Posted on

The Unpoppable Balloon

unpoppable balloon experiment

Learn how to stick pins into a balloon without it popping.

We all know what happens when you jab a balloon with a pin. It pops! But what will happen if we apply some sticky tape first?

This is a fun trick to impress your friends and family.

What you’ll need

  • a small balloon
  • Strong sticky tape
  • Pins

How to carry out your experiment

  1. Blow up your balloon then knot the end tightly. You don’t want the balloon to be fully blown up – about 3/4 blown up is good.
  2. Cut 5 pieces of sticky tape and stick firmly onto the balloon. Apply then evenly around the balloon, not all in one spot.
  3. Stick your pins into the balloon where the tape has been applied.

The result

Amazingly, the balloon doesn’t pop when the pins are applied!

The lesson

The sticky tape has an adhesive layer that forms a seal around the pins as they enter the balloon. This means that the air is unable to escape. A balloon will only pop when the air inside it is under pressure and it has a way to escape. The sticky tape stops this from happening.

Posted on

The Dancing Coin Experiment

dancing coin experiment

Learn how to make a coin dance on the top of a bottle

What you’ll need

  • a large plastic bottle
  • any coin large enough to cover the opening of the bottle
  • cup of water

How to carry out your experiment

  1. Place the bottle in the freezer (lid off) and leave for 5-10 minutes to get nice and cool. At the same time, place your coin in the glass of water.
  2. Remove the bottle from the freezer and quickly place the coin on the opening of the bottle.
  3. Sit back and watch the performance.

The result

The coin will start to move, flipping around like a dancing queen. How is that even possible?

The lesson

The science behind this moving coin is similar to our collapsible bottle experiment. When you place the bottle in the freezer, the air inside the bottle cools, shrinks, and uses up less space. There is now room for extra air to flow into the bottle.

When the bottle is removed from the freezer, the cool air begins to warm up again. As it warms, it expands. There isn’t enough room in the bottle for air so it is forced out of the opening at the top. The force of the air is what causes the coin to dance around on the bottle.

Posted on

How to collapse a bottle without crushing it

exptying a bottle of water during the crushed bottle experiment.

Learn how to collapse a bottle without using force to crush it.

What you’ll need

  • A plastic bottle with screw on cap (a nice big one is best)
  • Hot tap water

Warning: Get help from an adult when working with the hot water.

How to carry out your experiment

This experiment is super simple. You’ll half fill your bottle with very hot water and leave it in there for 60 seconds. You can splash it around a little to ensure the hot water heats up the whole bottle. Now pour out the water and screw on the lid as quickly as possible.

The result

Like magic, the bottle will slowly begin to crush inwards!

Special tip: You can speed up the process by dipping the bottle in a large bowl of ice water.

The lesson

The hot water in the bottle not only heats the bottle, it also heats the air inside the bottle. When you remove the water and screw on the lid, the hot air is trapped inside the bottle. Since cool air takes up less space than hot air, there is more space inside the bottle. The air pressure outside the bottle pushes the bottle inwards to fill the extra space inside the bottle.