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Whirly-gig

Material List:

  1. tagboard
  2. jar
  3. needle
  4. aluminum foil
  5. cellophane tape
  6. pipe cleaner

Drawing of whirly-gig

Procedure:

Cut out the propeller from the tagboard and cover it with aluminum foil. Make a cylinder from the remaining tagboard to wrap around the jar. Suspend the propeller above the cylinder using the needle and the pipe cleaner so it spins freely. Place the cylinder over the jar of warm water.

Scientific Principle:

The warm water will create an air stream that flows out from the cylinder. This demonstrates that warm air molecules are less dense than the cold air around the cylinder making the propeller to turn freely. The propeller will continue to spin until the water has cooled.


Related Pages:
Convection Home Page
Aeronautics Activities
Aerospace Activities Page
Air Density
Aerodynamics Index

 

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Editor: Tom Benson
NASA Official: Tom Benson
Last Updated: May 13 2021

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