There is always a little bit of magic in science, and this year's Singapore Science Festival seems to be taking this to heart, capping its two-week run online with a simple home experiment everyone can join in performing.
A bowl of milk, a few drops of food dye and a dash of dishwashing liquid are all it takes to create a colourful, marbled art piece.
The experiment, dubbed Magic Milk, is a highlight of this year's festival, which ends today.
Organisers are hoping to set a record for the "most number of people doing a science experiment together on an online platform".
Here's how the experiment works.
First, add droplets of food dye to the milk in a shallow plate.
The food dye will sit on the surface instead of mixing - the milk is causing this as it exhibits surface tension, forming a film on the surface of the liquid which becomes a barrier against the food dye.
Then, to weaken this film and to allow the different colours to blend, a chemical reaction is initiated using dishwashing soap.
As milk is made up of water, fat and proteins, the soap molecules separate the water and fat in it - the hydrophobic, or water-repelling, end of the soap molecules bind with the fat molecules in the milk, while the hydrophilic, or water-loving, end of the soap molecules bind with the water molecules.
This explains why when a cotton bud coated with soap is dipped into the bowl, the soap molecules race around trying to bind with the fat molecules, pushing the food dye molecules in all directions, causing an explosion of colour.
The movement eventually stops when all the fat molecules bind with the soap molecules.
For the best effect, use milk with high fat content.
A science educator from Science Centre Singapore will be conducting the experiment online, and participants are encouraged to turn on their video function and conduct the experiment simultaneously in their own homes.
The event is jointly organised by Science Centre Singapore and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in collaboration with the Singapore Book of Records.
Science Centre chief executive Lim Tit Meng said: "In line with this year's theme, Empowered by Science, the Magic Milk experiment invites budding scientists and curious minds, young and old alike, to discover how science shapes our lives in amazing ways."
The experiment will be conducted from 4pm to 5pm today. Participants can sign up at the Singapore Science Festival Facebook page.
