Cook an Egg!

What Is This Video?

Ever wondered if it REALLY gets hot enough to cook an egg on a sidewalk? Well, you’re not alone—the Blorbians are wondering that too! Plum sends Cooper and Gabi down to the city to check out what’s hot … and what’s sizzling hot!

Conversation Starters

Ask:

  • Why did an egg cook on the trash bins but not on the sidewalk? (The bins are much hotter because they’re black, a color that absorbs a lot of sunlight. The white sidewalk is cooler because it reflects more sunlight.)

  • What if the nearby building shaded the bins instead of reflecting sunlight onto them? Would the egg still fry? (Perhaps not, because the bin temperature would be cooler. But you’d have to try it to know for sure!)

  • On a sunny day, what surfaces in your city get sizzling hot?

Explore Some More

Chocolate Thermometers

Milk chocolate melts at around 90°F to 115°F, depending on the ingredients. The human body temperature is 98.6°F, which is why some chocolates melt in your hand. Turn identical squares or pieces of chocolate into “thermometers” that measure temperature by melting—or not melting or partly melting. Put each piece on an index card (to avoid sticky messes!). Set the cards in lots of places: on a sunny windowsill, in a basement, on your family’s car dashboard, on the car’s hood (is it parked in the sun or shade?), under a tree, on a sunny sidewalk, and so on. Check your chocolates every 10 minutes and compare how much, if any, they melt. Which spot is the hottest? (The one where the chocolate melted fastest.) What makes the hot spot so hot?