The Magic of Air: Upside Down Water

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

• Did you know that the air around you is pushing against you?

That's right!

Air doesn't just float around objects but pushes and shoves against everything it comes in contact with! You can't feel it only because it exerts the same amount of force on you from all directions.

This is quite puzzling!

• Can air be used to make water hang upside-down?

It may sound like magic, but it can happen with the power of air — or air pressure! Air pressure, caused by air molecules moving around, can change constantly!

Check in with Flo to see what she can add to the subject of air!

Air can do some AMAZING things! The water did not fall out of the cup.

• Was any magic involved, or did air do all the work?

Air pressure began to build up around the piece of cardboard to hold it in place. At the same time, there were not a lot of air molecules pushing down on the water inside the cup.

Since more air molecules were pushing up on the cardboard than there were pushing down on the water, the card stayed in place!

If you didn't experiment with Flo, go ahead and do it now and see if it works! All you need is a glass filled with water and a piece of cardboard.

• Did it work?

The Got It? section will help you make more connections about air pressure and give you more experiments to try!