Hot Air Straw Experiment

Use straws and water to see how temperature changes the volume of air.

Continue reading "Hot Air Straw Experiment"

Materials

• two straws
• 2 glasses
• water
• label or piece of masking tape
• blue tac (some type of putty)

Directions

1. Pour some water in a glass until it is about 1 inch or 2.5 cm full. 
2. Put the two straws in the glass so that the water flows into the bottom of both straws.
3. Divide the blue tac in half, and plug the top end of each straw.  It needs to be an air tight seal.
4. Holding the straws so that the blue tac stays upright, take the straws out of the water and empty water out of the glass. The water should stay in the bottom of both straws. If the water runs out, start again and make sure the blue tac seals the end of the straw.
5. Turn the straws over so that the blue tac is down. Stick a label on each straw so that the bottom of the label marks the bottom of the water level. Get a second glass and put one straw in each glass. Put one glass on the counter and one in the freezer. Wait 2-3 minutes and remove the straw from the freezer. Compare the water levels in each straw with the label.

What should happen?

The water level in the straw that was in the freezer should have dropped below the label. The water level in the straw on the counter should remain the same.

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