Air pressure experiments with PLASTIC BOTTLE &
Candle science project
In this topic, we are going to show you how water level slowly rises inside the plastic bottle with
a candle lit inside it at home for your science project or exhibitions.
This homemade science experiment is done using waste plastic bottle and lighted candle inside
the bottle which is easily available at home at low cost.
candle and water experiment procedure
Air pressure experiment works with a plastic bottle and candle.
First take a tumbler and place a small candle inside it.
Fill in the tumbler with approximately ½ to 1 cup of the amount of colored water, and then set
your candle on the tumbler.
Light your candle, then place the open-ended plastic bottle on top of the lit candle inside the
tumbler in upside down position.
After some time water level slowly starts to rise inside the bottle as the candle continues to burn.
Finally, all the colored water inside the tumbler gets inside the plastic bottle.
candle and water experiment explanation
As we watch, the candle goes out and all of the water is sucked up into the plastic bottle.
The water rises! Temperature rises as the candle burned inside the plastic bottle but as the flame
weakened the temperature drops.
Now the candle went out and the water started climbing.
A strong vacuum was created inside the plastic bottle that it sucked up all the water and even
created bubbles as it sucked in the air too once it had pulled in all the water from the tumbler.
Materials Used for candle and water experiment
Materials used in this video are show below to build Air pressure with plastic bottle and candle
working model at home by taking help of your parents.





Plastic bottle
Colored water
Tumbler to hold a candle
Candle
Matchbox
Questions & Answers on candle and water experiment
1. What happens when you put a plastic bottle over a candle?
When a candle is lit inside the plastic bottle, it draws oxygen from the air in order to continue
burning.
Finally, the candle’s flame eventually goes out once it uses up all the oxygen available inside the
plastic bottle.
2. Why does water rise when you put something in it?
Water is an incompressible fluid, when the object displaces the fluid; it can no longer fit into the
reduced volume and has to go somewhere else.
3. Why did the flame go out when you put a plastic bottle over the candle?
When the candle burns inside the plastic bottle, it pushes the oxygen and other molecules in the
air out.
When oxygen is pushed away from the candlewick, it cannot react with the wax anymore and
hence it makes the flame go out.
Conclusions
Air pressure with plastic bottle working model demonstrates to students, what happens to a
flame as it runs out of oxygen
Also how a rapid temperature change can create a vacuum by changing the air pressure inside
the plastic bottle and as well as how to make it with easily available materials at home.