This is a continuation of the Laundry Soap and Rock Candy experiments, so make sure you’ve done those before trying this one.
[am4show have=’p8;p9;p11;p38;p92;p13;p40;p79;’ guest_error=’Guest error message’ user_error=’User error message’ ]
Here’s what you need:
two clean glass jars
yarn or string
epsom salts
water
tin foil or cook sheet
adult help, sauce pot, and a stove.
Make a supersaturated saturated solution from warm water and Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). (Add enough salt so that if you add more, it will not dissolve.) Fill two empty glass jars with the salt solution. Space the jars a foot apart on a layer of foil or on a cookie sheet. Suspend a piece of yarn or string from one jar to the other. Wait impatiently for about three days. A stalactite should form from the middle of the string!
Download worksheet and exercises
[/am4show]
It won’t really work faster if you add more jars or put them closer together.
Does it work faster if you put the jars more closer together?
They are actually the same thing!
Does it matter if you use aluminium foil instead of tin foil for this?
No, you can try other types of salts or other substances you think might work well.
Do I have to use epsom salts?