Drinking Bird & Hand Boiler

Materials:

• small cup

• water

• drinking bird

• hand

*The only thing required for the Hand Boiler is the Hand Boiler itself and your hand.

Big Picture:

The drinking bird and hand boiler are both filled with methylene chloride, which boils with a little heat, in this case, your hand. Your body heat warms the fluid in the abdomen and the heat causes the liquid to vaporize. The increased vapor pressure then pushes the liquid up the tube to the cooler section—the head of the bird for the drinking bird and the other round end of the hand boiler—in response to the pressure difference. Now, the water the drinking bird “drinks” evaporates, cooling the head. The cooling caused the vapor in the head to condense; creating a vacuum and the liquid inside is pushed to the head. Thus, for the drinking bird, becomes too heavy and tips over.

Principle and/or concept:

The physical principle behind the drinking bird and the hand boiler is the Combined gas law because of how it establishes a proportional relationship between temperature and pressure exerted by a gas in a constant volume.

Key Words:

• Methylene chloride (dichloromethane) is a nonflammable liquid often used as a solvent and paint remover.

Formula:

1. Set up materials.

2. Hold bottom of Drinking Bird.

3. The body heat emitting from your hand warms the fluid in the abdomen and the heat causes the liquid to vaporize.

4. Dip the head of the Drinking Bird in the glass of water.

• p is the pressure

• V is the volume

• T is the temperature (measured in kevlins)

• k is a constant

5. The cooling after dipping the head into the water caused the vapor in the head to condense; creating a vacuum and the liquid inside is pushed to the head.

6. It then becomes too heavy and tips over.