million dollar bet air pressure experiment

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

TheHomeSchoolMom

Homeschooling help and encouragement from experienced homeschoolers - find out how homeschooling works and how to start, get tips & ideas for when things need adjusting, read curriculum reviews before buying, learn how online schools work, gain confidence about homeschooling high school, and more.

• How To Homeschool
• Homeschool Curriculum
• Homeschool Co-ops & Groups
• Homeschool ID Card

Top Ten Air Pressure Experiments to Mystify Your Kids Using Stuff From Around the House

What is air pressure, magic water glass trick, plumber magic, magic egg trick, fountain bottle, ping pong funnel, squished soda can, squished balloon, the million dollar bet, flying papers, kissing balloons.

Disclaimer: Experiments should only be attempted with adult supervision and are done at your own risk. 

There's air surrounding us everywhere, all at the same pressure of 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch). It's the same force you feel on your skin whether you're on the ceiling or the floor, under the bed, or in the shower.

An interesting thing happens when you change a pocket of air pressure - things start to move. This difference in pressure that causes movement is what creates winds, tornadoes, airplanes to fly, and some of the experiments we're about to do right now.

An important thing to remember is that higher pressure always pushes things around. (Meaning lower pressure does not "pull", but rather that we think of higher pressure as a "push".)

Another interesting phenomenon occurs with fast-moving air particles. When air moves fast, it doesn't have time to push on a nearby surface, like an airplane wing. It just zooms by, barely having time to touch the surface. The air particles are really in a rush.

Think of really busy people driving fast in their cars. They are so busy doing other things and driving fast to get somewhere that they don't have time to just sit and relax.

Air pressure works the same way. When the air zooms by a surface (like an airplane wing) like fast cars, the fast air has no time to push on the surface and just sit there, so not as much air weight gets put on the surface.

Less weight means less force on the area. (Think of "pressure" as force on a given area or surface.) This causes a less (or lower) pressure region wherever there is faster air movement.

Confused? Great! Let's try some experiments out to straighten out these concepts so they make sense to you.

Fill a glass one-third with water. Cover the mouth with an index card and invert (holding the card in place) over a sink. Remove your hand from the card. Voila!

The card stays in place because air is heavier than water, and the card experiences about 15 pounds of force pushing upward by the air and only about one pound of force pushing downward from the water - hence the card stays in place. (Try this trick over someone's head when you get good at it.)

Take two clean old-fashioned, red rubber-and-wood-stick plungers and stick them together (you may need to wet the rims first). Try to separate them.

Why is it so hard? When you rammed them together, air was forced out of the cavity that the insides make when pushed together, leaving you with a lower air pressure pocket inside, compared to the surrounding air pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi) outside the plungers. Higher pressure always pushes and thus is keeping the plungers together.

Remove the shell from a hard-boiled egg and use a bottle with a neck large enough that the egg can be squeezed through (without squashing it) – old fashioned milk bottles work great. Light a match and toss it in, quickly setting the egg (small-end down) on the mouth of the bottle.

The air inside gets used up by the flame, lowering the air pressure inside the bottle. The higher pressure, now outside the bottle, pushes on the egg and pops it in. (To remove the egg, turn the bottle upside down and get the egg to be small-end down inside the bottle near the mouth. Blow hard into the mouth of the bottle.)

Seal a 2-liter soda water bottle (half-full of water) with a lump of clay wrapped around a long straw, sealing the straw to the mouth of the bottle. Blow hard into the straw.

As you blow air into the bottle, the air pressure increases. This higher pressure pushes on the water, which gets forced up and out the straw.

Insert a ping pong ball into a funnel and blow hard. (You can tilt your head back so that the ball end points to the ceiling. Can you blow hard enough so when you invert the funnel, the ball stays inside? Can you pick up a ball from the table?

As you blow into the funnel, the air where the ball sits in the funnel moves faster and generates lower air pressure than the rest of the air surrounding the ball. This means that the pressure under the ball is lower than the surrounding air which is, by comparison, a higher pressure. This higher pressure pushes the ball back into the funnel… no matter how hard you blow or which way you hold the funnel.

Heat an empty soda can (large beer cans actually will work better if you have one) in a skillet with a few tablespoons of water in the can over a hot stove. Have a shallow dish with about ¼ inch of ice water handy (enough water to make a seal with the top of the can). When the can emits steam, grab the can with tongs and quickly invert it into the dish. CRACK!

The air in the can was heated, and things that are hot tend to expand. When you cool it quickly by taking it off the stove onto a cold plate, the air cools down and shrinks, creating a lower pressure inside. Since the surrounding air outside of the can is now higher, it pushes on all sides of the can and crushes it.

Blow a balloon up so that it is just a bit larger than the opening of a large jam jar and can't be easily shoved in. Light a small wad of paper towel on fire and drop it into the jar. Place the balloon on top. When the fire goes out, lift the balloon… and the jar goes with it!

The air gets used up by the flame and lower the air pressure inside the jar. The surrounding air outside, now at a higher pressure than inside the jar, pushes the balloon into the jam jar.

Take an empty water or soda bottle and lay it down horizontally on a table. Carefully set a small wadded up ball of paper towel in the mouth of the bottle. (The ball should be about half the size of the opening.) I bet you a million dollars that you can't blow hard and get the paper to go into the bottle!

Why is this so impossible? You're trying to force more air into the bottle, but there's no room for the air already inside to go except back out the mouth of the bottle, taking the paper ball with it.

Hold a regular sheet of paper to your bottom lip (you may have to play a bit to find the exact location) and blow hard across the sheet. The sheet flies up!

This is the same reason airplanes can fly. As you blow across the top of the sheet, you lower the air pressure (because the air is moving faster), and thus the pressure on the underside of the sheet is now higher, and higher air pressure pushes the sheet upwards.

Blow up two balloons. Attach a piece of sting to each balloon. Have each hand hold one string so that the balloons are at nose level, 6" apart. Blow hard between the balloons and watch them move!

The air pressure is lowered as you blow between the balloons (think of the air molecules as ping pong balls … they balls don't have enough time to touch the balloon surface as they zoom by). The air surrounding the balls that's not really moving is now at a higher pressure, and pushes the balloons together.

If you enjoyed this experiment and want more, head over to Aurora's website and get your free copy of her Homeschool Science Guide . _____________________________________

Since 1996, Aurora Lipper has been helping families learn science. As a pilot, astronomer, mechanical engineer and university instructor, Aurora can transform toilet paper tubes into real working radios and make laser light shows from Tupperware.

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

As featured on

Air Pressure Experiments for Junior High School

Table of Contents:

Under Pressure! 10 At-Home Science Experiments That Harness Air . These science experiments are so much more than just a lot of hot air. Click through for some serious air play.

• Keep it Simple
• Complicate Matters

Thankfully, science experiments don’t have to be super complex or time consuming. These easy-peasy experiments only require a little prep and leave a big impression on tiny minds. Plus, we’re betting most of what you need to test these theories is already lying around your house. 1. Sink or Swim. Instead of bobbing for apples, your tiny tot will make straws dive and surface with a gentle squeeze. The Kids Activities Blog lays out the important deets for this hands-on experiment that uses a two-liter bottle and play dough to fully certify straws as scuba-ready. Take the dive into serious science with this one! Why it works: Squeezing the bottle increases the air pressure inside the bottle and forces water up into the straw, which makes it heavy enough to sink.

Video advice: Air Pressure Experiment

Air Pressure Experiment | Science Experiment -40 | Easy Chemistry Experiments

Air Pressure Experiments With Water – First of all take a clear transparent plastic bottle. With the help of Diy knife genteelly make a…

We can learn about potential energy with this experiment. As per the definition of potential energy “It is the type of energy possessed by a body via its position or stress with in itself or due to electric charge”. Well here we have used a flamed balloon. Which contains a pressured air inside balloon. This air always try’s to flow outside the balloon.

• What is Air Pressure ?
• Materials Required for Air Pressure Experiment :
• Air Pressure Experiment Step By Step :
• Air Pressure Experiments With Water And Balloon Explanation :
• Advantages of Air Pressure Experiments With Water and balloon :
• Alternative process for making Air Pressure Experiments :
• Some of cool school science experiments :

The Strength of Air Pressure – Air pressure is often discussed in middle school science, but since it is something not easily observed, it is difficult for some students to understand. As students participate in experiments, they will be able to observe how air pressure can be high or low, and how it affects the items around it. This learning can be transferred to a better general understanding of air pressure and how it changes the weather and the world around us. Crush a Can While middle school-aged boys may like to show off by crushing a can with their hands, they will also be impressed by crushing it using air pressure. With adult supervision, students should place a tablespoon of water in a soda can and heat it on a hot plate. Once water vapor starts appearing, let it heat about a minute longer. Use tongs to grab the hot can at the bottom, and quickly push it upside down in a bowl of cold water. As the water vapor quickly cools, the pressure on the inside of the can drops and the air pressure outside the can causes it to implode, according to Steve Spangler Science.

How To Teach Kids About Air Pressure

This guide will provide you with an explanation of the basics and some simple, fun and engaging experiments to demonstrate the power of this natural phenomenon!

Moisture: The quantity of moisture in mid-air may also affect the density from the air and, therefore, the environment pressure. Water vapor is really a light gas when compared to gases that comprise the climate, that is mainly oxygen and nitrogen. Then when the moisture within the atmosphere increases, the quantity of nitrogen and oxygen decreases per unit of volume, which in turn causes the density from the air to lower.

• Indoor Tornado Experiment
• Unspillable Water Experiment
• Book Blowing Experiment
• Caved-In Can Experiment
• Magic Egg Experiment
• Plunger Experiment
• Ping Pong Funnel Experiment
• Fountain Bottle Seal Experiment
• The Million Dollar Bet Experiment
• Flying Papers Experiment

Learn More About All Of Our Science Programs

Although we rarely think about it, air surrounds us at all times and exerts a force on every inch of our bodies. This force, known as air pressure, is one of the most important topics in science, as it explains weather patterns, how airplanes fly and a variety of other wonders. In case you’re planning on teaching kids about air pressure, we’ve provided you with an explanation of the basics and some simple, fun and engaging experiments to demonstrate the power of this natural phenomenon.

Barometer: Measuring Air Pressure – Did you know that you are being pushed down on all the time? Don’t look around you for someone with big hands; it’s air pressure! Learn how scientists (and you!) can measure air pressure, and why!

If not, it may be sunny and clear. Whatever it may be, a barometer can help predict if it is going to rain, if it is going to be sunny, or if it is going to snow. This is because a barometer measures air pressure, and air pressure can vary from a rainy day to a sunny day to a snowy day.

Simple Science: Air Pressure Experiments : Orlando Family Magazine

Hey kids (and parents)! Ever wonder about the term “air pressure?” With a couple of simple experiments, we can demonstrate that air wants to travel from high pressure to low pressure. There is an old saying that “Nature dislikes a vacuum.” Of course, this does not mean a vacuum cleaner, but rather refers to a lack of air.

Hey kids (and fogeys)! Ever question concerning the term “air pressure?” With a few simple experiments, we are able to show air really wants to travel from ruthless to low pressure. There’s a classic stating that “Nature dislikes vacuum pressure. ” Obviously, it doesn’t mean a vacuum, but instead describes too little air.

What is “pressure?” Air pressure is basically the amount of air molecules compressed within a certain area. For example, when you fill a balloon or the tires on your bike, the air inside is under pressure. If there is only a small amount of air in the balloon, the pressure is low. If you fill up the balloon, the air pressure within is high. If you let go of the balloon, all the air shoots out, spinning the balloon all over the place. The high pressure air inside the balloon wants to move to the low pressure air outside of the balloon. Remember what we said: high pressure wants to travel to low pressure.

Video advice: Air pressure experiment

In this video Sylvia Knight demonstrates an experiment that explains air pressure.

Teaching ideas for air pressure : Fizzics Education

Help students understand more about air pressure with these easy to run classroom experiments. Part of over 150 teaching ideas!

Fast air out of your breath in to the bag will draw slow air from round the room in to the bag according to Bernoulli’s theorem (fast air is low pressure, slow air is ruthless). Keep the face 30cm from bag opening. Take care not to pop bag whenever you close the bag and squeeze the outlet to tighten the bag.

• Air pressure experiments that use simple materials
• Teaching air pressure with a bell jar

Cover a lit candle sitting in a bowl of water with a glass cup. Watch the water rise into the cup. If you want, you can add food colouring into the water to make the experiment more visible. During the experiment, you can see tiny bubbles escaping under the glass which shows that the air pressure is increased from the heated air as the candle burns. Once the candle runs out of oxygen, the candle burns out and the remaining air inside cools down. Cooling air contracts which lowers the air pressure inside the cup. This created a pressure difference between the air inside the cup and air outside the cup. This pressure difference caused the high-pressure air outside the cup to push the water down into the plate… allowing the water to be pushed upwards into the inside of the cup towards the lower pressure air inside.

3 air pressure activities for kids

Three fun and simple activities to teach kids about air pressure.

If you would like, now you can cut a little hole in to the bottom or side from the bottle. After you have cut an opening, it ought to certainly be easy to inflate this balloon mechanism. It is because while you add air towards the balloon, air leaves the bottle with the hole to create room for that air you’re contributing to this balloon mechanism.

#2: How does the cardboard float?

The second effect is that of atmospheric pressure. Basically, for their cardboard to fall, the air outside the cup would have to get into the cup. But because the water has created a seal between the cup and the cardboard, the air outside the cup can’t get in. So the cardboard has nowhere to go but to stay firmly attached to the cup. In this case, the force of air pressure pushing up on the cardboard is greater than the force of gravity pulling the cardboard down.

Air Pressure Lab Worksheets & Teaching Resources

In these activities students explore the impressive force of air and learn how air pressure affects their daily lives. We may not realize it, and we can’t always feel it with our senses, the air that surrounds us is exerting a huge amount of pressure on every square centimetre of our bodies. At this very (…)

A cube of air 1 metre per side has scores of 1 kilogram. The Earth’s atmosphere is all about 480 kilometres thick. Which means that on the top of Earth, we’ve 480 kilometres of air pushing lower upon us. That’s 1,700 kilograms on all of our heads (that is roughly the same as the load of the male hippopotamus!).

• Other Resources

While air pressure can refer to the pressure of air within a confined area (car tire or football), atmospheric pressure specifically refers to the air pressure exerted by the air molecules above a given point in the Earth’s atmosphere. The closer we get to the Earth, the higher the atmospheric pressure due to the weight of air particles above. This is why there is less air pressure at the top of a mountain than at sea level. The weight of air above compresses the air particles near the surface of the Earth, creating a higher density of particles. The tool used to measure atmospheric pressure is called a barometer. You cannot use a barometer to measure the air pressure inside a tire, a football, or an air mattress.

Browse air pressure lab resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

Students will build read weather forecasts and identify the factors that contribute to the resulting weather. Students will create a weather map with this information. They will also learn about air pressure. The product contains three complete labs that are differentiated for all of your students. Collect and analyze data about air pressure and temperature in the atmosphere to answer the question: How does altitude affect temperature and pressure. This activity was designed based on a Flash virtual lab. Since Flash is no longer available, the activity will follow along with a VIDEO of the vAir Pressure Lab – Students will love you for providing them with a hands-on experience when learning about low and high air pressure. The air pressure station lab is a plug and play unit that is meant to accompany my FREE Kesler Science Station Lab Series. Download that start-up guide to learn moreTeaching about air or air pressure? Let students experience the power of air for themselves!

Lab 5: All About Air Pressure

The lab activity described here was created by John McDaris of SERC for the EarthLabs project. Summary and Learning Objectives Students select a storm from the HURDAT database and create its track in the …

You will find printable Station Cards (Acrobat (PDF) 74kB Sep19 07) of materials and directions that you could place each and every station to assist lead students with the exercises. The directions will also be around the activity sheet (Acrobat (PDF) 175kB Sep27 07) that you’ll hands out at the outset of the lab. There’s additionally a.

• Station 1: Collapsing pop can
• Station 2: Balloon in a Bell Jar
• Station 3: Ruler and Newspaper
• Station 4: Egg in a Bottle
• Station 5: Soda Bottle and Ping Pong Ball
• Station 6: News Article Review

Additional Resources

This lab has students working in groups to conduct simple laboratory experiments. It was designed for high school Earth Science students but is also applicable to introductory level students in college Geoscience courses. One 50-60 minute class period is required for the activity. There are six stations that the groups will rotate between so, depending on your class length, each station should take between 8 and 10 minutes. The lab requires common lab equipment like Bunsen burners and having it set up in a space designed for laboratory work is recommended.

Video advice: Exploring Air & Air Pressure

Jared demonstrates a simple experiment designed to help young learners explore how air and pressure are related.

How can you show experimentally that atmosphere exerts pressure?

While boiling replace the cap and allow it to cool. Vapours inside condense and form water creating vacuum above them. Observation - The can crumbles due to air pressure from outside. This proves that air exerts pressure.

How does the air pressure experiment work?

The increased air pressure pushes water up into the straw , making it heavier, so it sinks. When you release the pressure on the bottle, the air pressure decreases (ie the air has more space to move around) so the air fills the straw again and the straw floats back to the top of the bottle.

What are some air pressure experiments?

Air Pressure and Science Experiments

• Indoor Tornado Experiment. This experiment will allow you to create a tornado in a bottle. ...
• Unspillable Water Experiment. ...
• Book Blowing Experiment. ...
• Caved-In Can Experiment. ...
• Magic Egg Experiment. ...
• Plunger Experiment. ...
• Ping Pong Funnel Experiment. ...
• Fountain Bottle Seal Experiment.

How do you prove air exists?

You can prove air exists by blowing up a balloon . By doing this, it proves that air has weight and air takes up space. Lastly, air is just made up of mainly nitrogen and oxygen. These things all prove that air exists.

Can an egg bounce without breaking?

Through a process called osmosis, the vinegar moves through the egg's shell. The vinegar dissolves the calcium in the egg's shell but cannot get through the membrane in the shell. This leaves behind the rubbery membrane that allows you to bounce the egg without breaking it!

Related Articles:

• Good Science Experiments for Junior High School Students
• Seventh Grade Junior High School Science Fair Projects & Experiments
• Chemical Reaction Experiments for Junior High School Students
• Using a Prism for Junior High School Labs
• Junior High School Activities on Pascal’s Principle
• Photosynthesis Activities for Junior High School

Erwin van den Burg

Stress and anxiety researcher at CHUV2014–present Ph.D. from Radboud University NijmegenGraduated 2002 Lives in Lausanne, Switzerland2013–present

You may also like

Steps to make a Wave Machine

Safeguards to consider When Utilizing Micrometer Screw Gauge

Areas of one of the wheels and Axle

Add comment, cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Latest Editorial Articles

What Is Biology In Hindi Definition

How To Start In Robotics With No Money

What Is A Marketing Applications In Biotechnology

What Are The Average Salaries Nationwide For A Robotics Technician

• Algebra 1518
• Biology 1090
• Chemistry 1859
• Geology 659
• Innovation 501
• Life Science 466
• Nature 3435
• Physics 3662
• Probability & Statistics 385

Random news

Different Topics for Investigatory Projects