Bernoulli's principle - Ping Pong Ball (Anna Tavitian)
Author
Anna Tavitian
Principle(s) Illustrated
Bernoulli's Principle
Standards
6th grade: Students know differences in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity result in changes of weather.
7th grade: Students know that contractions of the heart generate blood pressure and that heart valves prevent backflow of blood in the circulatory system.
Questioning Script
Prior knowledge & experience:
Students should know that as the speed of moving fluid increases, the pressure decreases.
Root question:
What do you expect to happen to the ping pong balls if air is blown between them?
Target response:
The ping pong balls will move towards each other as the speed of air between them increases. Increase in air speed causes a decrease in pressure between the ping pong balls. The pressure outside relative to the pressure inside is greater, causing the balls to be pushed towards each other.
Common Misconceptions:
Students tend to think that the air blown between two objects will cause the objects to move away from each other.
Photographs and Movies
