How to Make a Beautiful Sugar Density Column?

 Overview 

Traditional Sugar Density Column is made from oil, water, honey and etc. However, we make a Sugar Density Column just with sugar and food coloring. You can stack as many color layers as you like.

Ages: 5 +          Est. Time: < 20 mins

 Safety 

1. Adult supervision.
2. Wear safety goggles and gloves.
3. Be careful with the fragile glassware.

 Materials List 

• Sugar 90g
• Water
• Food coloring (any color)
• Cylinder (or any cylindrical transparent container)
• Beakers (or other containers)
• Dropper

 Instruction 

Step 1/2 – Pour separately 25ml water into four beakers, Add 45g, 30g, 15g, 0g sugar to separately each beaker, drop several drops of different food coloring to each beaker, and dissolve them completely.

Step 2/2 – Slowly drop with a dropper the solution to the cylinder by the order of the account of added sugar 45g, 30g, 15g, 0g. You can also use a glass rod for drainage to avoid too much vibration. (It’s very important to both gently and slowly layer the solution to the cylinder or the colors will mix together.)

 Troubleshooting  

Why are the colors mixed together? 

It is probably that the water is poured only too fast to create too much vibration. So please pour the water both gently and slowly.

 Scientific description 

Density is a comparison between an object’s mass and volume. Remember P=M/V. P stands for density, M mass, and V volume. So the more dissolved sugar in water the higher density it is. And the stuff with higher density will sink in the bottom while with lower density it will float on the top. As you see in the video, the red one with the largest density is in the bottom, then the yellow one, green one, and at last the purple one with the smallest density. The same rule for “sink or float” goes for any gas objects.

 Extensions 

Use different containers to get different rainbow density columns.

Use different density liquid to make a rainbow density column.

 Disposal 

Just pour the water into the sink. And do not forget to wash what you have used.

The difference in density is what makes this science experiment is. Check out below these easy experiments sharing the same principle that will help your little one better know the concept of density.  

Density Rainbow Column

Suspended Egg

Homemade Lava Lamp

Convection Currents

Firework In A Jar

Shaving Cream Rain Clouds