Squeaky Clean

What you need:

– A new bar of Ivory soap

– a Microwave-safe plate

– a Microwave

&, of course, one wacky, WhyNot experimenter!

What to do:

– Unwrap your brand new bar of Ivory soap.

**optional, cut in half or into quarters for more surface area

– plop it on your plate and pop it in the microwave for about a minute and a half

– Watch and be amazed!!

(feel free to touch it, smash it, and even wash with it after… it’s cool feeling and it still works!)

What’s happening & other things to try:

Try this #1: grab a bar of Ivory and another bar of any other kind of bar soap. Plop each into a glass of water… see what happens!

The Ivory bar floats, right? That’s because it has little, teensy, tiny bubbles of air trapped inside. Those make it float. Those also explain what’s happening here.

Microwaves work by heating up water molecules. As the bar heats up, those little bubbles of air expand and gently explode, creating the new fluffy shape. Cool, right?

Try this #2: try putting some drops of food coloring on first… I’ve never tried this. Let me know what happens!