Do your raisins have what it takes to win the race?

All you need is a bottle of fizzy water and some raisins.

Click here to download the handout for this experiment

What do we mean?

Raisins are denser than the fizzy water. When dropped into the water, raisins will start to sink.

The bubbles in fizzy water are made of carbon dioxide (CO2). These CO2 bubbles will stick to the rough surface of the raisin.

When enough bubbles are attached the raisin rises to the surface.

At the surface, the bubbles burst and the carbon dioxide escapes to the air.

The raisin becomes denser than the water again and will sink.  The raisin will continue to rise and sink until most of the carbon dioxide has escaped.

Any object with a density greater than water and has a rough surface that the CO2 bubbles can stick to should be able to race. Why not try dried cranberries, pasta or lentils and see which races fastest to the top?

As with all science experiments, make sure you have a responsible person supervise you at all times. And remember to have fun!

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