What is dissolving?

Dissolving is when one thing completely mixes into another, so you can't tell them apart anymore.

Imagine you have a glass of water and you drop in a cube of sugar. At first, the sugar stays as a little cube at the bottom, but soon it starts to disappear, not really gone, just mixed up with the water until everything looks like a sweet liquid.

Like a Party Where Everyone Gets Along

Think of dissolving like a party where all the guests get along and mix in. The sugar is like some kids who come into a room full of water (the other kids). At first, they're separate, but soon, they’re all laughing and chatting together, so you can't tell one from the other.

What Makes It Happen?

When something dissolves, its tiny pieces split up and move around in the liquid. If you stir the glass, it happens faster, like when you help kids mix into a group by pushing them around.

If you leave the sugar and water alone long enough, they’ll stay mixed forever!

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Examples

  1. Sugar dissolves in tea when you stir it.
  2. Salt disappears into water when you add it.
  3. Powdered drink mix dissolves into a glass of water.

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Categories: Culture · dissolving· science· solutions