By contributing writer Marci
One concept that can be hard your kids to grasp is that air is matter. Air takes up space and takes up different amounts of space depending on it’s temperature. In this experiment, we will demonstrate these concepts.
Clicking Quarter Experiment
Supplies Needed
- a quarter
- plastic bottle
- freezer
- water
Instructions
1. Place the empty plastic bottle, with the cap removed, in the freezer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the bottle from the freezer and set it on a counter or table.
2. Wet the quarter with a little water and place the quarter over the opening of the freezing cold bottle.
Results
Do you see anything? Do you hear anything?
You should see the quarter moving up and down and making a clicking sound. The air inside the bottle is warming, so it is taking up more space. As it expands, it pushes up the quarter on the top of the bottle. When the quarter comes back down, it makes a clicking noise.
Try this simple experiment with your kids.
Kyle @ Aspired Living says
We made gumdrop and toothpick structures last month! This experiment looks so simple I’m thinking I might be able to do it!! Thank you Marci we always enjoy your simple and practical, non-explosive and educational experiments. This is going to go into my STEM binder too.