In the “Candy Waterfall” project, the effects that size and shape have on the rate of mass flow are tested through the use of multiple different granular materials going through a funnel. In lower grade levels students are taught about the three types of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. What are not explained are materials like sand: you can stand on sand like a solid, but you can also pour it out of a bucket like a liquid. Materials like sand are known as granular materials. By testing the rate of granular flow, factories that need to put food into packaging will be able to package products properly if engineers know exactly how fast the item flows out of the machinery. Solids, liquids and gases are the commonly known states of matter that consist of distinguishable physical properties. A solid has a fixed volume and shape consisting of rigid particles locked into place. Because a solid’s particles have little free space to slide past one another, solids are not easily compressible and do not flow easily. An example of a solid is a couch. A …show more content…
Each of the five candies has different properties which enables experimenters to distinguish; what characteristics of the candy affect the flow rate, what size candy will flow faster and why, and if smooth materials flow faster. Mini M&Ms as well as M&Ms will be used to differentiate the effect of size on granular flow. Nerds opposed to M&Ms do not have a distinct circular shape and are even smaller. M&Ms and Jelly Beans are fairly the same size they have different shapes, which can aid in discovering what affects the mass flow rate. Gummy Bears on the other hand have a shape vastly different from that of any other candy being used and also do not have a smooth shell covering the candy. Unlike Mini M&Ms, M&Ms, Nerds and Jelly Beans, Gummy Bears are sticky and attach to one another, exemplifying