Have you wondered how weather happens or what science is? Well, on Doppler 9&10 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) our goal is to teach you while making it fun more the kids to learn with experiments you can do at home!
The Science
I am sure you have seen it already in your neighborhood! The colors on the leaves are already changing! Those of you who are into science are probably wondering why do leaves change colors. It is actually quite simple to understand!
Leaves have a chemical on them called Chlorophyll. As summer ends and fall begins the chlorophyll in the leaf starts to break down due to a dry end to summer and a sunny start to fall with cool overnight temperatures. The chlorophyll breaks down into other chemicals such as Xanthophyll, Carotene, and Anthocyanin. The different chemicals provide a different color to the leaves appear.
The Experiment: Leaves Changing in the Fall
Explainer
This is an easy experiment you can do at home and you likely have all of these materials at home!! Yay!
What You Need
- Paper Plate
- Paper Towel or Napkin
- A Black Marker
- Cannot be EXPO or Permanent marker
- We used Crayola
- Water and dropper
Instructions
- Make sure you start off with the paper plate!
- Place the paper towel or napkin on the paper plate
- Draw a fun design on your paper towel!
- Drop water over the ink you drew
- Watch the water spread the ink (Chemicals breaking down)
- The chemicals breaking down represent the changing colors in leaves
Make sure you tune in every Tuesday and Thursday for a New 9&10 STEM. Send us an email at weather@9&10news.com or find us on Facebook and at Doppler 9&10 Weather Team if you have a weather question or want something in science explained! It does not have to be weather-related! Anything Science or math-based we’ve got you! You can always get the latest forecast on 9and10news.com/weather as well as interact with us on social media!
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