Bernoulli's principle - Ping Pong Ball (Anna Tavitian)

Author

Anna Tavitian

Principle(s) Illustrated

1. 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

References

Ping Pong Pressure

A Ping Pong Physics Trick

Floating in Air