an experiment on air pressure

How to do an Air Pressure on Water Experiment for Kids

• September 26, 2021
• 5-6 Year Olds , 7-9 Year Olds , Physics

Have you ever wondered how water can be pulled up into a straw? Or what happens to the air pressure when you go up in an airplane?

Now, you can explore these questions with this awesome experiment. The science behind this phenomenon is air pressure.

If you have ever had a bike pump, then you know that the higher the pressure inside, the more forcefully it can push air out . This same principle also applies to water being sucked up through your water dispenser.

Air Pressure and Water Experiment Supplies

Air Pressure on Water Experiment is an awesome physical science experiment as it can be done using simple and easily available supplies. Here is the list of items you need to collect before you start the experiment.

1) A Balloon

2) A Plastic straw

4) A small container (glass one is better to get a good visual experience) or a Peg

5) Putty or Plasticine

6) A Plastic water bottle (Make sure it is clean and clear no matter the shape and size.)

7) Food Color

8) Some other miscellaneous things like kids-friendly knife, glue, metal scale, etc.

Directions to do Air Pressure on Water Experiment

Step-1: Select a place where you feel free to do experiments with water like sinks or outdoors as this activity messy up things with water.

Step-2: Now, pick an old and clear plastic bottle and make a hole of 10cm at the middle of the bottle. You can use kid-friendly knife or scissors to make hole. Whatever the tool you use, make sure you are moving it clock and anti-clock wise direction to achieve a good round shape. You can also use a soldering rod to make exact size hole as of straw.

Step-3: Once the hole is ready, insert the plastic straw into it and seal any leakages around the hole using hot glue. You can also use putty or plasticine to seal it.

Step-4: Then, take a small container and add some amount of water. Also add a few drops of food color and into the water to make it colourful. This colourful water is good to experiment with as it gives good visual experience of the experiment.

Step-5: As a next step, pour the color water into the plastic bottle fixed with straw up to half way. And keep a peg or small glass or transparent container under the other end of the straw which is hanging outside of the bottle.  

Step-6: In this step, take a medium sized balloon and inflate it using your mouth or any balloon blower machine. Seal the mouth of the inflated balloon and fit it around the mouth of the bottle carefully. At this point, our school science fair project set up to show Air Pressure is ready for demo.

Step-7: Now, release the secured mouth part of inflated balloon such that the air inside it goes straight down into the plastic bottle.

Step-8: You will notice the color water inside the plastic bottle moving out of the straw towards the small container placed beside the plastic bottle under the open end of straw.

What is the science behind the water movement in this experiment?

In this physical science project, the air gives pressure equally on the water and inside straw when there is no balloon around the mouth of the plastic bottle.

But when the inflated balloon is set up on top of the plastic bottle i.e. around its mouth part, the air inside the balloon forces down into it.

Thus, creates increased pressure on the surface of the water and presses the water molecules down due to force and gravity. This increased pressure inside the water pushes water into the straw. And hence the water moves towards the straw and stores in the small container placed outside.

The science concepts learned through this classic Air Pressure Experiment on Water include:

1) Atmospheric Pressure: The pressure applied by the molecules (that has weight) present in the atmosphere or air towards the surface of the Earth due to the force and gravity is known as Atmospheric Pressure. Atmospheric Pressure is also known as Barometric Pressure.

2) Pressure: The amount of force exerted per unit area byt the surrounding surfaces and particles is known as pressure. The pressure unit is pascal. The formula of pressure is P=F/A. Absolute pressure, atmospheric pressure are the types of pressure.

3) Potential Energy: The energy developed due to the pressure or force with in itself is known as potential energy. Potential energy can also use electric charges to build its energy.

In this experiment, the air inside the inflated balloon develops potential energy and tries to come out of it. And hence, the water feels pressure when the mouth of the inflated balloon releases.

This pressure makes the water flow out of the plastic bottle and into the small container placed beside it through the straw.

Other Air Pressure Experiments You Can Try at Home

Balloon and Pin Experiment

Egg in a Bottle – Air Pressure Experiment

Balloon in a Bottle : Air Pressure Experime nt

Drip Drop Bottle-Water Bottle Pressure Experiment

What we learn from Air Pressure on Water Experiment

• Students learn about Air and Atmospheric pressure
• Explore different types of forces, pressures, and potential energy
• Get knowledge on various science terms such as atmospheric pressure, force, pressure, stress, etc.
• Can be a great science fair idea
• Encourages children to actively participate in science work-shops and events

How do you define Air Pressure?

Air pressure is the pressure created by the weight of the particles in the air that are forcing to move down to Earth because of gravity.

In simple words, air around us encompasses of a lot of air molecules (that has weight), which exerts pressure whenever they get in touch of any objects. This is the pressure we call it as Air Pressure.

Air pressure is also known as Atmospheric Pressure. As we use Barometer to generally measure atmospheric pressure, we also call it as Barometric Pressure.

The standard unit of atmospheric pressure is equivalent to 101,325 Pa or 29.9212 inches Hg or 760 mm Hg or 14.696 psi.

P_h= P_0 e^{\frac {-mgh}{kT}}

P_0= sea level pressure

P_h= pressure at height h

g= Acceleration due to gravity

K= Boltzmann’s Constant (Ideal gas constant divided by Avogadro’s number)

T= Absolute Temperature

M= Mass of one air molecule

Safety Measures

1) It is highly recommended to wear safety glasses to protect your eyes.

2) Handle the hot glue or hot melting glue carefully otherwise children may burn their hands

3) Use kid-friendly knife

4) Always there must be an adult supervision while conducting this experiment

When you inflate the balloon, the air inside it creates potential energy and faces pressure against the rubber surface of balloon. And when the inflated balloon placed over the neck of the plastic bottle, the air pressure of balloon flows into it. This creates higher pressure on the top of the plastic bottle and thus creates even more pressure inside water in the bottle. This pressure moves water from the plastic bottle to the container placed beside it through the straw.

There are many ways to demonstrate pressure through our daily activities. Here is the easy one to explore or demonstrate pressure: 1) Take a plastic water bottle and fill it with water to its half way. 2) Place a straw into its neck part and seal the leaky edges using putty or clay. 3) Blow heavily into the straw which creates increased air pressure inside the bottle. 4) This increased pressure inside the bottle pushes the water out of straw like a fountain.

Water dispenser plays important role in restaurants, hotels, offices, etc. And it is the perfect example to demonstrate Air Pressure. Water dispenser is useful to supply normal to moderate to hot water whenever we press button. Water dispenser is a set-up of upside down 4-5 gallon water bottle at the top of the machine. Mostly, water dispensers work by pressing button, through which you are increasing the pressure inside by allowing the air inside the bottle. And that’s the way, you can dispense water from the machine when air allowed inside the bottle.

Air has mass as it contains a lot of tiny particles that possess weight. These particles when touched against any solid object, exerts pressure. The pressure exerted by air molecules in all directions around us, known as air pressure. However, because of the air particles weight, we experience more air pressure when we stay closer to the surface of Earth.

Take one litre plastic bottle and make a straw size hole at the middle of it. Insert a straw through the hole and seal the leakages using clay or putty. Outside the bottle and under the other open end of the straw, place a small container. Now, fill half of the bottle with water and cover its mouth using inflated balloon. When you release the air inside the balloon, there creates high pressure inside the bottle and water. Thus, the water is let outside the bottle through the straw and into the container placed beside the bottle.

Here are some of the situations where we use air pressure in everyday life: 1) When we drink through straw, the air pressure inside it decreases while outside pressure increases and forces the drink to suck inside the straw. 2) Consider a vacuum cleaner, it has a fan inside it which creates low pressure environment inside the machine. Whereas the outside atmospheric pressure forced inside and takes the dirt and air molecules to suck inside the machine. 3) Syringes creates pressure by plunging the nob of it while taking the blood from human body. This pressure sucks the blood from human body into the syringe easily.

1) The pressure of air inside car tires holds the car weight 2) The flight movement up in the sky because of the air pressure on its wings. 3) Bullet firing from the gun using gas pressure. 4) Inflation of balloon because of air pressure developed inside. 5) Sucking a drink through straw using pressure created inside it.

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• Activities for Kids
• Family Life

Under Pressure! 10 At-Home Science Experiments That Harness Air

If the at-home orders have you scrambling for indoor activities , we’ve got easy science experiments you can pull out at a moment’s notice from the comfort of your home. Each kids science experiment reveals air’s invisible power, and (usually) uses what you’ve got in the recycling bin to demonstrate it. Read on to learn how to levitate water, submerge tissues without getting them wet and suck an egg into a jug using only a match.

Keep it Simple

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.

2. Blow Their Minds . Bet your cutie a clean room that she can’t blow a rolled up piece of paper towel into an empty bottle. Sounds like a safe bet, right? But thanks to air pressure, the cards are definitely stacked in your favor. To set up the experiment, place an empty two-liter bottle on its side. Ball up the corner of a paper towel that’s about half the size of the bottle’s top and place it just inside the opening then challenge your little scientist to blow the paper towel into the bottle (Trust us, it can’t be done). No matter how hard she tries, she’s not going to win that bet. Learning plus a clean room? We’ll take it!

Why it works: Even though you can’t see it, that bottle is full of air; when you try to blow something into it, there’s just no room.

3. Be Unpredictable. Two balloons, a yardstick, string, and a hairdryer are all you need for this experiment that will keep your mini me guessing. To get things moving in the right direction, blow up the balloons to the same size and then use the string to attach them, a few inches apart, to the yardstick. Once you’re all set up, ask your kidlet what will happen to the balloons when you aim air from the hair dryer between the two balloons. The obvious answer? They’ll be blown apart. But once your wee one takes aim, she’ll see that the balloons are actually pushed together rather than apart. Who knew?

Why it works: Blowing air between the balloons lowers the air pressure and makes the pressure surrounding them higher, pushing them together.

4. Levitate Water . You won’t need to incant Wingardium Leviosa with perfect pronunciation to suspend water during this exciting experiment. Start by filling a glass of water about 1/3 full, then cover it with a piece of cardstock. Tip the glass over, keeping the cardstock in place with your hand, and hold the whole shebang over your unsuspecting kidlet’s head (or a sink if you want to do a test run first!). Then slowly let go of the cardstock while your mini me waits excitedly below. Look ma, no splash! The card stays in place and your little guinea pig stays dry.

Why it works : The outside air pressure working against the cardstock is greater than the weight of the water in the glass.

5. Grab a Tissue. To be wet or not to be wet is the question answered in this simple experiment full of drama. To set the scene, loosely crumple a tissue so that when you stick it in a small glass and turn it over the tissue doesn’t fall out. Then, have your little lab assistant fill a bowl with water, turn the glass over and submerge it completely (psst… keep the glass parallel to the water to make the experiment work). Ta da! The tissue stays dry even when it’s below the water line.

Why it works: The air pressure inside the glass is strong enough to keep the water out and the tissue dry.

Complicate Matters

Get mom or dad in on the action with these experiments that take a little more time and some helping hands to demonstrate just how powerful air pressure can be.

6. Blast Off. Nothing makes air pressure more tangible than a classic bottle rocket  launched on a sunny summer afternoon. You and your sidekick can spend time fashioning a plastic bottle into a space-worthy vessel with a cone top and flamboyant fins on the side. Then, hook it up to the air pump and let her rip! Up, up and away! Science Sparks has simple instructions you can use (and even a cool video!) to make one with your budding scientist.

Why it works: Pumping air into the bottle builds up pressure until you just can’t add any more and all that force sends the rocket flying.

7. Make Eggs Magical. This “look ma, no hands, wires or mirrors” trick will get them every time; an egg being sucked into a jar while your little scientist delightedly looks on is always a hit. To perform this illusory feat, you’ll need a glass jar with an opening just smaller than an egg (think: old school milk jug) and a peeled, boiled egg. When you and your Little have checked these items off your list, it’s time to start the show. Mom or dad should toss a lit match into the glass jar, followed by your mini lab assistant, who’ll quickly set the egg over the opening. Abracadabra! Alakazam! The match dies out; the egg gets (seemingly) inexplicably sucked into the bottle. And just like that you’ve performed another bit of parent magic without breaking a sweat.

Why it works: The match uses up the air inside the bottle. Once that happens the pressure outside the bottle is greater and pushes the egg down into the bottle.

8. Build a Barometer. The invisible air pressure around us is always changing, but try explaining that to the tot lot. We've found a seeing-is-believing DIY barometer experiment to turn the tides for your tiny skeptic. Not only will you reveal ever-changing air pressure, but you can also predict any summer storms heading your way. Get all you need to know about making your own version using a screw-top jar, rubber bands and a straw at Wonderful Engineering .

Why it works: When the air pressure is high, it pushes down on the straw tilting it up, and when it’s low, pressure inside the jar pushes up against the straw pointing it down.

9. Inflate Marshmallows. Put those marshmallows you’re stockpiling for summer s’mores to good use in this DIY vacuum experiment. To make the vacuum, use a hammer and nail to pierce a hole (big enough to fit a straw) into the lid of a screw-top glass jar. Next, stick a straw ever-so-slightly into the hole and seal the edges with play dough or molding clay so there’s no way for the air to get out other than through that straw. Now you’re ready to see what happens to a marshmallow when it’s trapped inside; place the marshmallow in the jar, screw the top back on, and have your mini me take the air out gulp by gulp through the straw (just be sure to cover the straw hole between breaths so no air makes it back in). As the air is removed, the marshmallow expands, like a nightmare vision straight out of Ghostbusters . Who you gonna call?

Why it works : When you use a straw to remove all the air from the jar, there’s no air left working against the marshmallow. Instead, the air trapped inside the marshmallow is able to expand.

10. Pit Balloons Against Bottles. Is your future scientist ready for another challenge? Just like blowing a paper towel into a jug, this science experiment from Steve Spangler Science  is oh-so-much harder than it looks. To entice your little experimenter, place an un-inflated balloon into an empty plastic bottle and ask him if he thinks he can blow it up. Easy right? But no matter how hard he tries, that balloon just won’t fill with air! The trick to inflating the balloon  is a simple one that takes mom or dad’s helping hand and just like that, what was once impossible becomes possible!

Why it works: At first, the bottle is full of air so there’s no room for the balloon to expand when you try to blow it up. But when you try this experiment after the trick, there’s an escape route for the air inside the bottle, leaving room for the balloon to inflate.

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Top 10 Air Pressure Experiments: Fun & Easy

Are you ready to be blown away by some exciting air pressure experiments?

Air pressure experiments can be a great way to spark students’ interest in science and encourage them to explore the world around them.

These hands-on experiments help students better understand the properties of air and how it behaves under different conditions, such as changes in pressure or temperature.

1. Balloon-Powered DIY Drink Dispenser

Get ready to impress your guests with your very own balloon-powered drink dispenser and discover the amazing potential of air pressure!

This experiment showcases the principles of air pressure and fluid dynamics, making it an excellent opportunity for students and science enthusiasts to learn about these fundamental concepts in a fun and engaging way.

2. Make A Bottle Rocket

Get ready for lift-off with this exciting experiment that will have you launching your very own bottle rocket! By harnessing the power of air pressure, you can create a simple yet thrilling rocket that flies high into the sky.

Learn more: Make a Bottle Rocket

3. Flying Ping-Pong

With one hand, place the ping-pong ball over the paper cone you’ve made, and with the other, blow a steady stream of air to cause the ball to levitate.

By gaining an understanding of Bernoulli’s principle, students can unlock the potential to design and create innovative solutions to real-world problems in a variety of fields.

Learn more: Bernoulli Principle for Kids

4. Air Pressure and Bottle

Get ready to witness a mind-blowing experiment that showcases the power of air pressure! By simply making a small hole in a plastic bottle and filling it with water, you can witness the incredible effects of air pressure at work.

5. Air-Powered Lift

Get ready to amaze your friends with this exciting experiment! With just a glass, a candle, and a plate, you can lift the plate using nothing but the power of air pressure.

6. Egg in a Bottle

With this exciting experiment using just a bottle, learn about the strength of air pressure! You may produce a variety of fascinating and unexpected effects by adjusting the air pressure inside the bottle.

7. Balloon Air Pressure Experiments

With this exciting experiment using just a bottle, learn about the strength of air pressure! You may produce a variety of fascinating and bizarre outcomes by regulating the air pressure inside the bottle.

Learn more: Balloon in a Bottle

8. Weather: Measuring Air Pressure

Get ready to become a meteorologist with this fascinating experiment that allows you to measure air pressure and predict changes in the weather!

By using a simple barometer made from a glass jar, a balloon, and a straw, you can measure changes in air pressure and use them to predict changes in the weather.\

9. Can Crush

The Can Crush experiment is a great demonstration of the effects of air pressure and it can be a fun and engaging activity for students.

10. DIY Model Lungs-Air Pressure Experiment

The balloon lung experiment is a fascinating demonstration that combines the principles of air pressure and the mechanics of the respiratory system.

Similar Posts:

• 68 Best Chemistry Experiments: Learn About Chemical Reactions
• Top 50 Fun Food Science Experiments
• 37 Water Science Experiments: Fun & Easy

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5 Ways to Demonstrate Air Pressure to Children

• Topics & Resources

Date Published:

Nov 22, 2010

Aurora Lipper

This story was updated on 10/11/2022.

Note: when conducting at-home science experiments with children, an adult should always be present. Even the simplest experiments have the potential to go wrong.

The ordinary pressure of the air surrounding us is 14.7 pounds per square inch—but this can change based on a few factors, such as when the wind blows or a car or airplane accelerates. Wherever the air pressure is higher, there will be a stronger force or push against an object. Similarly, when an air particle speeds up, it actually “pushes” less.

Imagine that fast-moving air particles are in so much of a hurry that they don’t have time to apply force—this is the principle used to make airplanes fly. When a plane moves along the runway, the air above the wing speeds up, lowering the pressure so that the air below the wing can push the plane upward.

Interested in testing out these principles in a more tangible way? Try one or more of the following experiments:

Water Glass Trick

Step 1: Fill a cup one-third with water.

Step 2: Cover the entire mouth of the cup with an index card.

Step 3: Holding the card in place, take the cup to the sink and turn it upside down.

Step 4: Remove your hand from underneath.

Voilà! Because the water inside the cup is lighter than the air outside, the card is held in place. This is due to about 15 pounds of force from the air pushing up, while the force of the water pushing down is only about one pound of force.

Fountain Bottle

Step 1: Fill a 2-liter soda bottle half full of water.

Step 2: Take a long straw and insert it into the mouth of the bottle.

Step 3: Wrap a lump of clay around the straw to form a seal.

Step 4: Blow hard into the straw—then stand back.

When you blow into the straw, you’re increasing the air pressure inside the sealed bottle. This higher pressure pushes on the water, forcing it up and out of the straw.

Ping-Pong Funnel

Step 1: Put a ping-pong ball inside the wide part of a funnel.

Step 2: Blow hard into the narrow end of the funnel.

Step 3: You’ll notice that the ball doesn’t pop out of the funnel—but why?

This is because as you blow into the funnel, the air moves faster and lowers the air pressure underneath the ball. Because the air pressure is higher above the ball than below it, it’s pushed down into the funnel—no matter how hard you blow or in which direction you point the funnel.

The Million Dollar Bet

Step 1: Place an empty water or soda bottle down horizontally on a table.

Step 2: Roll a piece of paper towel into a small ball about half the size of the bottle opening.

Step 3: Tell a friend you’ll pay them one million dollars if they can blow the ball into the bottle.

Don’t worry about losing money—because this is impossible. No matter how hard someone tries to force more air into the bottle, there's no room for it. The air will flow right out, pushing away the paper ball.

Kissing Balloons

Step 1: Blow up two balloons and attach a piece of string to each.

Step 2: Place one balloon in each hand, holding them by the string.

Step 3: Position the two balloons so they are at your nose level and six inches apart.

Step 4: Blow hard into the space between the balloons.

As you lower the air pressure in that space between the balloons, the pressure of the surrounding air becomes higher. This automatically pushes the balloons together, causing them to “kiss.”

[Adapted from “Top Ten Air Pressure Experiments to Mystify Your Kids-Using Stuff From Around the House,” by Aurora Lipper, for Mechanical Engineering , January 2008.] Read More: How to Mentor Young Engineers Experiential Learning and Cooperative Education Pay Off Engineering Education, Family Style

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Air Pressure Experiment

A visual experiment to demonstrate air pressure.

Posted by Admin / in Matter Experiments

This experiment helps to show kids the power of air pressure by using temperature change to change the density of air. This is an very easy air pressure experiment and only requires a few common supplies to get started.

Materials Needed

• 2 clear water bottles with caps
• Refrigerator

EXPERIMENT STEPS

Step 1: Peel the labels off each water bottle so kids can see what is happening inside the bottles during the experiment.

Step 2: Fill one water bottle with cool water.

Step 3: Fill the second water bottle with hot water. Use hot pads, if needed, to avoid burning hands. Hot tap water works fine.

Step 4: Put the lids on the bottles and shake until the temperature of the plastic is consistent with the water inside the bottle.

Step 5: Remove the bottle caps and pour the water down the drain.

Step 6: Quickly screw the bottle caps back on the water bottles.

Step 7: Place both bottles inside of the refrigerator.

Step 8 : Wait about 5 minutes and open the refrigerator door and remove the bottles. Look at the shape of the bottles now.

SCIENCE LEARNED

The two water bottles behave completely differently after being placed inside the cold environment of a refrigerator. Nothing happens to the water bottle that was rinsed with cold water before being placed inside the refrigerator. The bottle that was heated by hot water, however, was crushed after being placed inside the cold refrigerator. Why?

The air inside the bottle which was heated with hot water expanded from the higher temperature. The expanded air was then sealed inside the bottle when the cap was tightened on the bottle. As soon as the air inside the hot bottle began to cool, negative air pressure was created as the air inside the bottle began to cool and contract. Placing the bottle inside the refrigerator amplified this result even greater. The air pressure difference between the air outside the bottle and inside the bottle was great enough to pull in the sides of the plastic bottle, crushing the bottle.

You can try to perform this experiment in reverse, by pouring hot water over the bottle to try to get the bottle to expand back to its original shape. This works to some degree, but is difficult because a lot of hot water is needed to heat the air inside the bottle enough. The plastic bottle acts like an insulator, but it will work if enough heat energy is added to bring the temperature of the air back up to the pre-refrigerated level.

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posted by Allen Douglas

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Liquid Density Experiment

in Matter Experiments

Experiment with the density of different types of liquids.

Hot and Cold Water Density

Use this simple experiment to demonstrate hot and cold water density..

Water Cycle Experiment

Experiment to show all the phases of the water cycle.

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Primary science investigations

• 2 Air pressure and the antigravity bottle
• 3 Air pressure, gases and the leaky bottle
• 4 Dissolving, density and ‘heavy’ sugar
• 5 Fizzy irreversible changes and bath bombs
• 6 Irreversible changes and the ‘fire extinguisher’
• 7 Irreversible changes and the ‘freaky hand’
• 8 Properties of gases, air pressure and ‘sticky’ cups
• 9 Properties of solids and ‘biscuit bashing’
• 10 Viscosity and ‘racing’ liquids
• 11 Freezing and the ‘intriguing ice’ experiment
• 12 Liquids, gases and the ‘lava lamp’

Air pressure, gases and the leaky bottle

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Try this simple investigation to explore the effects of air pressure

This resource is also available in Welsh and Irish

Get the Welsh language version .

Get the Irish language version .

This experiment focuses on air pressure, and can help develop learners’ understanding of forces, gravity and the properties of air. Watch the video of the ‘leaky bottle’ demonstration below, and then find out how your learners can explore air pressure themselves using rulers and newspaper.

Learning objectives

• To develop a simple definition of pressure in terms of force.
• To develop an awareness that the air around us exerts pressure on the objects it comes into contact with.
• To appreciate, through practical experimentation, that although air pressure is not often felt, its actions can be seen and explained.

Watch the video

The video below shows how to carry out the ‘leaky bottle’ demonstration.

Source: Royal Society of Chemistry

Investigate gases and atmospheric pressure with the Leaky Bottle experiment.

Download the supporting materials

Set up and run the investigation with your class using the teacher notes and classroom slides, featuring a full equipment list, method, key words and definitions, questions for learners, FAQs and more.

• Teacher notes

PDF  |  Editable Word document

Classroom slides

PDF  |  Editable PowerPoint document

DOWNLOAD ALL

What do learners need to know first?

Learners should already know that force is a push or a pull and that area is the space occupied by a flat shape or an object’s surface.

Equipment list

Leaky bottle demonstration (or per group if desired):.

• Plastic water bottle with screw-top lid
• Map/push pin
• Plastic tray to catch excess water
• Water to fill bottle

Main investigation (each group will need):

• 30 cm ruler
• Two identical sheets of newspaper
• Clear table top with a straight edge

Additional resources

• Investigate the affects of air pressure further in our anti-gravity bottle investigation or sticky cups investigation .
• Read up on solids, liquids and gases in this  That’s Chemistry!  textbook chapter .
• Introduce your learners to solids, liquids and gases with our  primary science podcast . 

Leaky bottle: teacher notes

Leaky bottle: classroom slides, additional information.

Primary science investigations were developed in collaboration with the Primary Science Teaching Trust

Air pressure and the antigravity bottle

Dissolving, density and ‘heavy’ sugar

Fizzy irreversible changes and bath bombs

Irreversible changes and the ‘fire extinguisher’

Irreversible changes and the ‘freaky hand’

Properties of gases, air pressure and ‘sticky’ cups

Properties of solids and ‘biscuit bashing’

Viscosity and ‘racing’ liquids

Freezing and the ‘intriguing ice’ experiment

Liquids, gases and the ‘lava lamp’

• Practical experiments
• Properties of matter

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What is the Bernoulli Principle?

April 29, 2013 By Emma Vanstone 3 Comments

This experiment is a super easy air pressure activity to demonstrate the  Bernoulli Principle .

What is Bernoulli’s principle?

Bernoulli’s principle states that the pressure of a fluid decreases as its velocity increases.

Bernoulli Principle Demonstration

What you need:.

A large empty water bottle bottle

A rolled-up ball of paper, small enough to sit inside the mouth of the bottle.

How to demonstrate the Bernoulli Principle with a bottle and paper

Place the bottle on the edge of a table and put the ball of paper inside.

Try to blow the paper into the bottle.

The ball will wiggle around and shoot back out towards you.

What’s happening?

One of the principles that help to keep aeroplanes in the sky also applies to this neat little experiment. The key point is that moving air is at a lower pressure than still air. This is the Bernoulli Principle .

In the case of the water bottle, you can’t blow any more air into the bottle as it is already full of air!

When you try to blow into the bottle, the air is deflected around the sides (very little moves past the piece of paper). This means that the air pressure in front of the ball of paper is lower than behind, and so the paper flies out.

Aeroplane wings are specially shaped so that air travels faster over the top of the wing than over the bottom surface. Again, the pressure is lower above than below, and the wing is “pushed” upward by the higher-pressure air – called lift. The faster the plane moves forward, the bigger the lift it experiences.

Who was Daniel Bernoulli?

Daniel Bernoulli ( 1700-1782 ) was a brilliant Swiss mathematician and physicist who was born in the Netherlands and later moved to Switzerland. Daniel came from a family of scientists. His father, Johann, was an early developer of calculus, and his uncle Jacob made valuable contributions to the theory of probability .

Daniel Bernoulli’s major contributions to science include working on the kinetic theory of gases, measurement of risk and The Bernoulli Effect .

More about air pressure

Use air pressure to make an egg drop into a jar .

Make your own bottle rocket .

Find out how to measure atmospheric air pressure by making a barometer .

Last Updated on June 20, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

May 01, 2013 at 1:29 pm

This looks like so much fun. I can see why your son was in fits of giggles. I’m going to try this with my son tomorrow. We’ve been doing lots of science experiments lately and he’s going to love this one. Thanks.

February 23, 2014 at 10:00 am

good and short experiment

January 10, 2017 at 4:52 am

So, I waited until almost midnight the night before I was to do an experiment about air pressure with my kids, only to find I had none of the stuff required. Thank you for saving my bacon!

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Home » Articles » STEM » STEM Science » How to Demonstrate Air Pressure with Balloon

How to Demonstrate Air Pressure with Balloon

How to fit an object through a smaller hole not easy, that is for sure. but we can turn towards science and get some help from atmospheric pressure. so let’s do just that – fit the balloon into the glass jar by using the air pressure, article contents.

What is air pressure or atmospheric pressure?

The pressure that is all around us is called air pressure or atmospheric pressure . We define it as the force exerted on a surface by the air above the object, as the gravity pulls that air towards the ground. Another popular definition: Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted by the mass of the atmosphere as gravity pulls it to Earth.

We measure atmospheric pressure or barometric pressure with a device called a barometer . The unit we use to measure atmospheric pressure is atm. Atm stands for the standard atmosphere and it’s a unit of pressure defined as 101,325 Pa (pascal). Atm is equal to Earth’s average air pressure at sea level.

We already talked a lot about air pressure in How to Demonstrate Air Pressure with Can Crush Experiment. We suggest you check it out for more information.

What are balloons made of?

Balloon production came a long way from when it was first invented. The first balloons were made from animal intestines and bladders. Nowadays, balloons are made mostly from latex , rubber, and nylon fabric .

These materials are long particles called polymers . Polymers are elastic , which means they will scratch when you pull them and shrink when you let them go. As mentioned, latex, rubber, and nylon fabric are all made of polymers and that is why they are the most popular materials to produce balloons nowadays.

We already talked a lot about balloons in the 5 amazing Balloon experiments article, so check it out to learn more. Also, we recommend you check this great video that shows the industrial process of balloon making .

Required materials for balloon air pressure experiment

• Balloon . Any balloon will do but we recommend using a water balloon. Water balloons are small enough to best fit the jar opening and are designed to be filled with water. Also, they come in packs so you will have some spare balloons if the balloon breaks before the experiment is done.
• Glass Jar . Any glass jar will serve as long as the balloon can fit through the opening. A pickle jar, olives jar, or jam jar will be great for the experiment.
• Lighter or matches . We will need a lighter or matches to set the paper at flame before putting it into the jar. Have some spare matches or enough gas in the lighter if you need to light the fire again since the fire can die out in the jar.
• Piece of paper . Any paper will be great as long as it wants to burn. Not much paper is needed, just enough to fill the bottom of the jar. So the bigger the jar, the bigger piece of paper you will need.
• A glass of water . Since we are dealing with fire, it is always good to have some water by hand. That is why we recommend you have some water in a glass or bottle next to you when conducting this experiment.

Instructions to make balloon air pressure experiment

If you would rather like to watch the “how-to” video for this experiment, we have added the video at the beginning of the article. And for a step-by-step guide, continue reading the instructions below.

Warning : Since this experiment requires some fire, it is strongly recommended to conduct the activity outside, in a safe environment. Also, this activity should be conducted under the supervision of adults for all under-aged children.

• Take the balloon and fill it with water. We need water inside of the balloon so it can withstand the heat from the fire and not explode which can happen with only air inside. A water balloon is the best for this activity since it is made for holding water. Attach the balloon to the water pipe and fill the balloon.
• After the balloon is filled, remove it from the pipe, but don’t tie it up just yet. Take the glass jar and see how the balloon fits the opening . Make sure the balloon can’t fall inside of the jar, but also make sure it is not that much bigger than the opening. You can spill some water out of the balloon if it is too big to make it fit the jar opening better.
• Tie the balloon . This can be tricky but there are many ways we can do this. If you can’t use the balloon end to tie it up around itself, you can use some wool or thin rope to tie the balloon. After tying the balloon, we are ready for the experiment.
• We strongly suggest you go outside for the next steps. There could be smoke and you probably don’t want the smoke indoors.
• Take a piece of paper and light it with matches or a lighter . Make sure the paper is burning and if the fire goes off, light it again. The fire must be burning to create pressure.
• Put the burning paper inside of the glass jar . If the paper is still burning inside, proceed to the next step. If the fire went off, light the paper again.
• Put the balloon on top of the jar opening . Observe what is happening. You will see the balloon being sucked inside of the jar due to created pressure.
• After the balloon is sucked in, we recommend you take a prepared glass or bottle of water and pour some water inside of the jar . This is a safety precaution to make sure there is no more fire.
• And you are done! Now it’s time for discussion about what happened in the experiment.

The science behind the air pressure experiment with a balloon

When we place the inflated balloon or balloon filled with water atop the jar, the balloon won’t fall through the opening. Since the air inside of the jar is preventing it from falling down, and the balloon covers the whole opening, it will just sit atop the jar. At this time, the air pressure is the same inside, and outside of the jar.

To get the balloon sucked into the jar, we need to create the difference in air pressure . When we start the fire inside the jar, the temperature rises and the air inside gets warm . Warm air spreads more and is less dense, which means the pressure decreases since the air gets warmer.

When we put the balloon on top of the jar, we prevent new air from coming inside of the jar . The balloon acts as a one-way barrier , preventing new air to come in but letting the hot air go out. As the air inside of the jar gets warmer, it will escape the jar, but new air won’t come in. If you see a balloon shake, that means the hot air is coming out and shaking the balloon. 

And as more air goes out of the jar, the difference in air pressure becomes higher – low pressure inside of the jar and higher pressure outside of the jar.

And since the pressures want to achieve equilibrium again, the balloon is sucked in until the air outside can again find some way to enter the jar – by pushing the balloon inside of the jar and opening the hole for the free flow of air again.

What will you learn and what skills will you develop?

• Learning about air pressure . You will learn about what is air pressure, differences in air pressure, and how to demonstrate different air pressures. Also, you will see what happens when air pressure is out of balance.
• Learn about balloons . You will learn about balloon properties and the materials they are made of which is all part of the chemistry knowledge.
• Conducting scientific experiments . Demonstrating air pressure with a balloon is a scientific method and you will learn how to plan, prepare, conduct experiments, and in the end analyze and draw conclusions.
• Develop judgment and critical thinking . By talking about procedure and results, we develop our analytical thinking and judgment. We can also discuss what can be done differently and further develop our divergent thinking .
• Build awareness about needed safety precautions . You will build awareness and learn about safety measurements that we should always take when doing experiments. In our case, to go outside and have water close by since we were making fire.

We hope you enjoyed this experiment and learned something new about atmospheric pressure. If you’re interested in more similar activities and fun experiments, we have some recommendations:

• As already mentioned, if you want to demonstrate air pressure with one more activity, you can try the Can Crush Experiment .
• Another great way to see how air pressure works is by getting the water raise. You can see how to do that in the Candle in the vacuum experiment .
• And if you just want more balloon activities, we have plenty more in 5 amazing Balloon experiments article.
• We also recommend another interesting and simple experiment to demonstrate buoyancy with the Orange density experiment .

We wish you happy and successful experimentation! But no pressure 😉

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• Nov 18, 2019

10 Simple Experiments for Density and Buoyancy and Air Pressure

Updated: Jun 24, 2020

Develop an understanding of air pressure, buoyancy, and density using a series of hands-on labs.

When I’m teaching a science concepts like air pressure and density my goal is to help kids build mental models of what’s going on. Whenever possible I try to start with something they can touch and feel and experience. Here’s a simple sequence we did in my classroom. I hope you can see how students’ understanding builds.

1. Air is Stuff: Air Pressure Experiment with Water

This activity is a good place to start. When you try to pour water into the jug, it won’t go in. This is a concrete way to show that air is stuff. This always surprises and puzzles kids and encourages them to play. And when they’re intrigued, kids engage with difficult material more easily.

This is where we begin our study of buoyancy. Can you see where this will lead?

If you don’t get the idea that air is stuff, you won’t believe that it has weight. And if you don’t believe that air has weight, you won’t see how it can produce pressure. And if you don’t understand how air produces pressure, you won’t be able to see how it creates buoyancy. And if you don’t understand how buoyancy works, then it’s tough to grasp the concept of density. Sure, you can memorize the formula for density, but what does that tell you about density? BTW what IS the formula for density? And will it be on the test?

2. Matter Presses: Understanding Pressure

Once we proved to ourselves that air is stuff, we’ll play with the concepts of weight and pressure. This activity is free on my website. If you’re interested in a copy, you can sign up here.

This is a super simple activity to show kids how the weight of an object (our body) doesn’t change as you change your position (squatting, sitting, standing on tiptoe), yet its pressure does. It’s a concrete way for kids to feel the connection between the concepts of weight and pressure.

We’re just getting started on our investigation into density, buoyancy, and air pressure. These three concepts are related, and it’s helpful to study them together. In this activity, kids see how pressure comes from weight. We’ll continue that line of thought in the next couple of activities.

3. Streamlines: Water Pressure Experiments with a Water Bottle

Have you tried this experiment? It’s easy, a little messy, and super fun. Plus, kids find it intriguing, so that’s a huge point in its favor. 

How many observations can you make? Note how the lower streams are shooting farther than the upper ones. What could you conclude from that?

Click here (or on a pic) for middle school labs on this topic.

This is a visual example showing how pressure comes from weight. The greater push comes from the taller column of water. Kids can prove this to themselves by comparing bottles of different diameters and heights. It’s easy to conclude that it’s only the height of the water that changes the shape of the squirt.

This activity gives good evidence that the water sitting above the hole produces the pressure. This is a direct correlation to air pressure, which comes from the weight of Earth’s air sitting on top of you. 

The difficulty with understanding air pressure is that we ignore the surrounding air. We rarely think of air as sitting on us. It’s invisible so we forget it’s there.  Time to roll the tape from activity #1 . Air is stuff. It’s always there and we need to remember this to understand air pressure.

If you climb a mountain to a place where there’s less air above you, there’s less pressure. And vice versa, the lower you go, the higher the pressure. We call sea-level standard pressure, but if you go below sea level (into a cave for instance) air pressure increases. 

[Students may know that air high in the atmosphere is thinner than that near sea level. While that’s important, it’s a separate issue and we don’t deal with it yet.]

This is part 3 of our conceptual journey—we’ve determined that air is stuff and we’ve connected weight to pressure. The definition of stuff is that it has weight and takes up space. And if air has weight, it must be able to produce pressure by sitting on stuff. 

And what keeps air sitting on Earth? The same force that keeps every other substance sitting on Earth… gravity! Just because it’s light and thin and invisible doesn’t make it immune to gravity. Gravity gives air its weight and air’s weight produces pressure. It’s that simple. The complicated part is that we haven’t trained our brains to think in those terms. We forget that air is there and we forget that air is stuff. So it’s helpful to refer to experiments that kids have completed—like trying to pour water into a sealed bottle (experiment #1 ). The water won’t go in because the bottle is already full… of air.

And this is our job as teachers—to help kids think like scientists.

4. Nature Abhors a Vacuum: Playing with Suction Cups

Now that we’re beginning to get an idea of where air pressure comes from, what if we could change it? What if we could change the pressure around an object? How would that affect it? In this activity, we play with suction cups. Their shape allows them to trap some air and then change their volume. 

If their volume increases but the amount of air inside stays the same, the pressure will drop. Now the inside pressure is less than the outside pressure. It’s this small difference that makes suction cups stick. The higher outside air pressure is pushing them against the surface, keeping them attached.

This is a good activity to delve into the idea that pressure can come from two different sources. We’ve already looked at what causes the outside, or atmospheric, pressure (air’s weight). 

And now we’re looking at the pressure which comes from the air pushing against the sides of the container. All gasses exhibit this pushiness. This is a more common understanding of air pressure and one that confuses kids when they’re learning about atmospheric pressure.

5. Nature Abhors a Vacuum: Playing in the Tub

Who hasn’t tried this? Umm, a lot of kids apparently. Part of our job as science teachers is to help kids play with materials so they can discover concepts on their own. Play builds a library of phenomena and experiences that kids can refer to when unpacking their understandings.  Here they see how they can lift a full, upside-down cup and it doesn’t empty. It remains full until the rim of the cup breaks the surface of the water. They can use a bottle of any shape or size and see the same results.

What keeps the water in the cup? 

Water seeks its level by falling to the lowest point. But for water to leave this cup, a vacuum would have to form in the space since there’s no way for air to enter. The surrounding air pressure pushes on the surface of the water and holds the water in the cup. 

What if the cup were very tall, wouldn’t the pressure from the water in the cup overwhelm the atmospheric pressure? Yup!

Normal air pressure is about 15 pounds per square inch. For a one inch column of water to weigh 15 pounds, it would need to be about 32 feet high. 

Above 32 feet a vacuum would form and the water would not stay higher than that. This is the basis for early barometers. These were made with mercury because it’s super dense and therefore short enough to fit inside a room. Making a water barometer is a cool experiment if you have the time and space for it.

Do you see the barometer here? The sealed tube of mercury is inverted into an open dish of mercury, just like the experiment we did with the cup and water. As the room’s air pressure rises and falls because of changing weather, the height of the mercury will rise and fall.

(Click the image to go to the full painting)

6. Determining Density: An Experiment for Kids

This is the classic way to find the density of an object. While you can use anything that sinks, I prefer polymer clay. It’s sold under brand names Fimo and Sculpey, but there are off-brands too. The beauty of this clay is that it doesn’t dry out, doesn’t leave a residue, and you can use it in water. 

But why clay? By using clay, you can show that density is a quality of a substance. It doesn’t change if you have more or less of the substance. Kids can calculate the density for two or three different-sized lumps to prove this to themselves.

Click the image to go to the lab directions.

7. How do Boats Float? A Buoyancy Lab

You can understand floating and sinking in two ways: 

First, you can look at the way pressure changes with the depth or height of a fluid. As we saw in Activity #3 above, the pressure in a fluid depends on how deep the fluid is. The deeper you are, the higher the pressure is. So, if you’re standing in water, the pressure at your feet is higher than near your head. This difference in pressure causes a force that pushes you upward.

Do you float? It depends. You also have a downward force (your weight) so these two forces work against each other and the larger one wins. 

Another way to look at sinking and floating is to realize that water holds up the water above it. If you could remove a chunk of water and replace it with another object of identical size, will that object float or sink? It depends. If the object weighs more than the same volume of water, then it will sink. If it weighs less, it will float. And if it weighs exactly the same, it will neither float nor sink but stay where you put it.

It’s this second idea that we’re exploring here. We’re determining how much water an object displaces and whether that amount of water weighs more or less than the object. The cool thing about this procedure is that you can use it with floating objects. Here the boat displaces an amount of water. If we collect and weigh this water, we see that it weighs more than the entire boat. Here we're using polymer clay which is cool because it won't float if it's a solid ball, but it does float if its shaped like a boat. You could also use a square of foil to shape an aluminum foil boat but it's a little less forgiving when trying to reshape it multiple times..

So the weight of the boat (a downward force) is less than what the water can support (the upward force) and the boat floats. If we loaded the boat with weights, it would still displace the same amount of water. When would it sink? At the point when its weight increased beyond the weight of the displaced water. 

I like this setup because it’s simple and cheap to make and is easy to store.

8. Air Is Compressible: How to Deflate a Marshmallow

This activity uses two different pumps—one that pumps air into a bottle and one that pumps air out of a bottle. Can you think what beverage you might use each for?

I love using marshmallows for this since they’re soooo visual. This always draws a WOW from kids and they want to do it over and over. When you pump air in, the marshmallows contract and when you pump the air out, they expand. The marshmallows fatigue over time, but you can use them a few times for sure.

Here we’re back to exploring the idea that air pressure is a function of how much gas is inside a confined space. If you add more molecules to the space, the pressure goes up and if you take some out, the pressure drops. This doesn’t explain surrounding (ambient) air pressure or why that rises and falls, but it’s an important part of understanding.

9. Out with a Bang: Heat Causes Expansion

This is another not-to-be-missed activity that your students will want to try over and over. It’s simple and quick. I let them do it themselves, though I supervised closely.

Add a centimeter or two of water to an empty can. Place it on a hot plate until the water is at or near boiling. Using tongs, remove the can and invert it into a bowl of water. BANG! The can collapses instantly.

What’s going on? As you heat the water, it turns to gas and drives out much of the air that was filling the can. Since the water vapor is hot, it doesn’t take much to fill the can. When you place the can into the water, it cools and the water vapor condenses. The pressure in the can drops dramatically (since it’s sealed and no air can get in) and the higher outside air crushes the can.

Sometimes the can doesn’t get crushed, but fills with water. Can you see why? Here, the air pressure pushes water into the can until the air pressure inside and outside are equal. It’s the same explanation but with a different outcome. And if this happens, you can reuse the can for another try!

10. Local Pressure: Heat Causes Expansion

This is the last in our lineup. Here we add some very hot water to a milk jug and swirl it around to heat the plastic. Next we dump out the water and cap the jug and wait. Before long the jug implodes. It’s not as dramatic as the previous demo but it gets the point across. I appreciate doing different setups that focus on the same concepts. It helps solidify ideas.

Plus, we’re scientists, we repeat stuff.

As much as possible, we begin with concrete experiences that kids use to construct their understanding based on what they’re seeing. A sequence like this forms the basis of our comprehension and gives us something to discuss and return to again and again.

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Science project, all about air pressure.

Grade Level

Safety issues, none material availability.

All materials readily available.

Project Time Frame

3-4 weeks objective.

This project explores the nature of air pressure. The goals of this project are:

• To discover the applications of air pressure.
• To develop exciting new demonstrations of air pressure.

Materials and Equipment

• Computer with Internet access
• Color printer
• Digital camera
• Typical office/hobby/hardware/craft supplies (paper, poster board, glue, etc.)
• Leaf blower and/or hand-held blow dryer
• Toilet paper
• Latex balloons
• Plastic drinking straws

All materials can be found in your home, at local stores, or on ebay.

Introduction

Air pressure is the amount of air being forced against a surface. It's the reason why planes, birds and insects fly. It's the reason why balloons and bubbles float. In this project we find surprising ways to demonstrate air pressure, and discuss the ways in which air pressure is used, in both nature and technology.

Research Questions

• How do airplanes stay in the air?
• How does a balloon float?
• How else can we use air pressure?

Terms and Concepts to Start Background Research

• Bernoulli's Principle

Experimental Procedure

• Read overview of relevant topics (see bibliography below and terms listed above)
• Address all of the above terms and research questions.
• Search and print out interesting images depicting devices that use air pressure.
• Take your own photographs throughout the course of the experiment.
• Place a raw potato on the table.
• Holding the straw near the bottom, try to stab the potato.
• Now hold another straw so that your thumb securely covers the hole on top, and try again to penetrate the potato. Observe the difference and figure out why.
• Next, carefully cut off a large piece of the lemon peel, and cut out the shape of a rocket or a fish or anything you like from the peel.
• Cut off the neck of a latex balloon.
• Fill mason jar with water all the way to the top, and float the lemon peel on the water.
• Cover the jar tightly with the balloon, and tightly secure it with a rubber band.
• With your finger, gently press down on the balloon-lid, and watch the lemon peel dive to the bottom. Remove your finger and watch it shoot back up to the top.
• Carefully record all observations.
• Try the experiments described in the link below, using the materials mentioned above.
• Make up your own air pressure demonstrations with balloons, bendy straws, ping pong balls, or whatever you can dream up.
• Analyze your data.
• Interpret your findings in a detailed report.
• Include interesting photos, diagrams and demonstrations in your science fair display.

Bibliography

• http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000037 (Fun experiment!)
• http://www.kids-science-experiments.com/cat_pressure.html (Other experiments)
• Internet searches of your choosing. Search words or terms listed here, or make up your own phrases. Click on any results you find interesting. Have fun surfing the net!

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Home › Blog › Kids Activities › Learning Activities › 2 Easy Hands-On Air Pressure Science Experiments for Kids

2 Easy Hands-On Air Pressure Science Experiments for Kids

Published Dec 01, 2023

Updated Jul 15, 2024

Let’s explore air pressure with kids with these fun and easy science experiments that work for kids of all ages, even toddlers and preschoolers. Here are two air pressure experiments that are super simple, use items from around the house and are a great way to play with science at home or in the classroom.

Explaining the concept of air pressure to preschoolers can be tricky. It can sometimes be difficult for them to grasp the idea that spaces are filled with air, and that air can have force and move objects.

Related: Simple Machines for Kids

Air pressure is the weight of air molecules pressing down on the Earth. The pressure of the air molecules changes as you move upward from sea level into the atmosphere. The highest pressure is at sea level where the density of the air molecules is the greatest. #savethearticle form.seva-form.formkit-form .formkit-field:nth-child(2), #savethearticle form.seva-form.formkit-form .formkit-field:nth-child(3) { display: none; } .formkit-form { background: none !important; border: 4px solid #06B5A5 !important; } .formkit-form [data-style="minimal"]{ padding: 20px !important; } .formkit-form .formkit-header h2, .formkit-form p { text-align: left; } .formkit-form .formkit-header { margin-bottom: 0 !important; } .formkit-form .formkit-header h2 { font-size: 32px !important; margin: 10px 0 !important; color: #E21872 !Important; } .formkit-form .formkit-subheader { margin-top: 0 !important; } .formkit-form .formkit-subheader p { font-size: 16px !important } .formkit-form .seva-fields.formkit-fields .formkit-field { flex: 70% !important; margin-right: 10px !important; width: 70%; } .formkit-form .seva-fields.formkit-fields button { flex: 20% !important; width: 20%; flex: 11% !important; background-color: #8BC63F !important; text-decoration: none; color: #fff !important; height: 46px; } .formkit-form .seva-fields.formkit-fields button > * { transition: unset !important } .formkit-form .seva-fields.formkit-fields button:hover { background-color: #F6941D !important; color: #fff !important; } .formkit-form .formkit-guarantee { display: none } .formkit-form .formkit-alert-success { background: none !important; border-color: transparent !important; color: #000 !important; } @media (max-width: 580px){ .formkit-form .seva-fields.formkit-fields button { flex: 25% !important; } .formkit-form .seva-fields.formkit-fields { display: grid !important } .formkit-form .seva-fields.formkit-fields .formkit-field { flex: 100% !important; width: 100%; margin-right: 0 !important; min-width: auto; } .formkit-form .seva-fields.formkit-fields button { width: 100%; flex: 100% !important; min-width: auto; } } jQuery(document).ready(function(){ setTimeout(() => { let _title = jQuery('.single .entry-title:first').text(); let _url = window.location.href; jQuery('#savethearticle form.seva-form.formkit-form .formkit-field:nth-child(2) input').attr('value', _title); jQuery('#savethearticle form.seva-form.formkit-form .formkit-field:nth-child(3) input').attr('value', _url); }, 1000) }); – Kids Fun Science , What is Air Pressure

Air Pressure Experiments for Kids

These simple air pressure experiments are great way to offer kids a visual demonstration of these concepts. They can feel the air on their skin and see it moving objects. It is also a lot of fun!

Air Pressure Experiment 1: Force and Pressure Experiment

In the first of our air pressure experiments for kids we will be investigating force and pressure and how that relates to air pressure.  It is an easy way to demonstrate air pressure.  Using simple things from around the house like a sponge and straw, they will be able to physically propel an object with just air!

Air Pressure Experiment 2: Water Bottle Air Pressure Experiment

In the second of our air pressure experiments, kids will see how air pressure can be used in a water bottle in the most unexpected way.  They will be able to control actions inside the water based on the air pressure.  This experiment uses a soda bottle.

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Force and Pressure Experiment

This air pressure activity is so simple to set up.

Supplies Needed

• 2 Kitchen sponges
• Drinking straw
• Plastic bag that zips like a Ziploc bag
• Pom poms , toy cars and anything else that they might want to move

Instructions for Simple Air Pressure Experiment

• Simply place the two kitchen sponges, one on top of the other, inside the plastic zip lock bag.
• Place the drinking straw between the two sponges so that one end of the straw is inside the bag and the other end is sitting outside the bag.
• Seal up the bag.
• In addition to closing the zip lock seal on the bag, you will also need to seal it with adhesive tape. The tape is not showing in the photo above. We first tested it out by just closing the zip seal but the bag burst open during the experiment. So, seal up your bag with adhesive tape and then you are ready to play!
• Blow into the straw to inflate the bag.

Ziploc Bag Experiment that Moves Items

6. Now place a pom pom on a flat surface and place the bag behind them so that the straw is positioned to blow the pom pom.

7. Press down hard on the sponges and watch the pom pom roll away!

Our Experience with this Science Activity

My son decided he wanted the pom pom to be moved with much greater momentum so he blew air into the straw, filling up the bag as much as he could. He then gave it another try and the pom pom really flew off the table this time around. He loved experimenting with low pressure and high pressure moments.

Car Ziploc Bag Experiment

Here are some simple ways to vary the air pressure activity for more hands-on science learning:

• Try holding the bag at different angles. How does this affect the pom pom?
• It would be fun to turn this into a game of air-soccer.
• Simply lay a container (eg a tin can, a paper cup or an empty tin can) on its side and try to shoot the pom pom into the goal.
• We also tried to move other objects such as toy cars and LEGO mini figures. Some of them moved and others didn’t.
• Our favorite was definitely the car ziploc bag combination!  It was really cool to see a Hot Wheels car speed across the table only powered by air pressure.

Air Pressure Experiment #1 Results

Try to make predictions about what you think will be moved and then test your theories.

Can you think why some objects are moved by the air and others aren’t?

Have kids record what happens.  Younger kids like preschoolers can make drawings of their predictions and then results.  Older kids can write out what they think will happen and then what did.

That was fun!  Let’s go on to the next of our air pressure experiments…

Water Bottle Air Pressure Experiment

Since air pressure is a big concept for preschoolers to understand, this fun and simple science experiment is a great hands-on demonstration of air pressure.

Kids love watching the straw dancing and bobbing around in the water bottle and it’s a great activity for strengthening hand muscles as they squeeze the bottle as hard as they can, to move the straw up and down.

You likely have everything you already need at the house. 

• An empty soda or water bottle with the label removed (you need to be able to see inside!)
• A small amount of play dough, plasticine or clay

How To Demonstrate Air Pressure To Kids with a Water Bottle

This air pressure activity is easy to do.  Here are the steps to the second of our air pressure experiments:

• Cut a small length of straw
• Plug one end of the straw with the play dough
• On the opposite end of the straw, make a ring of play dough around the outside of the straw (so the straw is weighted but is open at that end)
• Fill the bottle three quarters full with water
• Drop the straw into the mouth of the bottle and screw on the lid
• Now to the fun part…

Squeeze the bottle as hard as you can and watch what happens……

The straw will sink!

TIP : If your straw is not sinking try squeezing the bottle at the top where there is no water. Also try lifting the bottle off the table when you squeeze.

Air Pressure Experiment #2 Results

So what is air pressure and what’s actually happening in the bottle?  

• When you drop the straw into the bottle, the air inside it makes it float. When you squeeze the bottle, the space inside is compressed, that is, there is less space for the air to circulate so the pressure inside the bottle increases.
• 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.

Air Pressure Experiments Questions Answered…

1. what is an example of air pressure.

Anytime force is exerted onto a surface by air is an example of air pressure.  One that we see everyday (and may not even think about it) is the tires on our car.  The car tires are filled with air that cannot escape.  The weight of the car pushes on the air in the tires and the air “pushes” back.

2. What is the principle of air pressure?

Bernoulli’s principle stats that an increase in the speed of a fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid’s potential energy.

Air is fluid.  It flows and can change shape.

3. What is the earth’s atmospheric pressure?

The standard, or near-average,  atmospheric pressure  at sea level on the  Earth is 1013 millibars, or 760 millimeters of mercury.  I liked the way this article at National Geographic explained it.

4. Is humidity related to air pressure?

Yes because air that is humid is much lighter and has less weight to press down resulting in lower pressure.

5. What does air pressure mean for kids?

Even though it might not feel like it, air has weight and presses in on anything it touches. These are the forces that we are talking about. Anytime force is exerted onto a surface by air is an example of air pressure. Another example is the  pressure the weight of an air molecule exerts pressing down on the earth.  This is a big component of weather, sea level and atmospheric pressure.

More Science Experiment Fun from Kids Activities Blog

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How did your air pressure experiment go?

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18 Comments

Love these activities. Slight edit: (science/math teacher here…) the reason the straw sinks is that the pressure causes the contents of the straw to become MORE DENSE, not heavier. (Think about huge, extremely heavy ships which float, while tiny light pebbles sink). When you squeeze the bottle, the weight of the bottle does not change, but it takes up a smaller amount of space.

Thank you so much for posting these air pressure activities- they are great! I plan to use them as precursors for some paper airplane STEM investigations.

We are so glad that you are enjoying our STEM activities! Thank you for the information!

This is really funny … My boys will like it indeed!????

We tried this but it worked best without the sponges. We can’t figure out the purpose of the sponges.

This is such a great fun idea! We love doing science experiments, especially those that involve a little playing 🙂 Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Weekly Blog Hop and linking up! You are featured this week as one of my favorites from last weeks hop!

This is a really cute hands-on science experiment that looks like a lot of fun. We are doing my Weather Detective unit on Pressure soon and I think I will do this experiment with it 🙂 Thank you for sharing and for linking up this week to the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop.

My boys would love this acti9vity

Great little science activity for kids! I like it. 🙂

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FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

• TeachEngineering
• Air Pressure Experiments: I Can't Take the Pressure!

Hands-on Activity Air Pressure Experiments: I Can't Take the Pressure!

Grade Level: 5 (4-6)

Time Required: 1 hour

Expendable Cost/Group: US $1.00

Group Size: 4

Activity Dependency: None

Associated Informal Learning Activity: I Can't Take the Pressure!

Subject Areas: Algebra

NGSS Performance Expectations:

Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

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• Word Origins & Metaphors: Take Their Word for It!
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TE Newsletter

Engineering connection, learning objectives, materials list, worksheets and attachments, more curriculum like this, introduction/motivation, troubleshooting tips, activity extensions, activity scaling, user comments & tips.

Air pressure is a concept that is important for engineers from all fields to understand. For instance, environmental engineers must understand air pressure because it affects the way in which air pollution travels through the air. Especially in highly populated areas, engineers work with local communities to understand their unique weather and atmospheric conditions, and suggest public and industry behavior and policy changes to keep the air quality at a safe level for breathing. They also create new prevention technologies that address air pollution at the sources.

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Compare atmospheric pressure (in psi) to the pressure exerted by an object (weight per unit area, in psi).
• Explain why air pressure changes with altitude.
• Identify the locations of high and low pressure in an experiment.
• Describe how engineers must understand air pressure because it affects the way in which air pollution travels via air.
• Identify aspects of pressure that are important to consider in engineering aircraft designs.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science.

Common Core State Standards - Math

View aligned curriculum

Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State standards, colorado - math, colorado - science.

Student Activity 1: The Strength of Air Pressure

• activity worksheets (3) and reference sheet, 1 set per student; How Great Is Atmospheric Pressure? - Worksheet 1 , Amount of Air Pressure on a Square Table and Graph - Worksheet 2 , Air Pressure Chart - Worksheet 3 , Air Pressure vs. Altitude Data and Graph Reference Sheet
• graph paper, 1-square-inch grid; 1 sheet per student; online source of printable graph paper: http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6169.html
• index cards, 1 per student
• sets of 4 objects that will be weighed, such as a textbook, novel, magazine and dictionary; 1 set per group (have one group weigh themselves as the objects)
• tape, to share with the class
• balance (triple beam, small digital, bathroom scale, etc.), to share with the class

Student Activity 2: Air Pressure and Altitude

• Necco or Vanilla Wafers, or colored tiles/blocks, 14 per student
• paper, pencil, ruler; for each student
• (optional) 1 gallon of water, to show students what 8.5 lbs. of weight feels like

Demo 1: Aluminum Can Crush

• 1 aluminum soda can
• 1 large beaker or bucket
• 1 hot plate
• 1 pair of tongs
• 1 cup tap water
• bucket of ice water
• (optional) trivet, to prevent damage to counter top from heated can

Pressure is defined as the amount of force applied per unit area or as the ratio of force to area (P = F/A). The pressure an object exerts can be calculated if its weight (the force of gravity on an object) and the contact surface area are known. For a given force (or weight), the pressure it applies increases as the contact area decreases.

To better understand this, have students hold a large book flat on their outstretched hands and notice how much pressure the book puts on it. Then, have them try to balance the book on the tip of their index fingers. How much pressure does it seem to exert now?

It is also important to note that air pressure decreases with increasing altitude (see Figure 1 and Table 1). Table 1 lists the air pressure for specific elevations. See the Air Pressure vs. Altitude Data and Graph Reference Sheet for more detailed comparison.

Pressure is measured in various units. Scientists and engineers typically use the metric unit Pascal (Pa). A Pascal is defined as the pressure exerted by a 1 Newton weight (1 kg under Earth's force of gravity) resting on an area of 1 square meter. Below is a list of some of the common units used to measure pressure , and their equivalents. Please note that there are many other units that may be used.

At sea level, the atmospheric air pressure can be represented as any of the following:

• 1.013 x 10 5 Pa (Pascal or N/m 2 )
• 1 atm (atmosphere)
• 760 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury)
• 14.7 lb/in 2 (psi, pounds force per square inch; if 1-pound weight rests on 1-square inch of surface area, the pressure is 1 psi)

Humans are relatively permeable to air (it can move easily in and out of our bodies) and that is why our internal pressure stays the same as the pressure of the surrounding (ambient) air. This is the same reason why fish are not crushed in the depths of the ocean; they are permeable to water. Although the atmosphere exerts a significant amount of pressure on everything in our environment, the only time most people are aware of air pressure is when it changes (such as changes in altitude, for example, as you drive up a mountain).

As you climb in elevation, the atmospheric pressure decreases while the pressure in your middle ear may remain constant, causing a difference in pressure. This pressure difference causes your eardrums to bulge and possibly produce pain. Yawning relieves the pain because the action opens the small Eustachian tubes between your ear and pharynx allowing air to escape from your middle ear into the atmosphere though your nose and mouth. As the pressure is equalized, your ear "pops" when the eardrum snaps back into its normal position.

Engineers who design airplanes study air pressure. Airplane cabins are "pressurized." This means the inside of the plane maintains a constant pressure of about 14 pounds per square inch regardless of the pressure outside of the cabin. At high altitudes, the air has a very low pressure, which affects the way we breathe. This same effect occurs when people move from sea level locations, such as New York City, to the mountains, such as Denver, CO. Often, it takes a few weeks for their bodies to adjust to the lower pressure.

Before the Activity

• Gather materials and make copies of the reference sheet and three worksheets ( 1 , 2 , 3 ).
• If balances and scales are not available in your classroom, determine the mass of the objects before class and provide students with the information.
• Practice the aluminum can demonstration.
• Ask students to define air pressure. If necessary, remind them the properties of air: it has mass, it takes up space, it can move, it exerts pressure (it pushes on things) and it can do work.
• Ask: How strong is atmospheric air pressure? (Is it as much pressure as an ant standing on 1 square inch would exert? Or, an elephant? Or, 12 elephants?)
• Tell students they are going to compare the pressure that different objects exert on the Earth (due to gravity) to atmospheric air pressure.
• Divide the class into groups of four students each.
• Distribute to each group the worksheets, graph paper, index cards and four objects (for one group, the four objects could be themselves).
• Have the students determine the mass of their objects and record it on the worksheet 1 (see Figure 2). Direct the group that is weighing themselves to each stand on one flat foot on the scale while the measurement is made.

• Direct students to place their object on the grid paper in the same orientation as it was when it was on the balance (the position does not affect the mass, but it affects the contact/surface area value and thus, the ultimate pressure). Have students carefully trace around the object, add up the squares and record the contact area on their worksheets. Have the group that is weighing themselves trace around the foot they stood on. Students may need some help estimating and rounding for partial squares.
• Have students record on their worksheets the data for every group member.
• Ask students to calculate the pressure that each of the objects exerts. (P = F/A, in this case F = weight of the object.)
• Have students write the name of their objects and the resulting pressures on index cards and tape them to the classroom board.
• Have students rearrange the cards in order of increasing pressure.
• On their worksheets, have students predict which object they think has the closest value to the air pressure around them and explain why. Ask a few students to share their predictions.
• Share the actual value of the air pressure with the students (about 14.7 psi at sea level). Were they surprised with the results?
• Ask the class: Does air pressure change with altitude? If so, how does it change? Why do they think this happens?
• Direct students to each build a tower using wafers or colored tiles/blocks that is 14-wafers tall (see Figure 3).

• Ask students: How does this model represent air pressure changing with altitude? (Listen to student explanations.) Explanation: Imagine that the wafers are the air in the atmosphere and that the bottom wafer is at sea level—the lowest point in the troposphere. The top wafer is a higher layer in the stratosphere or some place like the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Imagine that you are standing at sea level, the level of the bottom wafer. The air pressure at sea level is the highest, because at that point all the air (wafers) is pressing on everything. Now imagine that you are standing on/near the top of the stack, at a higher altitude. Here, much less air (fewer wafers) are pressing on each other, thus the air pressure is less than at sea level.
• Share the sea level air pressure with students (14.7 psi) and the air pressure in your city (for example, Denver, CO, at one-mile high, is about 12.4 psi).
• Ask students to describe in their own words how air pressure changes with altitude, recording their information on worksheet 1.
• Variation: Stack books or pillows in students' laps/arms so they can "feel" the different pressures instead of just visualizing with the wafers.
• Eat the candy or cookie wafers.
• In Denver, the Earth's atmosphere has a force of about 12 pounds per square inch (psi). For reference, a gallon of milk or water weighs about 8 pounds. Show the students what a 1 inch by 1 inch square looks like. Now show the students what a 2 x 2-inch square looks like, and ask them how many pounds would be pressing down on that square. (Answer: 48) See the Amount of Air Pressure on a Square - Worksheet 2 , for a comparison of pressures at the altitudes of Boston, MA, and Denver, CO.
• Ask: How many pounds would be pressing on a 3 x 3-inch square? (Answer: 108) A 4 x 4-inch? (Answer: 192) Direct the students to complete the  Air Pressure Chart - Worksheet 3 .
• Ask: Do you see a pattern? What happens every time the square increases by one in 2 ? (Answer: The pounds of force increases by 12.)
• The average pressure on a middle school student is 24,000 pounds! Ask: Do you feel that pressure? Why don't you feel that pressure? (See if students can explain. Answer: Humans are permeable to air. Air exists inside the body, too—from breathing, through the skin, ears, etc.—and that air balances out the pressure on the outside of the body.)
• Fill the bucket with ice water.
• Fill the soda can with approximately 1 cm of water.
• Place the soda can on the hot plate until the water boils. Be alert to not let the can boil dry!
• Use the tongs to carefully remove the can from the heat and place it in an upright position on the tabletop (or trivet).
• Ask: Do you see any change in the can? (See Figure 4.) Direct students to record their observations on worksheet 1
• Repeat the heating process. This time, when you remove the can with the tongs, quickly invert it and submerge the can opening in the bucket of ice water.
• Ask: Do you see any change in the can? (See Figure 4.) Direct students to record their observations on worksheet 1.

• Direct students to draw a diagram of the experimental results. Have them indicate where the pressure must be the highest with a letter H and the lowest with a letter L. (Answer: Air pressure is lowest, L, inside the overturned can and highest, H, outside the can and around the experiment.)
• Ask: Why do you think the can was crushed? (Listen to some student explanations. Answer: Before heating, the pressure inside and outside the can is the same. We assume the pressures on both sides remain approximately the same while heating since the can does not deform. As the water boils, the air that escapes from the can is gradually replaced by water vapor until the internal atmosphere is composed almost completely of water vapor. When the can is removed from the heat, the vapor pressure drops dramatically. It decreases from 101.3 kPa at 100 ºC to about 2.3 kPa at room temperature. Therefore, as the temperature drops to room temperature, the pressure inside the can drops 97%. If the can is open to the atmosphere, air flows back into the can as the water condenses and keeps the pressure essentially constant. However, if the opening of the can is submerged, the vapor in the can cannot equilibrate with the atmosphere. In the bucket of water, the temperature in the can decreases and the water vapor condenses, creating a pressure difference of almost 99 kPa. Water is forced in to fill this partial vacuum, but before it does, air pressure on the walls implodes the can. Note that the collapsed can contains water (more than when you started), indicating water entered at the same time the walls collapsed.
• Have students work in pairs to answer the following questions:
• The air inside an aircraft is kept at a pressure similar to what human bodies experience at the Earth's surface. Knowing this, what can you say about the pressure difference between the air inside a plane versus the air outside a plane, once a plane is 30,000 ft above the Earth's surface? (Answer: The air pressure is much lower outside the plane than inside the plane.)
• Is pressure pushing from the inside of the plane outwards? Or, is pressure pushing on the outside on the plane inwards? It may help to figure this out by sketching a plane and using arrows to indicate the direction of pressure. (Answer: Pressure is pushing from the inside [high pressure] to the outside where the pressure is lower.)
• How might engineers incorporate this knowledge into their airplane designs? (Answer: Engineers design airplanes, jets, rockets and space shuttles to be strong enough so they do not explode when high in the atmosphere and in conditions in which the inside and outside air pressures are different. The material needs to be much stronger than an aluminum can!)

Pre-Activity Assessment

Discussion Questions : Solicit, summarize and integrate student responses to the following questions. After the discussion, explain that these questions will be answered during the upcoming demonstrations and activities. Ask the students:

• What is air pressure?
• How strong is atmospheric air pressure? Is it as much pressure as an ant standing on 1 square inch would exert? Or, an elephant? Or, 12 elephants?

Activity Embedded Assessment

Activity Sheets : Use the three worksheets and reference sheet to help students follow along with the activity. Review their answers to gauge their depth of comprehension.

Post-Activity Assessment

Student-Generated Questions : Ask each student to come up with one question to ask the class, based on the content of the activity. The students may require help in generating the questions. Call on a few students to ask their questions.

Safety Issues

• Make sure that students understand that they could get burned if they touch the hot plate or hot can.
• Make sure the hot plate is turned off when not in use.

In English, we use the term "weight" when we really mean mass. Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Weight is the force of gravity on a particular mass. Students may need some clarification. To add to the confusion, we also use the unit of pounds for both! However, mass is measured in pounds-mass and weight in pounds-force.

During the calculation of contact area, students may need some help estimating and rounding for partial squares. It may help to do a quick example on the classroom board or overhead projector.

You may want to start the water boiling in the aluminum can while conducting Student Activity 2: Air Pressure and Altitude—just do not forget about it and let it boil dry!

When the can is dunked in the bucket of cold water, it is crushed very quickly, so have students gather around so they can see what happens. It is highly recommended that you practice this activity in advance.

If calculating pressures exerted at sea level is too difficult, it may be easier to provide the square areas 1-12 or perform the calculations using the air pressure in Denver (12 psi).

Have students do all their measurements and calculations in metric units. Use the following conversion factors:

1 cm 2 = 0.001 m 2

1 lb = 0.454 kg

1 in 2 = 6.45 cm 2 = 0.000645 m 2

1 Pa = 1.45 x 10 -4 lb/in 2

1 kg mass weighs 9.8 N

Change the size of the grid students use to calculate the surface area of their feet. For example, use a 1 cm 2 grid, or a ½ in 2 grid.

Make a graph that shows how air pressure changes with altitude.

Relate the concepts explored in this activity to water pressure deep in the ocean.

• For grades 3 and 4, the multiplication and division may need to be modified; expect students to be able to do the multiplication with a calculator.
• For grades 1 and 2, conduct this activity as a class. Use tape and an index card to label items with the pressure that they exert, and have each student take a card. Ask students to arrange themselves (and the cards) in order of increasing pressure.

For grade 6 students:

• Rather than demonstrate the squares to the students, have them measure their own 1 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 3, and 4 x 4-inch square and find the pressure.
• The average surface area for an elementary school student is about 2,000 in 2 . Rather than telling students this information, have them calculate the amount of air pressure pushing down on them (24,000 lbs.).
• Have students calculate the force for other areas such as one square foot (144 in 2 ), a football field (approx. 8,000,000 in 2 ).
• Have students plot square inches vs. force on a graph.
• The average force of the atmosphere at sea level (New York City = 87 ft., San Diego = 13 ft. and Boston = 10 ft. — all close to sea level) is 15 pounds per square inch (almost 2 gallons of milk). Have students repeat their calculations for the pressure a sea level.

For grade 3 students:

• The average force of the atmosphere at sea level (New York City = 87 ft., San Diego = 13 ft. and Boston = 10 ft.—all close to sea level) is 15 pounds per square inch (almost 2 gallons of milk). Have students repeat their calculations for the pressure at sea level.
• Have students complete the Amount of Air Pressure on a Square - Worksheet 2 , and make predictions for several other squares such as 100 x 100.

For grade 2 students, simplify the psi (pounds per square inch) from 12 to 10 for easier calculations.

Students build and observe a simple aneroid barometer to learn about changes in barometric pressure and weather forecasting.

Air pressure is pushing on us all the time although we do not usually notice it. In this activity, students learn about the units of pressure and get a sense of just how much air pressure is pushing on them.

Students learn about the fundamental concepts important to fluid power, which includes both pneumatic (gas) and hydraulic (liquid) systems.

Students learn about the underlying engineering principals in the inner workings of a simple household object – the faucet. Students use the basic concepts of simple machines, force and fluid flow to describe the path of water through a simple faucet.

Cunningham, J. and Herr, N. Hands-on Physics Activities with Real-Life Application . West Nyack, NY: The Center for Applied Research in Education, p. 188-210, 1994.

Quarter-Inch Graph Paper (printable). Copyright 2000-2004. Teacher Vision, Family Education Network, Pearson Education, Inc. (source of printable graph paper) Accessed on September 17, 2020. http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6169.html

Walpole, Brenda. 175 Science Experiments to Amuse and Amaze Your Friends . Random House, p. 72, 1988.

UNESCO. 700 Science Experiments for Everyone . New York, NY: Doubleday, p. 79, 1958.

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation (GK-12 grant no. 0338326). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or the National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: September 17, 2020

Balloon and Jar Air Pressure Experiment

by Science Explorers | Mar 29, 2021 | Blog | 0 comments

Air pressure experiments for children are a fun way to introduce kids to a new scientific concept. Kids and adults alike have a blast with this balloon and jar air pressure experiment. The experiment shows children what happens when the air pressure inside a jar changes by using just a few materials. It’s the perfect lesson for elementary school-age children with adult supervision.

Learn more about our virtual and in-person science camps!

What You’ll Need

To perform the experiment, you’ll need:

• Water balloon.
• Piece of paper.

Safety Note

This experiment uses fire. Children must be supervised and should not perform the experiment on their own.

How to Conduct the Experiment

Follow these instructions to suck a water balloon into a jar using air pressure:

• Fill the balloon:   Fill the water balloon until it’s slightly wider than the neck of the jar and tie the balloon.
• Place the balloon on the jar:   Place the jar on a flat surface and rest the balloon on top of the open jar.
• Demonstrate with the water balloon:   Help the kids push down slightly on the balloon to show them it won’t fit inside the jar.
• Remove balloon:   After demonstrating, remove the balloon from the container.
• Get your matches:   Light a piece of paper with a match and drop it in the jar.
• Place the balloon again:   When the fire starts to grow, place the balloon back over the mouth of the jar.
• Watch the reactions:   Observe what happens to the balloon and the fire. The balloon will begin to shake, and the fire will be extinguished as the balloon is sucked into the jar. The balloon will be sucked about halfway into the container.
• Let the kids try:   Once the fire has died and the jar has cooled, have the children try to remove the balloon. It will be a little challenging!
• Safely remove the balloon:   To remove the water balloon from the jar, start by turning the jar sideways. Place your finger between the container and the balloon to release the suction. The balloon should come out easily after that.

Children will love doing this experiment over and over. To make this air pressure experiment even more fun for kids, let each child pick a balloon to decorate before you fill it with water. This allows children to observe any differences between how the balloons behave, such as which balloon was most difficult to remove and which one worked best.

The Science Behind the Experiment

This experiment is all about air pressure. When you first place the filled balloon atop the jar, air pressure prevents you from pushing it inside. The air trapped inside the jar has nowhere to go, since the balloon covers the opening. At this point, the air pressure within the jar is the same as the air pressure outside it, making it impossible to fit the balloon in.

But when you add the lit piece of paper to the jar, things change. The burning paper causes the air inside the jar to heat up and expand. As the fire grows, the air in the jar will start escaping around the sides of the balloon. When the balloon begins shaking that’s how you know the air is escaping.

The balloon acts as a one-way valve, allowing air within the jar to escape but preventing new air from entering. With less air in the jar, the air pressure drops. At this point, the air pressure within the jar is lower than outside it, which causes the balloon to get sucked in.

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If you’re looking for more fun science activities for your child, we have the perfect programs at Science Explorers. Learn more about our   virtual and in-person summer science camps   and   contact us   for additional information.

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