The purpose of this simple experiment is for students to determine the relationship between temperature and speed of molecules in a liquid.
Students will use water & food dye to discover more about 'jiggling' and heat: Source
| Instructions | Results |
|---|---|
| Do molecules move faster or slower when they are warmer? | |
| Which of the three jars spreads the food colour fastest | |
| Which of the three jars spreads the food colour slowest |
Molecules move faster when they are warmer and slower when they are colder.
The drop of food colouring spreads out fastest in the hot water because the molecules are moving the fastest of the three jars.
The food colouring spreads out fairly quickly in room temperature water and slowest in the cold water. Eventually the food colouring spreads throughout all three jars.