AboutDan Fink Expertise Though my experience is mostly in the fields of electricity, magnetism, and physics, I have a broad science background. My career is in the field of alternative power sources -- solar, wind, water and battery power. But any questions about electricity, magnetism, energy conservation, power generation, electric motors, and even general physics are very welcome--especially from kids. They ask the best questions of all! I pride myself in answering science questions accurately, with ideas for SAFE, easy experiments that kids can perform by themselves--and that let them prove the answers to their own satisfaction. I think science should be fun, and available to everyone, regardless of age.
Experience I have volunteered in our local public schools for 5 years. I currently make presentations at our schools about electricity and magnetism, with a focus on solar, wind, water and other alternative power sources. I try to demonstrate at our schools how easy it is to make electricity, with simple devices using spinning magnets and coils of wire--powered by wind, water, bicycles, gerbils...etc. And of course solar panels! I am the webmaster of Otherpower.com, an alternative energy website. I have lived 10 miles from the nearest power pole for 11 years--I make all my own electricity from scratch with sun, wind and water.
Question my daughter had to do an experiment for science. Which soda stays colder longest in a bottle or a can? We used Sprite, coke and diet coke. The sprite in a can stayed colder longest. They were plastic bottles. We know the can stayed colder b/c it is a conductor. Why did the sprite stay colder longer than the colas. Could it be b/c the sprite has no caffeine in it? If not, please help us in finding out the reason why. Thanks and let us know if it was b/c the caffeine.
Answer Hi Allison. It's not the caffeine, since it's present in such tiny amounts--soda is 99.99% water and sugar, plus tiny amounts of flavoring and caffeine. What you are most likely dealing with is variables you did not know were involved in the experiment. You have the heat conductor part right on. But -- most likely one of these factors is why you got those results:
--uneven heating of the bottles/cans. Was one closer to a heating vent, or to a window or door? Even one degree can make a difference.
--Different color containers. The darker the container, the faster it would warm up.
--Clear vs. opaque container. was sunlight involved? did both containers get the same amount of sun?
--color of the soda. if the bottles were clear, the darker soda would warm up more quickly.
Most likely one of those factors is what influenced your experiment, and they are so small you'd need sophisticated lab instruments and a very controlled environment to see any difference.
Try moving the soda cans/bottles around on the table where you do the experiment. I bet the location of the containers changes the results completely, regardless of which soda is involved (at least in cans, where no light can penetrate).
