| Cola Exploration |
| The project was based around using the Visualiser to examine
close up what happens when you drop Mentos mints into a
bottle of Diet Coke. It was known that this would create a Coke
fountain but the idea was to examine the reaction in detail to see
how the effect could be maximised. |
| Key objectives |
- Link science and technology TEM agenda requirements
Pupils studied the reaction in science then designed their own
trigger system for delivering the mints.
- Using new technology like the visualiser to study the reaction
- Use PLT – Draw conclusions from the visualiser observations
and suggest a way to improve the design system.
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| Description |
| Pupils were shown the basic reaction and the key concepts
outlined to the group during a science lesson. These were
essentially delivering the mints quickly whilst maximising the
surface area in contact with the Coke and doing this from a
distance so they were not immersed in Coke. Pupils were then
asked to design a system that would do this. Pupils subsequently
made the system in Technology and tested its effectiveness
whilst the visualiser filmed the reaction. Pupils later discussed
how they would improve the system in light of what they had
seen via the visualiser videos. |
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| The video footage obtained and the ensuing discussion showed
the success of the project. The general group conclusion reached
by those participating was that the next delivery system should
be designed to do all the above but encourage the production of
small bubbles not the large ones seen on the video because they
quickly rose to the top of the bottle but took little Coke with them
which meant they contributed little to the fountain of Coke. |
| Special considerations |
| We constructed a special shower resistant jacket for the visualiser
and cut a collar in acrylic to the exact size of the lens shoulder
using the laser cutter. The focus and direction of the camera
were then controlled remotely using the computer controls and
the hand set. |
| Issues to consider |
| The main problem that we encountered was timetabling the pupils
so they could first work in science then move on to technology.
This wasn’t easy and only achieved once year eleven pupils had
left school and freed up some more timetable slots. |
| The next step |
| The next step is to take the video obtained last academic year
and use it as the starting point for next year’s exploration so the
project can move on. |
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| ‘The visualiser allowed us to study the experiment up close and
the remote control allowed us to position the video camera to
see the detail quite easily without having to constantly return
to the lens. It sort of mimicked the industrial situations where
cameras are used in hostile environments to see what is
happening without endangering the operator. In this experiment
it basically meant that the operator wouldn’t get covered in
Coke. The pupils had to work together in order to coordinate theuse of the visualiser and trigger the reaction which meant team
work was involved and finally they were able to see the reaction
up close and plan how to improve the performance next time.
This covers at least two Personal Thinking and Learning Skills.
It also demonstrates the visualiser which is an amazing piece of
technology in itself and shows what is available in the modern
technological world.’
Lead Practitioner, Andrew Mangham |
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‘Watching the
video allowed
us to see exactly
what was going
on inside the coke
bottle and link it
back to the science
behind it’. |
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‘I could see on the
video where we
went wrong and
what we could do
to improve it next
time’. |
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