pssst: Diet Coke and Mentos Extravaganza

A few weeks ago at the Maker Faire in San Mateo (we made the trip owing to our fearless leader Jason Adair), we saw a lot of things -- too many things to mention, so I will mention them slowly, and one at a time.

One thing we saw was Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz of the Diet Coke and Mentos revolution (if one can call it a revolution; considering they have taken a backyard experiment to a professional level and are traveling around the world, it could be called a revolution) perform their show live. Yes, they have actually created a SHOW
And we saw it . . . you must click on SHOW and see it for your own eyes.

The two have rigged Diet Coke bottles with PVC pipe, creating a different internal structure to produce different sprays. The PVC pipe is outfitted with a pin that suspends the mentos in the pipe until the pins are pulled and the mentos are released, creating the spray reaction.

Being a nerd for science, I found it interesting that the reaction is NOT in fact a chemical reaction, but a physical reaction. As explained on Eepybird.com:

"It’s mostly due to a process called nucleation, where the carbon dioxide in the soda is attracted to the Mentos (they are awfully cute). That creates so much pressure that the soda goes flying. We built nozzles that make the opening smaller and that makes the geyser go higher."

Yes, I found it interesting, but only for a second, I swear.

By the end of the "show," the two are covered in Diet Coke. . . this, they explained is the reason for Diet. Less sugar, less sticky. By the way, they are actually now sponsored by Diet Coke and Mentos. Blows the mind.

At the Maker Faire, we also rode around on some crazy bikes; I did mention that I would show you things slowly, so here's just a quick preview.