Hooked on Science: Flying styrofoam peanuts

Materials

• Vacuum-cleaner hose
• Styrofoam peanuts

Instructions

• STEP 1: Place several Styrofoam peanuts on a flat surface.
• STEP 2: Spin the vacuum cleaner hose above your head while placing the other end of the hose close to the Styrofoam peanuts, and observe. What happened? Compare what happens to how air moves from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Why do the Styrofoam peanuts fall to the floor?

Explanation

A low pressure forms inside the vacuum hose as you spin it above your head. The higher pressure outside the vacuum hose pushes the Styrofoam peanuts into the hose and out the other end. Air moves from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. This movement of air is called wind. The greater the pressure difference, the stronger the wind.