Hooked on science: Air takes up space

Grab a few materials from around the house to determine what's invisible, all around us and takes up space.

Materials

* Water

* Bowl

* Transparent cup

* Paper towel

Instructions

STEP 1: Fill the bowl with water.

STEP 2: Place the paper towel into the cup and push the paper towel to the bottom of the cup.

STEP 3: Turn the cup upside-down and then submerge the cup into the bowl of water.

STEP 4: Pull the cup out of the water and remove the paper towel.

Explanation

The air trapped inside the cup takes up space and keeps the paper towel from getting wet.

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