Sacred Heart Catholic School’s eighth grade science class, instructed by Scott Marohl, created soda geysers on Feb. 22.
The experiment was a part of STEM education, a curriculum based on four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Students were to draw on the scientific method, and construct hypotheses about the reactions of Sprite, Mellow Yellow, root beer and Coca-Cola when candy Runts, Mentos and Nerds were dropped into each of them.
Students had to hypothesize as to which soda andcandy combination would create the largest geyser. Then, the experiment was conducted to test their hypothesis. Finally, the results were analyzed and shared to determine if the hypothesis was true, partially true, or false.
By conducting this experiment, the class was able to draw the conclusion that the combination of Mentos and Coca-Cola produced the largest geyser, while Sprite did not react with any of the candies.
The overall goal of this experiment was to practice the scientific method, practice safety in experimental situations, and practice communication and team-building skills.