ARGGHHHH! TOO MUCH PRESSURE!!

Don’t worry peeps…It’s not a stressful topic to learn. In fact, once you've mastered the topic, you can do a magic trick with this air pressure concept. Last week, I showed my students some cool science demos to see the effect of air pressure on an object. You can try these tricks at home but remember NOT TO perform these tricks without adult supervision :) 

1) Crushing a soda can with nothing more than air!

 

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

At first, the soda can was filled with water and air. Then the can was heated to boil the water inside (water changed from liquid to gas). This gas pushed the air inside the can into the atmosphere. When the can was turned upside down and placed in the water, the water vapour condensed creating a partial vacuum. The very low air pressure inside the partial vacuum of the can made it possible for the greater air pressure outside of the can pushed the can and crushed it. This sudden collapsing of an object toward its centre is called an implosion.

2) How to get an egg in a bottle in an “eggciting” way?

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

When the person heats the bottle, it causes the air pressure inside to increase. The egg is then placed in the opening and the air cools, exerting less pressure on the egg than the pressure exerted on the egg by surrounding air in the room. The greater air pressure of the room pushes the egg into the bottle.

 3) Self inflating balloon

  HOW DOES THIS WORK?

A sealed balloon was placed inside a vacuum chamber. As the pressure exerted on the balloon decreases, the balloon expands and takes up the space inside the chamber. When the chamber is opened, the air pressure exerted on the balloon increases and causes the balloon to return to its original size.

So...did you learn anything? How cool was that? Who would've thought learning science could be so much FUN! 8)