” We wished to develop an experiment for high school and college STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students to show them how diffusion works in an easy visual manner and to guarantee the experiment was easy to do in your home so kids can discover diffusion by themselves,” co-author Carson Emeigh stated.
Contrast of color penetration into the egg whites at various temperatures. Credit: Carson Emeigh, Hyeonggeun Luke Bak, Dilziba Kizghin, and Haipeng Zhang
Driven by thermal energy, diffusion happens when atoms, molecules, or other particles spread throughout a fluid (air or liquid) with time from the greatest concentration point to the most affordable. Diffusion is extensively studied for myriad applications, from airplane engines to drug development.
In their experiment, the researchers compared penetration levels of red food dye in the whites of peeled hard-boiled eggs at three various temperature levels: refrigerator temperature level (40 F), room temperature (70 F), and in a cool stove (140 F).
Each egg was taken out of the option at a predetermined time (one hour, three hours, 5 hours, eight hours, or 24 hours), sliced in half with an egg slicer, and imaged. A digital video camera on a tripod was placed above the light box.
The study showed that at each increasing time interval, the color diffused deeper into the egg white, with diffusion taking place more rapidly at higher temperatures.
The experiment can be streamlined for home or classroom by utilizing a pot or sluggish cooker instead of a stove, and eggs can be prepared beforehand, so trainees can make all the measurements at the exact same time. Manual measurements of the penetration range can change the imaging technique. Soy sauce or marinade of trainees option could be utilized instead of food dye service, enabling trainees to “taste” the differences in diffusion.
Recommendation: “Marinated eggs: An appealing quantitative presentation of diffusion” by Carson Emeigh, Hyeonggeun Luke Bak, Dilziba Kizghin, Haipeng Zhang and Sangjin Ryu, 23 March 2022, American Journal of Physics.DOI: 10.1119/ 5.0062178.
Experiment designed for home or class shows how time, temperature level affect diffusion.
Marinated, or pickled, eggs are enjoyed by cultures worldwide. There are Pennsylvania Dutch red-beet pickled eggs, German-style ones with a heavy dosage of mustard, and Asian recipes that utilize rice vinegar and soy sauce, among others.
The basis of any dish is marinating difficult boiled eggs in vinegar or brine, which treatments the eggs by adequately saturating the egg whites via diffusion. In American Journal of Physics, released on behalf of the American Association of Physics Teachers by AIP Publishing, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were inspired to show how diffusion works in a simple and quantifiable method.
The experiment can be streamlined for home or classroom by using a pot or slow cooker rather of a convection oven, and eggs can be prepared in advance, so trainees can make all the measurements at the exact same time. Manual measurements of the penetration range can replace the imaging technique. Soy sauce or marinade of trainees option might be utilized rather of food color solution, allowing trainees to “taste” the distinctions in diffusion.
