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If you’ve arrived at this page by accident or haven’t seen the latest “What’s Happening” and are wondering what we’re talking about, just scroll to your right and download the magazine right to your PC!
For those who have seen (and hopefully tried) this fun and easy activity, here’s the science behind it!
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First off, we live at the bottom of the ocean! It’s true! Not the kind of ocean you’re thinking of, though. We live at the bottom of an ocean of gases called the atmosphere. As we are at the bottom of this ocean the surrounding gases we call the air are everywhere, constantly pushing on us and everything else 24 hours a day from all different angles with a pressure close to 15 pounds per square inch. That’s heavy! Fortunately for us, the air pressure inside our bodies is equal to that outside. This is what keeps us from being squished.
When you blow downwards through the straw, you’re speeding up the air in between the index cards and in a sense, pushing it out of the way.
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The air that was in between is no longer able to push the bottom card down and keep it on the table, so the card begins to rise. In addition, the air underneath the bottom card now pushes upwards helping to keep the card up as you continue to blow.
What about trying it upside down? Did you aim toward the ceiling, trying to blow the card with the paperclip off the one with the straw? Can you guess why it doesn’t work? Believe it or not, the answer is the same! Air pressure now pushing down on the top card is made even stronger when you blow the air in between the cards out of the way!
Happy and Safe Experimenting!
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Our class schedule changes every season. Our classes can fit into your budget and schedule, we even offer college credit for some of our classes.
The Works has a venue dedicated especially to display art work by students, emerging artists and community organizations. To find out more about how you, your students or members of your organization can exhibit in The Works Central Gallery, contact The Works.
Comments or Questions?
Do you have a cool science and/or art activity you’d like us to feature in a future issue of “What’s Happening” magazine? Drop The Works Education Team a line at Joe.Blankenship@attheworks.org! |
 
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