{"id":65889,"date":"2026-07-29T05:09:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T20:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phys-edu.net\/wp\/?p=65889"},"modified":"2026-07-29T05:09:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T20:09:26","slug":"the-hidden-physics-of-its-a-small-world-how-circular-motion-creates-the-magic-disneyland-physics-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phys-edu.net\/wp\/?p=65889&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"The Hidden Physics of “It’s a Small World”! How Circular Motion Creates the Magic [Disneyland Physics]"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m Ken Kuwako, the Science Trainer. Every day is an experiment!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Smooth, shiny, and almost indistinguishable from real salmon roe. With just a few drops of solution, these beautiful little spheres seem to appear like magic. We recently learned this fascinating experiment during a joint science club event with Kyoritsu Girls’ Junior High School. But these “artificial salmon eggs” are much more than a fun science activity\u2014they beautifully demonstrate one of chemistry’s most fundamental concepts: ionic bonding<\/b>. Let’s take a closer look at how to make them and discover the science behind their wonderfully bouncy texture.<\/p>\n

A Science Club Exchange: A Friendly “Practice Match”<\/h3>\n

At Chiba University Junior High School attached to the Faculty of Education, our science club regularly takes part in exchange activities with science clubs from other schools. Think of it as a friendly practice match where students share their favorite experiments and learn from one another. This time, we had the opportunity to visit Kyoritsu Girls’ Junior High School, where we came away inspired by many creative activities. Today, I’d like to introduce one of the highlights: making artificial salmon roe.<\/p>\n

Gathering the Materials<\/h3>\n

You’ll need:
\n1% sodium alginate solution<\/b>,
\n10% calcium chloride solution<\/b>,
\nacrylic paint,
\na 300 mL beaker,
\na dropping pipette,
\na glass stirring rod,
\nand a spatula.<\/p>\n

Let’s get started!<\/p>\n

Here’s the sodium alginate. It comes as a fine white powder.<\/p>\n

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Place the powder into a small plastic bottle, close the lid tightly, and shake well. Sodium alginate doesn’t dissolve easily, so we kept shaking patiently until the solution became completely uniform.<\/p>\n

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Next, we added acrylic paint to color the solution. While food coloring is often used, its color may gradually bleed during long-term storage. Acrylic paint stays vibrant much longer, making it a better choice if you’d like to keep your artificial salmon eggs.<\/p>\n

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Now it’s time to prepare the calcium chloride. Measure out the required amount,<\/p>\n

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then dissolve it thoroughly in water.<\/p>\n

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Using a dropping pipette, carefully drip the colored sodium alginate solution into the calcium chloride solution, one drop at a time.<\/p>\n

Instantly, each drop transforms into a soft, bouncy artificial salmon egg<\/b>!<\/p>\n

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