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Key concepts Chemistry Physics Materials science Carbonation Physical reactions Explosions

Introduction Have you ever seen the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment that is all over the Internet and wondered what makes the reaction work? You might think that there is some ingredient in a Mentos candy that causes a chemical reaction with the soda pop, like the way baking soda reacts with vinegar. But the amazing eruption that takes place when Mentos are dropped into Diet Coke or other brands of diet soda pop is not a chemical reaction at all! Instead it is a physical reaction. That means that all of the pieces of the reaction are there, but that they are simply rearranged. It also means changing some factors may cause a larger or smaller physical reaction to take place.

Background A carbonated beverage is packed full of dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which forms bonds with water. While the soda is in the bottle, the gas is kept in solution by the bottle's pressurized conditions. When you pour some soda into a glass, some gas escapes and forms foam, but most stays trapped by the surface tension of the water. But all those gas bubbles want to escape, making it no wonder that soda makes you burp!

To create bubbles, the carbon dioxide needs to interact with itself, which means that the carbon dioxide's bonds with water in the Diet Coke must be broken. A Mentos candy can help with this. Although the candy may look smooth, if you looked at it under a microscope you'd see tiny bumps coating its entire surface. This rough surface allows the bonds between the carbon dioxide gas and the water to more easily break, helping to create carbon dioxide bubbles and cause the classic eruption. The speed at which the Mentos falls through the soda can affect how large the eruption is, and this can be tested by comparing whole with crushed Mentos, the latter of which are less dense.

Materials Wax paper Cutting board Knife One roll of Mentos (at least eight candies) Two index cards Tape Two two-liter bottles of Diet Coke An outdoor area at least two meters from buildings Eye protection (safety goggles or glasses) Video camera with either a tripod or a helper to take the images (optional)

Preparation Place a piece of wax paper on top of the cutting board. On the wax paper, carefully use a knife to crush and cut four Mentos candies into many small pieces. An adult may help you cut up the candies. What does the inside of the candies look like? Make a Mentos cartridge to hold the candies for you before you drop them into the Diet Coke bottle by rolling an index card into a tube, slightly larger than the diameter of a Mentos candy. Tape the tube together on the side. Be sure to wear eye protection when putting the candies into the cola! Wear clothes that you would not mind if they get splashed with a little soda popthis activity can get a little messy!

Procedure Place a Diet Coke bottle in an outdoor area, at least two meters from any buildings or anything hanging above the area, such as eaves, overhangs or wires. Make sure that the bottle is on a level surface and stably standing straight. Why do you think all of this is important? If you want to videotape the reactions, set up the video camera so that it has in its viewfinder the bottle and a height equivalent to at least the first story of a building. Carefully remove the cap from the bottle and place the flat index card on top, covering the hole. Add four whole Mentos candies to your cartridge, put on your eye protection, and start the video camera. Place your full cartridge on top of the flat index card. Line up where the opening of the bottle is with the opening of your cartridge. Quickly pull out the flat index card, releasing the Mentos candies into the bottle. Then step back without tipping the bottle over or disturbing the reaction. How quickly did the reaction start to happen, and how quickly did it stop? About how high did the eruption go? How much cola is left in the bottle? When the bottle stops spouting, stop recording. Remove the spent cola bottle and place a new full bottle in the same position, again making sure that it is level and stably standing straight. As with the first bottle, remove the cap and place the flat index card on top, covering the hole. Add your four crushed Mentos candies to your cartridge, pouring them in from the wax paper. Put on your eye protection and start the video camera. Like you did before, place your full cartridge on top of the flat index card, then line up where the opening of the bottle is with the opening of your cartridge. Quickly pull out the flat index card, releasing the crushed Mentos into the bottle, then step back without tipping the bottle over or disturbing the reaction. How quickly did the reaction start to happen, and how quickly did it stop? How high did the eruption appear to go? How much liquid is left in the bottle? Is it more or less than the amount that was left when you used whole candies? When the bottle stops spouting, stop recording. If you videotaped the reactions, you can watch your videos now. What do you notice from the videos? Which reaction went higher, the whole or the crushed Mentos? Extra: Find an exterior wall of a building with no windows and set a Diet Coke bottle at the base of the wall. Use a tape measure and blue painter's tape to mark off the height from the top of the bottle in meters. Then repeat this activity three times, with the bottle in front of the tape-marked wall, video taping it each time. When you review the recordings, use slow motion and pause the recording when the spout is at its maximum height. Using the tape marks in the background, estimate the height of the spout. Calculate the average height of the fountains for the whole and for the crushed Mentos. What is the difference in height of the eruptions? Extra: What other factors affect the size of the Mentos and Diet Coke eruption? You can try testing different kinds of carbonated beverages, different kinds of candies with different shapes and textures or using other things to start the reaction, like rock salt, pennies or dice. Which beverages, candies or other things cause the largest and smallest fountains? Why do you think this is? Extra: Do this activity again but instead of testing whole Mentos versus crushed, compare warm versus cold Diet Coke. Does temperature affect the eruption height?

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Spurting Science: Erupting Diet Coke with Mentos

By Frances Childs

PUBLISHED: 16:34 EST, 13 June 2012 | UPDATED: 19:41 EST, 13 June 2012

Since astrology can give us an insight into what makes us tick - helping us understand how we act in a relationship, what we need to inspire us and the situations we should try to avoid - then could our star sign also help determine the best way to keep in shape?

Astrologer Sharon Ward, who has more than 20 years experience in lecturing and writing on astrology and health, thinks so. Astrology can give us a real insight into personality, so it can help you find a diet and exercise regime that youll stick to, she explains.

Using her insights, Sharon has created a special astro-diet plan. So what do the diet and fitness experts think? Andrew Stemler, director of training at Crossfit in London, says: Looking at your star sign to work out what you enjoy is a fun way to start exercising, and anything that inspires you to get fit is a good thing.

Dietician Anne Myers, of the British Dietetic Association, says the astro-diet plan has some great ideas. I think everyone should be following these suggestions, whatever star sign they are. So whether youre a sensitive Piscean or a wilful Taurus, heres astrologer Sharons guide to getting your beach body this year...

Since astrology can give us an insight into what makes us tick could our star sign also help determine the best way to keep in shape?

ARIES Mar 20 - Apr 20

Driven, high-achieving, Victoria Beckham is a typical Aries. You thrive on competition and are determined to win. When it comes to dieting, fast-paced regimes that bring quick results are perfect for you because patience definitely isnt a virtue.

DIET: Atkins (high in protein, low in carbs) is a good bet for an Aries. It provides concentrated fuel and appeals to your competitive, all-or-nothing personality. This is quite an extreme diet so Id recommend regular health checks to keep an eye on things such as your cholesterol.

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The zodiac diet: Can't find a slimming regime that works for you? Maybe the answer is in your stars

Sugar-free drinks may make sweet-detecting circuits numb to the real stuff

Web edition : Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

By baffling the brain, saccharin and other sugar-free sweeteners key weapons in the war on obesity may paradoxically foster overeating.

At some level, the brain can sense a difference between sugar and no-calorie sweeteners, several studies have demonstrated. Using brain imaging, San Diego researchers now show that the brain processes sweet flavors differently depending on whether a person regularly consumes diet soft drinks.

This idea that there could be fundamental differences in how people respond to sweet tastes based on their experience with diet sodas is not something that has gotten much attention, says Susan Swithers of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. A key finding, she says: Brains of diet soda drinkers dont differentiate very well between sucrose and saccharin.

Erin Green and Claire Murphy of the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University recruited 24 healthy young adults for a battery of brain imaging tests. Half reported regularly drinking sugar-free beverages, usually at least once a day. The rest seldom if ever consumed such drinks. While the brain scans were underway, the researchers pumped small amounts of saccharin- or sugar-sweetened water in random order into each recruits mouth as the volunteer rated the tastes.

Both the diet soda drinkers and the nondrinkers rated each sweetener about equally pleasant and intense, Green and Murphy report in an upcoming Physiology & Behavior. But which brain regions lit up while making those judgments differed sharply based on who regularly consumed diet drinks.

Certain affected brain regions are associated with offering a pleasurable feedback or reward in response to desirable sensations. And compared with those who don't drink diet soda, the diet soda drinkers demonstrated more widespread activation to both saccharin and sucrose in reward processing brain regions, the researchers say.

One of the strongest links seen was diminishing activation of an area known as the caudate head as a recruits diet soda consumption climbed. This area is associated with the food motivation and reward system. Green and Murphy also point out that decreased activation of this brain region has been linked with elevated risk of obesity.

The new findings may help explain an oft-observed association between diet soda consumption and weight gain, the researchers say. Once fooled, the brains sweet sensors can no longer provide a reliable gauge of energy consumption.

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Diet sodas may confuse brain's 'calorie counter'

Doing anything on a small scale is not part of the equation in the world of Michael Phelps. When he swims in the Summer Olympics, he dominates and collects both gold medals and world records like a child collecting candy on Halloween. Everything else in his life tends to be larger than life, too -- including his eating habits.

Phelps attracted notoriety for a diet in which he allegedly consumed up to 12,000 calories per day in preparation of the Beijing Olympics. Soon after the story came out, Phelps refuted doing such a diet. Indeed, it seems unlikely he actually eats that amount because it is virtually impossible for the average person to consume 10,000 calories worth of food in a single day.

There is no way of knowing for certain how many calories Phelps consumes per day, but these 10 food and drink items are believed to be staples on the 12,000 calorie diet he is said to follow:

1. Fried-egg sandwiches

Breakfast begins with a trio of fried-egg sandwiches. Each sandwich is smothered in mayo and piled high with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and fried onions.

2. Chocolate chip pancakes

Why settle for a dozen chocolate chip cookies when you can have a short stack of chocolate chip pancakes? Phelps consumes three of this pancake variety every morning. No word on if he dunks them in a tall glass of milk.

3. French Toast

Three is the magic number again. Phelps goes with three slices of french toast. Each one is topped by a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar.

4. Omelets

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Summer Olympics Swimming: Top Foods in the Michael Phelps Diet

Low carbohydrate/high fat diets may help short-term weight loss but don't work long term, say researchers Controversial diet also found to increase blood cholesterol

By Claire Bates

PUBLISHED: 03:23 EST, 11 June 2012 | UPDATED: 03:32 EST, 11 June 2012

The popular Atkins diet could be putting people at increased risk of heart disease, according to a 25-year study.

Researchers from Sweden found the introduction of the low-carbohydrate regime led to a surge in saturated fat intake in 2004, with a spike in cholesterol levels three years later.

Study leader Professor Ingegerd Johansson, from the University of Umea, said: 'While low carbohydrate/high fat diets may help short-term weight loss, these results of this Swedish study demonstrate that long-term weight loss is not maintained and that this diet increases blood cholesterol, which has a major impact on risk of cardiovascular disease.'

Full English? A diet high in protein but low in carbohydrates can play havoc with cholesterol levels, say scientists

In 2004 there was an explosion in the popularity of low carbohydrate/high fat (LCHF) diets like Atkins in Sweden. The diets focus on cutting out sugar and starch while upping intake of fats, including saturated fat.

Its proponents, such as Dr Annika Dahlqvist, who is credited with starting the Swedish craze, argue that it helps maintain normal weight and blood sugar while freeing people to eat their favourite foods.

A poll last year suggested that a quarter of Swedes had at least partly adopted an LCHF diet. Around five per cent had taken it up seriously, leading the DietDoctor website to hail a "Swedish low carb revolution". There were even reports of stores running out of butter due to increasing demand.

Originally posted here:
Atkins diet causes 'heart disease risk' after linked to surge in cholesterol levels

If making healthy eating choices was easy, our fridges would be covered with gold stars. But even the best eating intentions get derailed on a daily basis. Why? According to a new poll of more than 1,000 women by ShopSmart magazine, four obstacles in particular make eating well harder than it needs to be. Lucky for you, ladies, weve rounded up the best ways to combat each diet-busting excuse:

1. Excuse: Healthy foods are too expensive. More than half of the women polled said cost was the reason they dont eat healthy foods.

Busted! Popular to contrary belief, eating fresh produce and other healthy foods actually costs less than foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, finds a new study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Comparing the cost of foods by weight or portion size shows that grains, vegetables, fruit, and dairy foods are less expensive than junk foods. Add in the countless benefits of eating healthy foods, and youve got a price than cant be beat. Check out our advice on how to slash your grocery bill the healthy way.

2. Excuse: Lunch just isnt a healthy meal to eat. Seventy-two percent of women said lunch was their least healthy meal of the day.

Busted! Acing your lunchtime meal is all about thinking ahead; its making decisions on the flywhen youre hungry and likely stressedthat gets you into trouble. "Have your go-to thing, said Keri Glassman, author of Slim Calm Sexy Diet. For people in an office, have your three go-to restaurants, and have two meals at each place you know are healthythat way, your healthy choices are already mapped out," she said. Another smart option is bringing your lunch from home. Make it after dinner, said Glassman, so you're not hungry and it's not an impulse decision." For more ways to guarantee healthy lunch success, check out our lunchtime meal planner.

3. Excuse: My friends made me do it. Forty-seven percent of women say social temptations are a barrier to eating healthy, and 44% say theyre more likely to eat poorly when theyre with people compared to eating alone.

Busted! No question, it can be hard to stick to your healthy eating plan when your buddies are downing dinner rolls by the half-dozen. But with a little pre-dinner planning, you can save a girls night out from being a diet disaster. Start by having a snack beforehand (so you wont dive headfirst into the first appetizer you see), and check out the menu online to make your selection before peer pressure can take hold. Find more advice with this guide to dining out wisely.

4. Excuse: I cant curb my cravings. If the bakery aisle of the grocery store calls your name a little too loudly, youre in good company: 63% of women admit to having regular cravingswith the number one culprit being chocolate.

Busted! What should you do the next time a craving hits? I always tell people, don't eat around a craving," said Glassman. Instead, find a healthy way to enjoy it. For example, if chocolate is what youre jonesing for, have a green tea latte with an ounce of dark chocolate, she says. Or try a couple squares of dark chocolate in your Greek yogurt, so you're getting calcium and protein, too." Follow these six other tips for keeping cravings in check.

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Diet Excuses Busted!

7 June 2012 Last updated at 12:18

A team of Japanese scientists have come up with a new invention that could be the answer to our greedy appetites.

If you put on a pair of their 'diet goggles', your food looks a lot bigger than it actually is in real life.

The goggles trick the person wearing them into thinking they can't manage to eat food that's so massive!

During experiments, the scientists found that when the goggles made the biscuit look twice as big, the users ate a tenth less.

They also tried it the other way, making food look about a third smaller with the goggles - and people ate more!

The scientists at the University of Toyko say the idea does seem to work.

It's early days for the research and the goggles won't be going on sale just yet.

But Professor Michitaka Hirose, whose team invented the goggles, says he hopes people wanting to lose weight could use them in the future.

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'Diet goggles' make you eat less

Tokyo University professor Michitaka Hirose and his team developed goggles that make cookies appear bigger to help users' diet. (Yoshikazu Tsuno / AFP/GettyImages / June 6, 2012)

June 7, 2012, 7:40 a.m.

You've tried Atkins. You've tried South Beach. Now try the goggle diet.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have invented a pair of goggles that may help people lose weight by making it look like what they are eating is bigger than it is.

Put on the goggles and suddenly a normal-size Oreo looks like it's the size of a doughnut, and a doughnut looks the size of a personal pizza.

"There is this idea that depending on whether the size or portions are big and small, the amount of food people consume changes," said Michitaka Hirose in a YouTube video. "So we thought it would be interesting to try out the concept using computers."

The computerized goggles use an algorithm that lets them magnify the size of the food while keeping the hand holding it the actual size. That's what makes the food appear to be so much bigger. And the wearer of the goggles only sees the altered image.

The goggles look pretty clunky, but apparently they work. In experiments at Hirose's lab, volunteers ate nearly 10% fewer cookies when the cookies appeared to be 50% bigger, according to a report by AFP.

The goggles can also work for those who need to put on a few pounds. When the size of the cookies appeared to be two-thirds of their real size, volunteers ate 15% more.

Hirose has no plans to start selling his diet glasses, and they do seem a bit cumbersome and impractical for real-life use. However, we're wondering if down the road a similar product might be available for Google Glasses, and whether there might be other uses for this size-altering technology.

Original post:
Diet goggles: Can virtual reality glasses help you lose weight?

Enlarge Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

Vlad Averbukh, 29, a follower of the paleo diet, eats raw meat along the Hudson River in New York in 2010. (Averbukh did not weigh in on our blog post on the paleo diet.)

Vlad Averbukh, 29, a follower of the paleo diet, eats raw meat along the Hudson River in New York in 2010. (Averbukh did not weigh in on our blog post on the paleo diet.)

Our post on the paleo diet moving from the CrossFit gym to the doctor's office generated a robust discussion here in our comments section (and on NPR's Facebook page).

Readers batted around the relative merits of the paleo diet, how to interpret Paleolithic man's short lifespan and the meaning of evolutionary medicine, among other issues.

As the comments show, the question of whether there is an ideal human diet and whether we should look to the past to find it is a provocative one. And many of our commenters, like the scientists studying these issues, aren't in agreement with each other.

We took a spin through the comments and pulled out some of those that struck us as most intriguing. Feel free to comment.

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Commenters Bite Back On The Paleo Diet

In Huddle By Beth Celis Philippine Daily Inquirer

Out of the countless articles flooding the Internet regarding the upcoming Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fight on June 9, the one that has caught my interest is that of the 28-year-old Bradley being a vegetarian.

I know that most people who live longer, healthier lives are vegetarians, but this is the first time I hear of a boxer being one.

It seems that as a rule, fighters are encouraged to be carnivores because it is believed that animal meat is a source of strength and power.

Bradleys strict vegetarian diet is therefore exactly the opposite of the conventional diet recommended to boxers before a big fight. Being a strict vegan means Bradley does not eat animal meat or anything that comes from an animal like eggs or dairy, a drastically different diet from the norm, according to writer Jason Gay in the Philboxing website.

Fighters will burn a massive amount of calories everyday and they will need a sizeable amount of protein to replenish micro-tears in the muscle fiber. However, this protein needs to be quite lean to keep weight gain in check. Most people choose red meat, said Gay.

* * *

Dude, I swear its the most unbelievable feeling ever, Bradley said, praising the diet he believes would give him a definite advantage in the ring.

The reason I love it so much is I feel connected to the world. My thoughts are clearer, crisp. I am sharp. Everything is working perfectly. I feel clean. Its a weird feeling, man, its just a weird feeling, Bradley said.

According to Jason Gay, Bradley has been following this vegetarian diet since his 2008 bout with Junior Witter in England. He only goes into this diet in preparation for a big fight.

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Can vegan diet work for Bradley?

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