There is no need to see the clouds in the sky when you can make fun clouds at home! All you will need is a glass pitcher or plastic soda bottle and a few household items. Try this easy experiment to make your own cloud in a bottle.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make a Cloud in a Glass Jar
Step 1. Gather your supplies
Gather all the supplies for this science experiment before you begin. Have the following on hand:
- large glass jug (1 gallon capacity)
- matches
- rubber glove
- elastic band
- flashlight or lamp
- food coloring
- Water
Step 2. Pour boiling water into the pitcher
Pour in just enough to cover the bottom of the pitcher. You just have to add a little so that the water can evaporate.
- Stir the water in the jug so that it covers the walls.
- Do this with oven mitts, as the boiling water will make the jug very hot.
Step 3. Put the wrist part of the rubber glove around the mouth of the jug
Set it so that your fingers are pointing into the jug. This will seal the air inside the jar.
Step 4. Try putting your hand in the glove
When your hand is in the glove, raise it up so that your fingers are up. You will see that nothing will happen to the water in the jug.
Step 5. Light a match and drop it into the pitcher
Take the glove out of the jar for a moment only. Light a match (or ask an adult to match) and drop it into the pitcher. Put the glove back on the mouth of the jug so that the fingers point inwards (as before).
The water in the bottom of the jar will extinguish the match and smoke will form inside the jar
Step 6. Put your hand in the glove again
Put your hand in the glove and pull it up. This time, a cloud will form inside the jar. When you put your hand back into the jar, the cloud will disappear.
This will last 5-10 minutes, and then the particles will settle back to the bottom of the jar
Step 7. Illuminate the pitcher with a flashlight
When you shine a flashlight on it, you will be able to see the clouds better.
Step 8. Understand how it works
The air inside the jug is filled with hot water vapor molecules. The air is compressed by the glove, because it occupies part of the space inside the jug. Pulling the glove fingers out of the jug frees up some of the space in the jug. The air inside the jug cools down. Phosphor smoke is like a vehicle that water molecules can adhere to. They stick to smoke molecules, which condense into cloud droplets.
When the glove fingers re-enter the jug, the air inside the jug heats up again and the cloud disappears
Step 9. Try the experiment again with colored clouds
Add a few drops of food coloring to the water at the bottom of the jar. Then cover the jar, drop a lit match, and look at your different colored clouds.
Method 2 of 3: Make a Spray Cloud
Step 1. Gather your supplies
Gather all the supplies for this science experiment before you begin. Have the following on hand:
- Large glass pitcher (1 gallon capacity) with lid
- aerosol (hairspray or air freshener)
- flashlight or lamp
- Water
- dark paper and lantern
Step 2. Pour boiling water into a glass pitcher
Pour in enough to cover the bottom (about 2 cm). Stir the water to warm the pitcher. This will also prevent any possible condensation from forming in the carafe.
The pitcher will be very hot, so be sure to put on oven mitts to support the pitcher
Step 3. Put ice on the lid of the pitcher
Flip the lid of the jar over so that it looks like a small bowl. Put 2 ice cubes on the lid. Put the lid on the top of the jar. Now you will see that some condensation forms in the jar.
Step 4. Spray the jar
Use a spray product like hairspray or air freshener to pour it into the pitcher. Lift the lid with ice and quickly spray some spray into the pitcher. Put the lid back where it was before to catch the spray in the jar.
Step 5. Put a dark paper behind the jar
Use a dark paper to create contrast. In this way, you will be able to see the formation of a cloud in the jar.
You can also use a flashlight to illuminate the jug
Step 6. Open the lid and touch the cloud
When you lift the lid of the jar, the cloud will float out. You can let it go through your fingers.
Step 7. Understand how it works
Pouring boiling water makes the air hot and humid. The ice in the lid serves to cool the air as it rises. Water vapor returns to its liquid state when it cools, but it needs a surface to condense. When you spray the jar, you give the steam a surface. The molecules adhere to the aerosol and condense into cloud droplets.
The clouds are swirling inside the jar, because the air inside will be swirling as well. Hot air rises while cold air descends. You will be able to see the movement of the air as the clouds swirl
Method 3 of 3: Make a Cloud from a Plastic Soda Bottle
Step 1. Gather your supplies
Gather all the supplies for this science experiment before you begin. Have the following on hand:
- Plastic bottle with lid: 1 2-liter soda bottle is ideal for this experiment. Make sure to remove the tag. This way you can see the clouds when they form inside the bottle. It is best to choose a transparent bottle.
- matches
- Water
Step 2. Pour hot water into the bottle
Use hot tap water. Pour in enough to cover the bottom of the bottle (about 2 cm).
- Don't pour boiling water into a plastic bottle. The plastic could melt and the experiment will not work. But the water must be hot. Make sure the water is 130 ° F (54 ° C).
- Stir the water a bit to warm the sides of the bottle.
Step 3. Light a match
Turn it off after a few seconds. Make sure an adult does this step.
Step 4. Bring the extinguished match to the bottle
Tilt the bottle with one hand and insert the head of the match through the mouth of the bottle. Let the smoke from the match fill the bottle, where it will appear to disappear. Throw the match.
Step 5. Screw the cap onto the bottle
Grab the neck of the bottle so you don't squeeze the sides before the cap is screwed on tight. This will prevent smoke or air from escaping.
Step 6. Squeeze the sides of the bottle tightly
Do it 3 or 4 times. Wait a few seconds to re-squeeze the bottle, but after each time, squeeze it longer before releasing it.
Step 7. See if smoke forms in the bottle
You will see your own cloud there! The pressure exerted on the walls of the bottle forces the water particles to compress. When its walls are released, the air expands, thereby lowering the temperature. When the air cools, the particles can stick a little more easily, causing them to collect in droplets around the smoke molecules.
This mimics the process of cloud formation in the sky. Clouds in the sky are made of water droplets that are supported by tiny particles of dust, smoke, ash, or salt
Advice
- Experiment with the number of times you squeeze the bottle and how hard you do it.
- If you don't have matches, you can use a lighter and a piece of paper or an incense stick to make the necessary smoke.
- Experiment with adding a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the water (distilled liquor works, too) to make the cloud more visible.