Science Everywhere : Air Pressure
I’ve been helping out a wonderful friend of mine, Ernest Morgan with a project called Science Everywhere. The idea is to show how science is all around us by using everyday materials to demonstrate different science principles.
The first video that will soon be up on Youtube demonstrates how air pressure is all around us . Using every day items like duct tape, garbage bags, a shop vac, we showed how you can use air pressure to suction yourself up against a flat surface.
Thanks to Goorin Bros Hat shop who graciously let us use their store front window for this experiment. Here are a few teaser shots of the day. Check out Science Everywhere’s facebook page and Youtube for the videos and full explanations.
Tips and tricks
- lay the garbage bags down and the ground and tape them together first
- you will need a perfect seal all around the plastic bag in order for this to work. Pay close attention to the legs and neck area.
- never cover your face with the plastic bag! This is very important because if your face is covered when you suction out the air, YOU COULD DIE!
- hold one hand over the vacuum hose to help control the suction. If you don’t do this, it will suck up the plastic bag
- always have a buddy with you
- if you are going to suction yourself to a window, make sure it will hold your weight!
- it will get very hot under the plastic bags
We’ll be doing fun experiements across the city all summer. Follow us on twitter to find out when the next one happens so you can join in! @soundslikeknock @science__ninja