Science with Ms. Arnold!

This week, we began our rotations to each of the other second grade classrooms. On Thursday, we traveled to Ms. Arnold's Owl Class to learn about water molecules. We used food coloring to see whether molecules would move faster in hot or cold water. Some of us hypothesized that the colder water molecules would move faster, while others thought heated water molecules would speed things up! 

While both cups eventually became completely colored after adding the food coloring, the food coloring dispersed through the hot water much more quickly! We concluded that molecules move faster in hot water than in cold water. 

Ms. Arnold took the experiment one step further to show us how water can travel in roots. We put a paper towel from our cup of red water into an empty cup and put another paper towel from our blue water leading into the same empty cup. The next day, the middle cup had the same amount of water as the blue and red cups (whose water levels were lower) and the water was purple! 

Thanks to capillary action, the water moves or "walks" up the paper towels and into the empty cup. The water continues to travel until the water levels of all the cups are equal. This is same process the roots of a plant use to carry water up into the plant from the ground!  

Thank you for experimenting with us, Ms. Arnold :) Next week, we will be off to Mrs. Atherton's classroom to experiment with static!