Dancing Raisins

Michael “Micah” Green

Block 2B

28 Aug. 2010

Cassie, Lyndsie, and Cheyenne

 Dancing Raisins

Abstract: The idea behind the experiment was to determine how well we as students work

together and to see what we knew about experimenting in a lab, as in safety, following the rules,

etc. To see if we have what it takes to work other, more difficult labs. Like a pretest lab.

Intro: The goal of the experiment was to pour raisins into a glass of newly poured

carbonated drink and what would happen when we did. The idea was that the raisin(s) would float

and sink repeatedly, which they did. The challenge was counting the number of times that a

selected raisin did so, which was difficult because the raisins all rose and fell at the same time,

increasing the difficulty of tracking one of 20.

Materials and Methods: Obviously, the first thing we needed were the raisins, otherwise

we would have no test subjects. Second, we used a paper coffee filter to hold said raisins both

before and after the experiment so they could be massed using the triple-beam balance. Other

than that, we used 7up as the carbonated drink, and a beaker for it.

The method was simple. First, we massed the paper. Then, we massed the paper with the

raisins, subtracting the paper’s mass to determine the mass of the raisins. After that, we simply

put the raisins in the 7up and watched how many times a select raisin rose and fell. After that, all

that was left to do was empty the beaker of the 7up, using the paper as a filter. Then mass the

raisins again, subtracting the paper’s mass to find whether or not the mass of the raisins changed.

Result and Analysis: First off, the mass of the paper was appx. 1.2 grams. That

information was necessary to continue the lab, as we then massed the raisins to 61.2 grams or so,

which is about 60 grams without the paper’s mass. Next, as you may remember, we watched a

select raisin as it moved. Said raisin moved only 6 times, which means either the raisin had too
high a mass, or the 7up had lost too much carbonation beforehand, which would be a slight

discrepancy in the experiment. But that couldn’t be avoided. Also, another interesting note is that

the second time we massed the raisins (after they had been soaked in the soda) they actually had a

smaller mass by about 1 gram. This is another strange phenomenon, the likes of which I cannot

explain, nor can any website I have searched. Therefore, that little detail will need to be looked at

more closely at a later date.

Conclusion: The experiment overall was a success in my opinion. After all, it didn’t seem

to me like there were any safety issues, so if my hypothesis was true, and this was just a pretest to

see how well we worked together, then it was more of a success than ever. If not, well, then, at

least we saw the raisins “dance”!

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