Make a lava lamp

• Drinking glass n Water
• Olive oil n Salt

STEP 1: Fill a glass three-quarters full with water.

STEP 2: Add about half an inch of olive oil to the water. The olive oil will sink for a moment then rise to the top and float.

STEP 3: Add some salt, when the salt hits the oil it will sink right through. The salt will sink and will not dissolve in the water.

STEP 4: Add more salt and watch blobs form in the oil; the blobs will sink and then rise.

Explanation

Oil is less dense than water so it floats. Salt is more dense than oil or water so it sinks. Because the oil tends to cling to things, together the oil and salt moves down to the bottom. As the oil blobs go down, they keep the salt from dissolving. When it hits the bottom, the oil becomes free from the salt and rises to the surface again.

KFVS12 and the Southeast Missourian are teaming up for science. Every Tuesday, you'll find an experiment from the KFVS Heartland Science Lab in the Class of 2morrow section of the Southeast Missourian. Grab the ingredients and join KFVS science reporter Jason Lindsey live on KFVS at 5 p.m. every Wednesday. More science experiences can be found at www.kfvs12.com and www.semissourian.com.