Jello Earthquake Test
Did you know the ground can wiggle just like jello? When a big earthquake shakes the earth, tall buildings can wobble back and forth! Today we get to make our very own wiggly jello ground and test what happens when it shakes.
What You'll Learn
- Learn what an earthquake is - Find out why the ground can shake - Test how jello wiggles like shaking ground - Discover why some buildings are built to bend, not break
What Is an Earthquake?
Deep under the ground, huge pieces of rock called plates are always pushing against each other, very very slowly. Sometimes they get stuck, and then suddenly slip! That sudden slip makes the ground shake — that shake is called an earthquake. Most earthquakes are so small people don't even feel them, but some are big enough to shake houses and streets.
Wet, soft ground can wiggle in an earthquake almost like a bowl of jello being bumped on a table. That's why scientists sometimes use real jello to show kids how shaky ground moves!
Why Do Buildings Wobble?
When the ground shakes, anything standing on it shakes too — including buildings! Tall buildings in earthquake places like California or Japan are built to bend a little bit, like a tree bending in the wind, instead of standing stiff. A building that bends a little is much safer than one that stays totally stiff, because stiff things crack more easily when they shake hard.
Time for the Jello Test!
Make a pan of jello and let it get wiggly-firm in the fridge. Once it's ready, build a small tower out of blocks or toy bricks right on top of the jello. Then gently shake the pan like a mini earthquake! Watch what happens to your tower. Try it again, but this time make your tower wider at the bottom. Which tower falls down first, and which one stays standing longer?
What causes an earthquake?
In the jello test, why might a wider tower stay standing longer than a tall skinny one?
Build and Shake
Make a pan of jello and chill it until wiggly-firm. Build two small block towers on top: one tall and skinny, one short and wide. Gently shake the pan the same way for both. Draw a picture of which tower fell first and write one sentence explaining why.
Get a grown-up's help making the jello and using the fridge — then the shaking test is all yours to run!
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