Try this easy experiment!
You will need the following:
Bar of IVORY(TM) Soap
A piece of paper towel or a microwaveable plate
A microwave
Other bars of soap for comparison (optional)
A hot pad
An adult helper
What to do:
1. Unwrap the bar of IVORY(TM) Soap.
2. Place the soap on the paper towel or microwaveable dish and place in your microwave.
3. Microwave your soap. Watch what happens to the soap through the microwave's window.
4. Continue to microwave the soap until you see no more changes. Depending on the power of your microwave it may only take 90 seconds to 2 minutes or it may take longer. You can go as long as 5 minutes and nothing bad will happen but you will stop seeing any changes.
5. When your soap is "done", remove it from the microwave using a hot pad (BE CAREFUL! THE SOAP WILL BE HOT!!) and let it cool for a minute or two. Let your adult helper decide when it is safe for you to touch the soap with your hands.
6. You can play with it after it is cool. Add a bit of water to your hands and you can mold it into shapes. You can use the soap. It will still lather up when wet.
7. OPTIONAL: You can repeat the experiment using the other types of soap to see what happens.
Questions:
What happened to the IVORY(TM) soap? Is this a physical or chemical change?
Why do you think the soap behaved this way? HINT: What does IVORY(TM) soap do when placed in a bowl of water? What do other brands of soap do when place in a bowl of water?
Break a bar of IVORY(TM) soap in half. Do you see air pockets? What does air do when it is heated (HINT: think of a hot air balloon)?
Did any other brand of soap explode? Why or why not?
You will need the following:
Bar of IVORY(TM) Soap
A piece of paper towel or a microwaveable plate
A microwave
Other bars of soap for comparison (optional)
A hot pad
An adult helper
What to do:
1. Unwrap the bar of IVORY(TM) Soap.
2. Place the soap on the paper towel or microwaveable dish and place in your microwave.
3. Microwave your soap. Watch what happens to the soap through the microwave's window.
4. Continue to microwave the soap until you see no more changes. Depending on the power of your microwave it may only take 90 seconds to 2 minutes or it may take longer. You can go as long as 5 minutes and nothing bad will happen but you will stop seeing any changes.
5. When your soap is "done", remove it from the microwave using a hot pad (BE CAREFUL! THE SOAP WILL BE HOT!!) and let it cool for a minute or two. Let your adult helper decide when it is safe for you to touch the soap with your hands.
6. You can play with it after it is cool. Add a bit of water to your hands and you can mold it into shapes. You can use the soap. It will still lather up when wet.
7. OPTIONAL: You can repeat the experiment using the other types of soap to see what happens.
Questions:
What happened to the IVORY(TM) soap? Is this a physical or chemical change?
Why do you think the soap behaved this way? HINT: What does IVORY(TM) soap do when placed in a bowl of water? What do other brands of soap do when place in a bowl of water?
Break a bar of IVORY(TM) soap in half. Do you see air pockets? What does air do when it is heated (HINT: think of a hot air balloon)?
Did any other brand of soap explode? Why or why not?