Have you ever seen an old bicycle, a gate, or a nail turn crumbly, bumpy and orange-brown? That flaky orange stuff is called rust.
Rust is what happens when iron metal slowly changes into something new. It is not painted on — the metal is turning into rust!
Let's become rust detectives 🔍 and find out exactly why it happens.
Just like a cake needs ingredients, rust needs three things to form. Drag each ingredient into the bowl to mix the rust recipe!
Tiny pieces of iron and tiny pieces of oxygen from the air join together. Water helps them meet much faster. When they join, they make a brand-new orange material — rust!
Scientists call rust iron oxide — that just means "iron joined with oxygen".
If rust needs water AND air, what if we take one away? Tap the buttons under each jar to turn water and air on or off, then watch the nail.
Singapore is hot and very humid — that means lots of invisible water floating in the air all day. More water in the air means metal rusts faster!
Tap each clue to see why metal rusts quickly here:
To stop rust, we must keep water and air away from the iron. Tap the 3 ways that protect metal from rust!
You cracked the mystery of rust. Here's what you discovered:
🔩 Rust happens when iron turns orange and crumbly.
🍳 The rust recipe needs iron + water + air (oxygen) — all three.
⚛️ Iron joins with oxygen to make a new material called iron oxide.
🇸🇬 Singapore's humid, salty air makes metal rust faster.
🛡️ We stop rust by keeping water and air away — paint, oil, or stay dry.
Next time you spot something orange and flaky, you'll know exactly why — well done! 🎉