M&M's in Different Sugar Solutions

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In this activity, learners investigate whether having sugar already dissolved in water affects the speed of dissolving and the movement of sugar and color through the water. Learners design their own experiment and identify and control variables. This activity is a follow-up to the activity "Racing M&M Colors" (see related resources). [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org. Activity write-up only, images are unavailable.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • 3 Same-color M&M's
  • 3 White plastic or foam dessert plates
  • Room-temperature water
  • Round film canister lid or a quarter
  • 3 Plastic cups, 3 ½ ounces
  • 2 Plastic cups, 9 or 10 ounces
  • Crayons or colored pencils
  • Permanent marker
  • Sugar
  • Teaspoon
  • Bucket or large bowl
  • Paper towels
  • Student Activity Guide

Keywords

Subjects

  • Physical Sciences
    • Chemistry
      • Solutions
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • About Inquiry
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • see color
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Kessler, James H. ; Galvan, Patricia M.

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, American Chemical Society, 2007