Skittles are more than just a delicious candy. When it comes to school projects, these tiny, colorful treats can serve as the basis for a wide variety of experiments that dazzles both your classmates and teachers.
Skittles come in several different colors, which means they all contain different dyes. A science project could break down the differences in those dyes. The project could include figuring out which color Skittle dissolves the fastest when you douse it in solutions such as vinegar or soda. Or, you could test solutions such as milk or water to see whether they dissolve Skittles. These are some potential hypotheses you could answer with a dissolving Skittles project.
Gather the different Skittles colors that you want to test into separate piles and then collect the different liquids that might dissolve the Skittles, such as vinegar, milk, bleach, oil, lemon juice and both brown and clear sodas. Calculate how long it takes for each liquid to dissolve each Skittle, paying attention to differences like dye colors and liquid temperatures.
This experiment can tell you a lot about how strong liquid solutions and certain dyes are, and it might also earn you some bonus points for color and creativity. As the Skittles dissolve, they leave colorful patterns behind. Try to dissolve them on an object such as a white Styrofoam plate or heavy white poster board, where the colors can stand out and leave behind a rainbow-like display.
This experiment explores what happens when different amounts of Skittles dissolve in separate cups of water. The project could determine whether the separate liquids all mix together, or if you can control the density of these liquids to create layers of colors.
To start, separate Skittles by color and compile different amounts of each. You’re going to be dissolving each color into its own separate liquid, and the goal is to have each color be a slightly different density. The more Skittles you add, the heavier, and thus denser, the liquid becomes. Put 10 of one color Skittles in a clear glass. If you want to make a rainbow, make your blue or purple liquid the densest. So, you could put 10 blue Skittles in a clear glass, eight greens in another, and then six yellows, four oranges, and two reds in their own separate cups.
Then, pour 1/8 of a cup of boiling water on top of the Skittles, and wait until the candies completely dissolve in the water.
The last step is creating the rainbow. The densest liquid serves as the base. In the case of a rainbow, purple or blue. Take the second densest liquid, the one with the second most Skittles in it, and carefully pour that color on top of the base. Make certain to not to do this too quickly. You may want to use a pipette dropper to manage the liquid and guarantee the colors don’t mix. Continue the process from the densest to the least dense Skittles. The result should be a colorful display that demonstrates how density can prevent liquids from mixing.
A little investigation into what’s inside a Skittles bag provides a way to learn about the kinds of questions that researchers turn into hypotheses.
Consider a bag of Skittles and ask questions about it. You could calculate how many yellow Skittles are inside one package, for instance, or determine whether all packages have the same number of red Skittles. The project could also examine people's Skittles-eating habits, figuring out whether people prefer to eat them one by one or by the handful. Or, you could make a chart or graph that tracks which flavor people most prefer.
Then, set out to answer some of these questions by performing the basic research skills needed in any science experiment. To test which color occurs most frequently in Skittles packages, buy several packages, count the number of individual colors and record the data. You can also have family and friends be your research subjects, and observe how they enjoy Skittles or which color is their favorite.
Record all your observations. For a science fair, you can put those observations together as you attempt to answer your hypotheses. A science project board could display your questions, how you set out to answer them and what your research revealed about the typical Skittles package or consumer.
