Experimenting with Air

Students participating in experiments on air pressure and the Bernoulli principle during take one picture week.

You will need.... Modelling clay Ping pong balls Straws Hairdryer

When you blow between the ping pong balls you reduce the air pressure. This causes the pressure on the sides of the balls to be higher and forces them together.

 Glendower girls trying to reproduce ‘An experiment on a bird in an air pump’ as part of take one picture week.

You will need.... Plastic bottle Foot pump Football needle Cork

When you pump air into the bottle it increases the air pressure. This pressure builds until it forces the water out of the bottom, forcing the rocket to fly upwards.

Air does have weight. The weight of air decreases as you move higher in the atmosphere, but why? Gravity is holding our atmosphere around the Earth and is pulling it down. The force of this air pushing down is called air pressure. It has a force of approximately 100,000 Newtons per square metre yet we hardly notice it! Next time you get out of a swimming pool and have that heavy feeling you’ll know why!

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<a href="https://sciencebob.com/category/experiments/">https://sciencebob.com/category/experiments/</a>

<a href="http://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/">http://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/</a>

<a href="http://coolscienceexperimentshq.com/">http://coolscienceexperimentshq.com/</a>

Air is a mixture of gases that make up our atmosphere. When we think of air we naturally think about breathing, but only 20% is actually Oxygen! Nitrogen makes up most of our air, we cannot use it so we breathe it back out.

When you place your thumb over the end of the straw you trap air. When the straw hits the potato it squeezes the air inside the straw, increases the air pressure and makes the straw harder. The straw can then pass through the potato.

You will need....... A straw A potato (spud)

You will need...... A plastic bottle  Elastic bands Straws Balloons Tape

When you pull the balloon down you increase the space in the bottle. This causes low air pressure and makes air rush in, inflating the balloon lungs. This happens when we breathe as the balloon stretched along the bottom represents the diaphragm.

When you stretch the balloon across the container you trap air inside. The air pressure around us changes and causes different weather conditions. When it is high pressure the balloon will be pushed down and cause the straw to move upwards, low air pressure will cause the straw to move down.

You will need.... A jar Straws Card Baloons

You will need..... Vacuum storage containers  Vacuum pump Small balloon

When you remove the air from the container you lower the air pressure. This means the pressure in the balloon increases and causes it to expand.

You will need.... Boiled egg (shell removed) Large necked bottle Adult with matches

When you light the paper in the bottle it uses up the oxygen and reduces the air pressure. This means the pressure outside the bottle is larger and pushes the egg into the bottle.

Bernoulli, an 18th century mathematician, discovered something quite unusual about air. He found that the faster air flows over the surface of something, the less air pushes on that surface. That means the air pressure on the object is lower than average. This principle allows heavier than air objects, like aeroplanes , to fly!

You will need...... A large drinks bottle A compass or sharp needle

When you take the top off the bottle, water will squirt from the holes. This is because you have let air in. This increases the air pressure on the water and forces the water through the holes.

You will need...... Vacuum storage containers Vacuum pump Marshmallows

When you remove the air from the container it reduces the air pressure. This causes the air trapped inside the marshmallows to expand.

A vortex cannon works because when the air is forced out the front of the generator, some air hits the edges of the hole and slows down. This slower air is then pulled forward by the faster moving air in the center and starts swirling around itself in a ring. This spinning ring can travel great distances because the spin, like a frisbee’s spin, keeps it nice and stable.

You will need..... Airzooka (vortex cannon) Plastic cups Smoke machine is optional!

Science doesn’t always have to be so cruel. In the following pages you’ll find a selection of air related experiments you can try at home.

Observe as I remove the air from this small bird!

This guy is crazy!  Surely there must be other experiments that teach us about air?

Fill the canning jar with water to the top. Place a card on top and turn upside down. The card will stick because of the air pressure. When you remove the card the water will stay in the jar......until you tilt it! This works because the water molecules attach themselves to the mesh increasing the surface tension and forming a ‘skin’ on the water that the air can push against.

You will need..... Canning jar Fine mesh Cardboard Water

<a href="bookcreator://page/fhuWnCDVQk2fTVSMnPYYaQ">Introduction</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/FICl-na5Qdi8S7CZ2Lh8yA">What is air?</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/CexQKK5JRUuUqd2mafTkNA">Air pressure</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/RrIy59omQe26iulDD7QShQ">Bernoulli principle</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/zk8Hlcs7RJKbRbYIa0ow2g">Big gasbag</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/Tx21uhMqS1eaJ6pVJHejxw">Holey bottle</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/GvjyyGuFR-G88rmL2AZUsw">Straw through a spud</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/W27PeH6ySVuDcurBOvJewA">Marshmallows in a Vacuum</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/L9-x54SlTAaajiBMUyVJlw">Balloon in a vacuum</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/5sQbcJL5RgCQX_dCjSt1aw">Ping pong pressure</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/MSwNgAyZSgmeV1pb3CSH0w">Egg in a bottle</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/wZpGBUyHRpqkyWvhxYHFOQ">Suspended water</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/HMcgvYa3SpCrw9RbeioQlQ">Model lungs</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/uiqJ9_UpS_q8saC9h0Pv9Q">Jumping can</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/HhdiNLF0TaquBZ2lN6VPBQ">Barometer</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/Bd7LbhbeTiGd6lK7u_Rv2A">Bottle rockets</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/hKSpqbkRT6G4o90705WI4g">Floating water</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/zbpHllfjRpCJorKhW52qXQ">Floating ping pong balls</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/XmzePwSfSmO7O_uea9ediQ">Vortex cannon</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/EjZxuMh3StucxRBVgtGRuQ">Experiment websites</a>

Click on the section you are interested in to be taken to that page. Student pictures can be found from <a href="bookcreator://page/-mrxqNFIQ2OhL4i0akEfPg">here</a>

You will need..... Two cups One empty drinks can

When you blow against the can you create low pressure. This causes the surrounding air to be forced into the cup, pushing the can out and into the opposite cup.

You will need.... Small candle Shallow dish Modelling clay Tall glass Water  Food colouring Adult with matches

For something to burn it needs heat, a fuel and oxygen. When we place the gas jar over the candle it uses up the oxygen in the jar. This creates a vacuum and causes the water to be sucked in.

You will need.... Hairdryer Ping pong ball

The ball floats due to the Bernoulli principle. Some of the fast moving air from the hair dryer goes around the outside of the ball quickly, while some of the fast moving air from the hair dryer hits the bottom of the ball and slows down. The slow moving air creates an area of high pressure directly under the ball. The high pressure air pushes up against the gravity that is pulling the ball down. This causes the ball to float in mid-air.

When you try and fill the bag with one breath it’s really hard to do. If you use Bernoulli’s idea and blow at it from a distance it causes air to be dragged into the bag, inflating it more.

You will need........ Nappy (Diaper) bag A mouth

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