“We have been learning how chemical reactions require certain ratios of reactants and produce certain amounts of products, much like a recipe for a cake or cookies,” Travis Bunger said. “We went into the lab to observe what happens when you place a copper wire into a silver nitrate solution. Initially the wire turns black and starts getting fuzzy looking, but eventually you can observe the growth of silver crystals that look like sparkly frost on a cold winter morning. With a few simple mass measurements and some calculations the students are able to determine the exact ratio of reactants and products in a reaction that is fun to watch.”