Experiments
Welcome to our experiments page! Here you can find easy kid-friendly experiments that you can do at home.
Materials needed:
Empty aluminum can
1 Tablespoon of water
Stovetop or hotplate
Basin with ice water
Tongs
The science behind it:
Boiling water in the aluminum can replaces dry air with water vapor. When the can is quickly moved from the hotplate to the ice bath, the water vapor rapidly condenses and creates a vacuum as the high-energy water vapor molecules slow down and condense into liquid water. Since the top of the can is submerged in the water, air cannot rush in to the fill the vacuum inside the can so the ambient atmospheric pressure crushes the can instead.
Collapsing Can Experiment
Directions:
Fill the empty aluminum can with 1 tablespoon of water; fill a basin with water and ice
Place the soda can on the stovetop or hotplate (or use a pan to ensure a flat surface) and turn on the stove or hotplate
Allow water to boil with steam visible out the top of the can for about 1 minute
Use the tongs to quickly invert the can and place the top into the ice bath
The can should collapse within a second of being placed in the ice bath
Turn off stove and allow the can to cool in the ice bath before removing and recycling
See a demonstration below, performed by the 2021-2022 UAH AMS/NWA Student Chapter President, Adam Weiner
Materials needed:
2L bottle
Water
Milk
Flashlight
The science behind it:
Adding milk to the water increasingly "scatters" the light coming from the flashlight. In the atmosphere, the sun acts like our flashlight and particles within the atmosphere act as the milk. At sunrise and sunset, the particles in the atmosphere scatter reds/oranges the most. During the middle of the day, blue light is scattered the most.
Why is the sky blue?
Why are sunsets/sunrises orange?
Directions:
Fill the 2-liter bottle ¾ full of water
Place the flashlight so it will shine through the side of the bottle
Add a teaspoon of milk to the water
Put the cap on the bottle and shake it to mix together water and milk
What do you see? Continue to add milk a teaspoon at a time until you see a blue light “scattering” to your eyes
After you see the blue light, continue adding milk until you see an orange or red light.
Materials needed:
Two 2L bottles
Water
Duct Tape
Glitter
The science behind it:
A tornado is a swirling vortex of air, which in our experiment is created by moving the bottles in a circular motion as the water drains into the lower bottle. The glitter shows how debris such as leaves and shingles flow around a tornado.
Make Your Own Tornado
Directions:
Fill one bottle 2/3 full of water
Add some glitter to the water
Use duct tape to attach the second, empty bottle to the one with water. Make sure there are no leaks when you tip it.
Flip the bottles so the one with water is on the top and begin swirling it in a circular motion. A tornado will form in the top bottle as the water flows into the bottle below.
See a demonstration below, performed by the 2020-2021 UAH AMS/NWA Student Chapter President, Shelby Bagwell
Materials needed:
Clear, rectangular plastic container (size of a shoebox)
Water
Red food coloring
Ice cubes infused with blue food coloring
The science behind it:
The cold (blue) water sinks and spreads along the bottom while the warm (red) water rises above it. Thunderstorms often form along cold fronts since the cold air spreading out forces warm air above it. Sometimes, this warm air rises tens of thousands of feet into the air to form a thunderstorm.
How Do Thunderstorms Form?
Directions:
Fill the container 2/3 full of lukewarm (room temperature) water
Let the water sit for 1 minute
Place a blue ice cube at one end of the container
Add 3 drops of red food coloring to the water at the other end of the container
Watch what happens!
See a demonstration below, performed by the 2020-2021 UAH AMS/NWA Student Chapter President, Shelby Bagwell