Hooked on Science: Air is an invisible force

Air. It's invisible, and it's all around us. Learn more about it by using a piece of a vacuum hose and a few other things from around the house.

Materials

* Vacuum cleaner hose

* Styrofoam packing peanuts

Instructions

STEP 1: Place several Styrofoam packing peanuts on a table.

STEP 2: Spin the vacuum cleaner hose above your head while placing the other end of the hose close to the Styrofoam packing peanuts.

Explanation

Low pressure forms inside the vacuum hose as you spin it above your head. The higher pressure outside the vacuum hose pushes the Styrofoam packing peanuts into the hose and out of the other end.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindseyhookedonscience.com. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.