Separating substances using AIR!

In Science we have been exploring ways to separate mixed solids using a variety of techniques. Yesterday we separated iron filings from popcorn kernels, coarse salt, sprinkles and sugar using magnets!

Today we experimented with air! We used a fan to create moving air that would separate the different solids. We used combinations such as popcorn kernels and flour, icing sugar and coarse salt, as well as, corn starch and sprinkles for our experiment. We even tried a variety of speeds on our fan to see if our results would be affected.

We learned that air can be an effective way to separate some solids, particularly the flour and icing sugar since they are such light, powdery substances

In the end we had a little fun, made a lot of mess, and learned a thing or two!