Make a Tornado in a Bottle Project
Learn how to make a tornado in a bottle with this fun science experiment for kids. Using easy to find items such as dish washing liquid, water, 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!
What you’ll need:
• Water
• A clear plastic bottle or a plastic jar with a cap (that won’t leak)
• Dish washing liquid
• Two drops of food coloring OR a few pinches of glitter
• Optional – 10 – 15 pieces of aluminum foil pellets (These items would represent the debris that the storm would pick up.)
Instructions:
1. Fill the plastic bottle or the plastic jar with water until it reaches around three quarters full.
2. Add a few drops of dish washing liquid.
3. Sprinkle in a few pinches of glitter or food coloring (this will make your tornado easier to see).
4. Put the cap on tightly.
5. Turn the bottle or jar upside down and hold it by the neck. Quickly spin the bottle in a circular motion for a few seconds, and then stop and look inside to see if you can see a mini tornado forming in the water. You might need to try it a few times before you get it working properly.
What’s happening?
6. 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).
Mrs. Goggans' 4th Grade Scientists 