Why is cola so fizzy?
Talk about it together
Want to look for bubbles in other drinks too?
What about...?
Ask your child's own question
Transcript
When you drink cola, why does it get all fizzy and bubbly?
When cola is made, strong pressure pushes carbon dioxide into the liquid. Inside the sealed bottle, lots of it can stay dissolved.
When you open the cap, the pressure inside the bottle drops. The carbon dioxide that can't stay dissolved turns into bubbles and floats up.
Tiny scratches and specks of dust inside the cup give bubbles a place to start. More and more bubbles grow from there, making the fizzy feeling.
When you open it up, the carbon dioxide turns back into bubbles - that's why cola gets so fizzy.
For grown-ups: the science
Carbon dioxide turns into bubbles!
Cola's fizz comes from carbon dioxide that is dissolved into the liquid under high pressure during manufacturing. When you open the bottle, the pressure inside drops, so less carbon dioxide can stay dissolved, and the gas escapes as bubbles. Tiny scratches, dust, or specks inside the container act as starting points for bubbles, making it easier for them to form there. Shaking the bottle doesn't create new gas - it just gives bubbles more places to start or helps dissolved carbon dioxide escape more easily.