the soap. When the soap is microwaved, the air molecules gain more Kinetic energy, and move faster and farther apart from each other, causing the soap to expand. This demonstrates Charles’ Law, which states “As the temperature of a gas increases, so does its volume.”
Ivory – Before Microwaving
- Ivory – After Microwaving
The Dial soap, on the other hand, does not contain as many air bubbles. Therefore, it just melted and flattened onto the plate.
Dial – Before Microwaving
Dial – After Microwaving
-kittycat501
~Tiger Lily~ 