Sometimes the weather doesn't behave the way you want it to. In Fargo this weekend, it was icy and sleeting. Yuck!
Today, we are going to do a few science activities that allow YOU to control the weather!
Fog in a jar
In this activity, you will see how cold air and warm air creates fog.
Today, we are going to do a few science activities that allow YOU to control the weather!
Fog in a jar
In this activity, you will see how cold air and warm air creates fog.
http://www.hinghamweather.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Fog.jpg
What exactly is fog? Fog is actually very similar to a cloud, except it's near the ground. Both fog and clouds are actually tiny droplets of water in the air. There are many different types of fog and ways that fog can form, but all kinds of fog form because of a temperature difference between the air and the ground.
Check out the link below to learn about some common types of fog:
https://weather.com/science/news/how-does-fog-form-20131010
Now that you know a little bit about fog and how it forms, you get to create your own!
YOU WILL NEED:
* Jar
* Strainer
* Ice
* Warm water
Check out the link below to learn about some common types of fog:
https://weather.com/science/news/how-does-fog-form-20131010
Now that you know a little bit about fog and how it forms, you get to create your own!
YOU WILL NEED:
* Jar
* Strainer
* Ice
* Warm water
http://jibbaroo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/fog-chart-2.jpg
Here's what to do!
1. Rinse the jar out with hot water to warm the jar up.
2. Fill the jar with about 1 inch of hot water.
3. Set the strainer on the rim of the jar.
4. Place a handful of ice cubes in the strainer and watch what happens!
You should see some spooky fog begin to appear in your jar. Remember, the reason this fog appeared is because of the temperature difference between the warm water and the cold air around the ice.
Tornado in a bottle
In this activity, you get to create your own tornado in a bottle!
1. Rinse the jar out with hot water to warm the jar up.
2. Fill the jar with about 1 inch of hot water.
3. Set the strainer on the rim of the jar.
4. Place a handful of ice cubes in the strainer and watch what happens!
You should see some spooky fog begin to appear in your jar. Remember, the reason this fog appeared is because of the temperature difference between the warm water and the cold air around the ice.
Tornado in a bottle
In this activity, you get to create your own tornado in a bottle!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/F5_tornado_Elie_Manitoba_2007.jpg
Before you do this activity, let’s learn a little bit about tornadoes and how they form.
http://cdn.instructables.com/FFU/HD5V/HMWVZQD9/FFUHD5VHMWVZQD9.MEDIUM.jpg
As you may know, tornadoes are known for their funnel shape and their power of destruction. Most tornadoes form from thunderstorms. Warm air and cool air meet, and sometimes a swirling mass is created and escalates into an even more violent storm. Another name for the shape of a tornado is a vortex. Vortexes also appear in black holes or whirlpools. You are going to create your own vortex today to simulate a tornado.
Check this link out to learn how more about tornadoes form:
http://eschooltoday.com/natural-disasters/tornadoes/how-do-tornadoes-form.html
YOU WILL NEED
* 2 Liter bottle
* Large pitcher
* Water
* Stopwatch
Here's what to do!
1. Fill the 2 liter bottle 3/4 full of water.
2. Your challenge is to identify which way water escapes the bottle the fastest--when it’s swirling like a tornado, or when it's allowed to just fall through without swirling.
3. Flip the bottle upside-down over the pitcher. What happens? Not much. You’ll see the water pass from the bottle to the pitcher. You might hear a kind of glugging noise as the water escapes the bottle.
4. Pour the water from the pitcher back into the bottle. This time, you are going to time how long it takes for the water to pass from the bottle to the pitcher, so get your stopwatch ready!
5. Flip the bottle and time how long it takes for the water to empty into the pitcher. Record your result, then pour the water back into the bottle.
6. Now, it's time to create a tornado! You’ll flip the bottle again, but this time swirl the bottle in a clock-wise motion until you see a tornado form. You should be able to see the vortex right in the middle of the bottle. Did the water seem to fall through quicker or slower this way? Try it again and time it! Which way was faster?
You may have noticed that water fell through to the bottom bottle much faster when it was swirling. This is because as the water falls from the top bottle to the bottom bottle, the air at the bottom needs to get to the top, to make room for that water. The vortex that you created by swirling the water creates a tunnel for the air to move to the top bottle at the same time that the water is moving to the bottom bottle. When you flip the bottles without swirling the water, there’s no pathway, so the water and air have to take turns falling through the neck of the bottle, hence the glug-glug noise.
Extension: Create a tornado-simulator that you can use over and over!
Check this link out to learn how more about tornadoes form:
http://eschooltoday.com/natural-disasters/tornadoes/how-do-tornadoes-form.html
YOU WILL NEED
* 2 Liter bottle
* Large pitcher
* Water
* Stopwatch
Here's what to do!
1. Fill the 2 liter bottle 3/4 full of water.
2. Your challenge is to identify which way water escapes the bottle the fastest--when it’s swirling like a tornado, or when it's allowed to just fall through without swirling.
3. Flip the bottle upside-down over the pitcher. What happens? Not much. You’ll see the water pass from the bottle to the pitcher. You might hear a kind of glugging noise as the water escapes the bottle.
4. Pour the water from the pitcher back into the bottle. This time, you are going to time how long it takes for the water to pass from the bottle to the pitcher, so get your stopwatch ready!
5. Flip the bottle and time how long it takes for the water to empty into the pitcher. Record your result, then pour the water back into the bottle.
6. Now, it's time to create a tornado! You’ll flip the bottle again, but this time swirl the bottle in a clock-wise motion until you see a tornado form. You should be able to see the vortex right in the middle of the bottle. Did the water seem to fall through quicker or slower this way? Try it again and time it! Which way was faster?
You may have noticed that water fell through to the bottom bottle much faster when it was swirling. This is because as the water falls from the top bottle to the bottom bottle, the air at the bottom needs to get to the top, to make room for that water. The vortex that you created by swirling the water creates a tunnel for the air to move to the top bottle at the same time that the water is moving to the bottom bottle. When you flip the bottles without swirling the water, there’s no pathway, so the water and air have to take turns falling through the neck of the bottle, hence the glug-glug noise.
Extension: Create a tornado-simulator that you can use over and over!
http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/898267/13618834/1313022472747/tornado-1.jpg
YOU WILL NEED
* Two 2 liter bottles
* Water
* Food coloring
* Super Glue
* Duct tape
1. Fill one 2 liter bottle 3/4 full of water.
2. Add food coloring of your choice. You could even add glitter or confetti!
3. Carefully line the mouth of the bottle with super glue. Place the mouth of the second 2 liter bottle on top of the mouth of the first 2 liter bottle and hold for 30 seconds. Leave the bottles alone while the glue dries for 20 minutes.
4. Tape around the necks of the bottles. Make sure to use a lot of tape so the bond is secure! It should look like this:
* Two 2 liter bottles
* Water
* Food coloring
* Super Glue
* Duct tape
1. Fill one 2 liter bottle 3/4 full of water.
2. Add food coloring of your choice. You could even add glitter or confetti!
3. Carefully line the mouth of the bottle with super glue. Place the mouth of the second 2 liter bottle on top of the mouth of the first 2 liter bottle and hold for 30 seconds. Leave the bottles alone while the glue dries for 20 minutes.
4. Tape around the necks of the bottles. Make sure to use a lot of tape so the bond is secure! It should look like this:
http://www.stirthewonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Tornado-in-a-Bottle-2.jpg
5. Once your bottles are securely taped, try out your tornado! Flip the bottles upside-down and swirl them just like you did before to get the vortex going.
For another weather-related activity, check out our blog about air masses: http://discoveryexpress.weebly.com/blog/the-science-of-air-masses-what-happens-when-air-masses-collide
References:
http://www.universetoday.com/85349/how-does-fog-form/
http://www.funology.com/london-fog-anywhere-you-want-it/
https://weather.com/science/news/how-does-fog-form-20131010
https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/tornado-in-a-bottle1/
For another weather-related activity, check out our blog about air masses: http://discoveryexpress.weebly.com/blog/the-science-of-air-masses-what-happens-when-air-masses-collide
References:
http://www.universetoday.com/85349/how-does-fog-form/
http://www.funology.com/london-fog-anywhere-you-want-it/
https://weather.com/science/news/how-does-fog-form-20131010
https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/tornado-in-a-bottle1/
