Okay, the science nerd in me is coming out here. I wish I knew how to
\ndo this growing up, it would have been an awesome science project. I
\njust need to teach Jr. High science, that would be awesome.<\/p>\n
Ever looked up in the sky and wondered just how clouds are made? Bill
\nNye explains the science of clouds and how you can make one at home.<\/p>\n
Get a clear plastic water bottle or soda bottle. Most
\nsizes–half-liter, one-liter, or two-liter–will work fine. Put just a
\nfew drops of water inside. If you started with a full water bottle, the
\nwater drops left over as you finish drinking will do the trick. Have the
\nbottle cap ready; set it on a nearby table, for example. Light a couple
\nmatches; the kind from a regular matchbook will work. Blow the matches
\nout. While they’re still smoking, drop the matches into the bottle.
\nImmediately screw the cap on tightly.<\/p>\n
Now for your cloud: Squeeze the bottle, right in the middle. You can
\nsqueeze pretty hard; then let go. A thin cloud will form inside. When
\nyou squeeze it again, the cloud will disappear. Let go again, and the
\ncloud will re-form. It will work for several cycles. After a while,
\nthough, the bottle leaks, and the smoke particles stick to the inner
\nwall. The cloud will no longer form. But while it’s working, the effect
\nis quite striking.<\/p>\n
How this happens: The droplets of liquid water in the plastic bottle
\nensure that the bottle’s enclosed atmosphere carries water vapor, as
\nwell. The smoke from the matches provides thousands of particles for
\nnucleation. In order for the water vapor to become a liquid, it has to
\nbe cooled. Molecules at any temperature above absolute zero are always
\nin motion, jostling into one another. When you squeeze the bottle, you
\ncompress the air inside; the energy of the moving molecules is squeezed
\ninto a smaller space, and they warm ever so slightly. When you let go,
\nthey cool. And in this demonstration, they usually cool enough to change
\nto a liquid.<\/p>\n
You might wonder why the cloud doesn’t form the moment the match smoke
\nis introduced. It almost does, but the atmosphere in the bottle is too
\nwarm–by just a little bit–to allow this to happen. That slight, slight
\ncooling does the trick. And you may notice that the trick doesn’t last.
\nAfter you form the cloud the first time, the heat of the molecules
\nspreads out again from the smoke particles to the droplets to the
\nsurrounding air, and the liquid water goes back “into solution,” as it
\nis said. The cloud goes away.<\/p>\n
Isn’t that cool!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Okay, the science nerd in me is coming out here. I wish I knew how to do this growing up, it would have been an awesome science project. I just need to teach Jr. High science, that would be awesome. … Continue reading