Fluidized Sand Experiment

2012-04-23

After seeing a video in 8th grade science demonstrating fluidized sand, Erik decided to try it for himself. The idea behind fluidized sand is that if you pump air into the bottom of a container of sand, gravity wants to pull the sand down and let the air up. However, this means the air needs to somehow flow up through the sand. While doing this, it separates the sand and causes it to behave like a fluid. We built a box out of plywood and 2x2's and used an air compressor and some PVC with small holes drilled in it to pump air into the box. We were successful in creating fluidized sand for the few seconds that the air compressor had enough pressure.