Mythbusters - Mentos and Diet Coke
Student Worksheet
The main premise behind the scientific method is that any phenomenon in nature can be explained given enough research, observation, and experimentation. This episode of Mythbusters provides a great example of the scientific method in action to answer the question why the fizzy chemical reaction between Diet Coke and Mentos occurs.
Teachable Moment: This is one of the very few Mythbusters segments that students can actually try on their own! Encourage them to test different variables (brand of diet soda, number of mentos, etc) to see what gets the greatest reaction.
Essential concepts: Scientific method, experimental design, experimental group, control group, independent variable, dependent variable, sample size
