Daddy Day Science #2: Heated Air Expands

Thursday – Daddy Day – Science Day! In the second experiment I wanted to show my daughter that air expands when it gets warmer. My favourite “science” book offered a good 5 minute experiment. Take a bottle, put a balloon over the top, put the bottle into a pot with cold water and warm up the water on the stove. Honestly I didn’t expect such a quick and clear reaction! And my daughter loved it!

Heated Air Expands

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The experiment setup: pot with cold water, empty glass bottle and a balloon
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Adding the balloon to the bottle
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Heating the water on the stove
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Hurray! The hypothesis has been confirmed! The air that gets heated by the warming water expands and inflates the balloon

 

Cooled Air Contracts

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Now testing the reverse effect. Does the balloon deflate when the air gets cooled by cold water from the tap?
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Indeed it does!

The video below shows a time lapse of the first phase:

 

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Posted by Daniel Eichhorn

Daniel Eichhorn is a software engineer and an enthusiastic maker. He loves working on projects related to the Internet of Things, electronics, and embedded software. He owns two 3D printers: a Creality Ender 3 V2 and an Elegoo Mars 3. In 2018, he co-founded ThingPulse along with Marcel Stör. Together, they develop IoT hardware and distribute it to various locations around the world.

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