Tornado in a Bottle
Can you re-create a
tornado with a few simple
supplies?
Materials
• A 2 litre plastic bottle
(empty and clean)
• Water
• Washing up liquid
• Food colouring
• Glitter
Procedure
1.Fill your container about ¾ full with clean water.
2.Add a squirt of washing up liquid, as well as your
glitter or food colouring, if desired
3.Seal the container tightly.
4.Move the bottle rapidly in a circular motion.
After a few seconds, you should see the water
begin swirling. Stop, and watch your tornado!
Try experimenting with more or less water. Does
the amount of water in your bottle have any
effect on the size and speed of the tornado?
Using a bigger bottle may also result in larger
tornados, which will be easier to observe.
Explanation
The swirling motion you
give the bottle forms a
vortex and is an easy way
to create your own tornado.
Watch!
https://www.nationalgeog
raphic.org/video/tornado
es-101/
Play!
https://scijinks.gov/torn
ado-simulation/