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Channel your inner superhero and conjur up your weather manipulation skills with this superPOWered Saturday Science experiment. Using easy to find items such as dish washing liquid, water, glitter and a bottle you can make your own mini tornado that’s a lot safer than one you might see on the weather channel. Follow the instructions and enjoy the cool water vortex you create!
Materials
- Water
- A clear plastic bottle with a cap (that won't leak)
- Glitter
- Dish washing liquid
Process
- Fill the plastic bottle with water until it's about 3/4 full.
- Add a couple of drops of dish washing liquid.
- Sprinkle in a few pinches of glitter (this will make your tornado easier to see).
- Put the cap on tightly.
- Turn the bottle upside down and hold it by the neck.
- Quickly spin the bottle in a circular motion for a few seconds, stop and look inside to see if you can see a mini tornado forming in the water.
HINT: You might need to practice a few times before you get it working properly.
Results
Spinning the bottle in a circular motion creates a water vortex that looks like a mini tornado. The water is rapidly spinning around the center of the vortex due to centripetal force (an inward force directing an object or fluid such as water towards the center of its circular path). Vortexes found in nature include tornadoes, hurricanes, and waterspouts (a tornado that forms over water).
Text adapted from Science Kids: Tornado in a Bottle.
