Make an Easy and Fun Glow in the Dark Lava Lamp

Make an Easy and Fun Glow in the Dark Lava Lamp Use common household ingredients to make a safe lava lamp that glows in the dark. This is a variation on the popular oil and water lava lamp, except instead of coloring water with food coloring, you use a water-based liquid that glows. Glowing Lava Lamp Materials clear plastic bottle (a 20-ounce or 2-liter bottle works great)vegetable oilglowing water (or another glowing liquid)Alka-Seltzer tabletsblack light (may be optional, but even glowing liquids are brighter with one) Whether the lava glows on its own or glows under a black light depends on the materials you choose. If you use glowing paint, expose the lava lamp to bright light, turn out the lights,  and it will truly glow in the dark. However, the easiest and brightest liquid to use is glowing highlighter ink. If you arent sure how to get the ink out of the highlighter, I have instructions. This ink (and your lava lamp) will glow when exposed to black or ultraviolet light. What To Do Fill the bottle most of the way full with vegetable oil.Add a big spoonful of glowing water (or your glowing liquid of choice).Turn on the black light and dim the lights in the room.When you are ready for the lava to flow, break a seltzer tablet into pieces and  add the pieces to the bottle.Cap the bottle and enjoy the magic.You can recharge the lava lamp by adding more seltzer tablet chunks. The Science Behind How It Works The globules form because oil and water (or a water-based liquid) are immiscible. The oil has a nonpolar nature, while water is a polar molecule. No matter how much you shake the bottle, the two components will always separate. The movement of the lava is caused by the reaction between the seltzer tablets and water. Carbon dioxide gas forms bubbles, which rise to the top of the liquid and cause it to circulate. The glow of the lava comes from either phosphorescence or fluorescence, depending on the chemical you used. Fluorescence occurs when a material absorbs energy and almost immediately releases light. A black light is used to make fluorescent materials to keep glowing.  Phosphorescence is a slower process in which energy is absorbed and released as light, so once a phosphorescent material is charged with light, it may continue to glow for several seconds, minutes, or even hours, depending on the specific chemicals.

3 Facts About Truckers That Overcome Stereotypes

3 Facts About Truckers That Overcome Stereotypes There are over 3.5 million truckers on the road, representing and incredibly diverse workforce. But there are a lot of pesky stereotypes that don’t necessarily reflect the people doing America’s driving. Here are a few things you should know about  truckers.  1. They showerThanks to companies like Flying J, Pilot, TA, and Petro, showers are now easily available on the road. Flying J and Pilot even have a special rewards program, called â€Å"Shower Power,† which gives one free shower daily with every 500 gallons of diesel- which is nothing in trucker tank terms. A decade ago, this wasn’t the case, but today’s trucker is actually incentivized to fuel up and stay squeaky clean.  RELATED:  9 Celebrities Who Used to be Truck Drivers 2. They’re dedicatedIf every U.S. trucker were to go on strike, even for one day, America would come to a complete halt. Some truckers get home every day and others don’t  for months at a time, but ei ther way: a trucker takes his or her job very seriously. Otherwise, our country’s goods would not be transported or delivered so efficiently.  3. They drive safelyThe trucking industry- and its drivers- are highly regulated. Most trucks are equipped with radar to prevent tailgating. Every year there are more and more laws governing truckers on the road, which makes them some of the safest drivers out there. Plus, though they may be driving for work, most truckers consider their work a joy- a new view every day, and the romance of the open road.The next time you see a trucker on the highway, try to give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s just like you: trying to do his job and get home safely.The Truth About Trucker Stereotypes