Does A Gummy Bear Grow If You Put It In Water?

Definitely! If you put a gummy bear in water and leave it to soak, it’ll grow to about four times its original size.

How Can I Do This Experiment?
You’ll need the following things:

• A handful of gummy bears
• A bowl of water
• A ruler
• A watch, clock or timer (optional)
• A notepad and pen to record the changes
• A camera (optional)
• Kitchen scales (optional)

Right, you’re ready to begin!

1. Measure a gummy bear, and take note of its height and width. You could also weigh it on a kitchen scale! Take note of the measurements and weight.
2. Put the gummy bears into the water. You can check the time if you’ve got a clock, or start the timer if you’re using one.
3. Check back each hour, and measure the growth of the gummy bears with the ruler. You only need to measure one, but it’s best to have several gummy bears in the water to make sure that the results are consistent.
4. Take pictures if you want!
5. For best results, leave the gummy bears for a full twenty-four hours. When you check back, you’ll see how big they’ve grown!

Why Do Gummy Bears Grow In Water?
When placed in water, the gummy bear is hypotonic, which means that there are less water molecules in the gummy bear than there are in the water.

Put simply, the gummy bears soak up the surrounding water like a sponge. The technical name for the process is osmosis.

Can I Eat The Giant Gummy Bears?
Well, you can, but they won’t taste very nice!

You can also soak gummy bears in liquor, and then eat them as alcoholic party food. These won’t taste very nice either, and you’re probably not old enough for that anyway!