Condensation


Answer each of these questions on a sheet of paper.

ACTIVITY: Cloud in a bottle.

You need to follow these directions exactly. This activity needs to be done with an adult present. You will need: A clear plastic bottle with cap, a temperature strip - available from pet stores), tape, and a match. A two-liter pop bottle works best.

Tape the temperature strip inside the bottle so that you can read it. Screw the bottle cap on tightly. Lay the bottle on it's side so that you can easily read the temperature strip.

What happens?

What happened? You should be able to see a cloud.

In this experiment you saw water molecules condense into a cloud in the bottle. When you squeezed the bottle the air pressure in the bottle increased which raised the temperature. The warmer air caused the water in the bottle to evaporate (it became water vapor) and you could not see it. When you let the bottle pop out, the air pressure in the bottle decreased along with the temperature. This caused the water molecules to condense into a cloud.

With a partner answer these questions:


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