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Safety First!

 

Many of these experiments involve hot objects and, in some cases, fire to lower the pressure inside the system. Please ensure all measures of safety are met, this includes wearing gloves during the "Create your own fountain experiment" as the bottle will be very hot, and you will be handling it with your hands.

 

The Straw Race

The materials needed for the straw race are as follows

  • Two straw

  • Two sealable drinking containers(must have a small opening that you can seal with silly putty, pop bottles work well)

  • Water

  • Silly putty

The procedure is as follows.

1. Pour equal amount of water into both containers and put a straw in each container.

2. Seal one container with silly putty, this must be done so no air can get into the container while the straw is covered

3. Ask for two volunteers, they will attempt to drink the water in the jar. The container covered in silly putty will be much more difficult to drink from

4. Ask your volunteers what they experienced. This is a great oppurtunity to explain how air pressure effects straws.

 

The Plate Suction Experiment

The materials needed for the plate suction experiment are as follows.

  • a cup with a flat rim

  • A plate(A light plate will work best)

  • A Candle and Lighter

  • Paper Towel(most soft paper will work)

  • Water

The procedure is as follows.

1. Dip the paper the paper towel into the water, and ensure that the entire paper is reasonably damp(This is to ensure a seal).

2. Lay the paper towel flat on the plate and place the candle on top.

3. Light the candle with the lighter, and place the cup over top the candle, effectively covering paths the air can escape from.

4. Wait for the candle to go out, and then raise the plate by holding the cup. This will effectively display suction.

5. If this is done well enough, you can put masses onto the plate to show how strong the suction really is. Or wiggling the plate up and down will also have the same effect(optional)

 

Create Your Own fountain

Note: Once again, please wear gloves!

The materials needed for creating your own fountain are as follows

  • Silly putty

  • A straw

  • A kettle

  • Water

  • Food dye(optional)

  • A bowl

  • a sealable container(if you choose to use a pop bottle again, please note that the plastic will shrink)

The procedure is as follows.

1. Boil water in the kettle, and pour cool water into the bowl(you can add food dye to the water in the bowl to add to the visual effect).

2. Press silly putty firmly against the edges of the straw in order to seal all holes.

3. Once water is boiled, pour the hot water into the sealable container. Let this sit for a minute to heat up.

4. After a minute has passed, quickly pour out the hot water and seal the container with silly putty, allowing the straw to sit in the container. The straw must be the passage in and out of the container.

5. Flip the container upside down, putting the open end of the straw into the cold water.

6. Watch as the water runs from the bowl, into the container!

Note: steps 4 and 5 must be done relatively quick

 

Crushing a Can

The materials needed for the straw race are as follows

  • A hot plate(Any type of hot surface will do)

  • A pop can

  • Water

  • Tongs

  • A bowl filled with cold water

The procedure is as follows.

1. Pour a small amount of water into the pop can.

2. Heat the pop can up using the hot plate, and wait until the water inside the pop can steams. Wait about 30-45 seconds after you see this for a better effect.

3. Quickly flip the pop can, using the tongs, upside down into the bowl of cold water.(This must be done quickly)

4. The can will crush instantly when the system becomes closed.

 

Fitting an Egg Into a Milk Jar

The materials needed for the straw race are as follows

  • A hard boiled egg(must be peeled)

  • A glass milk jar

  • Lighter

  • A thin piece of paper

The procedure is as follows.

1. Show that the egg will not fit into the Jar just by dropping it in

2. Light the paper on fire and drop the paper into the milk jar.

3. Place the egg on the brim of the milk jar and watch the egg shoot into the bottle

4. To get the egg out, tip the bottle upside down so the egg rest inside the gap. Blow as hard as possible into the milk jar, putting extra air into the jar, this air will push the egg out of the jar.

 

 

 

 

 

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