Exploratorium
Balancing Ball
Demonstrate lift to the class that is studying aerodynamics. In the stream of air produced by a blow dryer, little physicists place a wad of tissue paper and a spherical figure to compare. Or, if you have a vacuum cleaner and beach ball,...
Curated OER
Experience Gravity Free Water
Students complete an experiment with a glass of water and cover the opening with cardboard and turn it over. In this gravity lesson plan, students observe how air pressure does not allow the cardboard to fall and let the water out.
Chymist
Pressure-Volume Relationships: Experiments with 140-mL Syringe
Learners examine Boyle's Law by analyzing experimental results with a hands-on lesson that provides a set of four experiments that illustrate the relationship between pressure and volume of gases. Groups analyze results using...
Royal Society of Chemistry
A Cartesian Diver—Classic Chemistry Experiments
Sometimes the simplest experiments leave the biggest impression! Introduce young chemists to the Cartesian Diver by having them make one of their own. Use the Diver to further their study of liquids and gases, as well as compression.
Colorado State University
What Causes Pressure?
Are you feeling the pressure? Let loose a little with a kinesthetic activity that models molecular motion in a closed space! The activity varies conditions such as volume and temperature and examines the effects on molecules.
NOAA
How Do We Know?: Make Additional Weather Sensors; Set Up a Home Weather Station
Viewers learn about three different weather measurement tools in installment five of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series. They build weather vanes to collect data on wind speed, barometers to determine air pressure, and...
Weather Wiz Kids
Cloud in a Bottle
This resource provides a short experiment for students to explore how clouds are formed.
Teach Engineering
Equal and Opposite Thrust in Aircraft: You're a Pushover!
It's the law—every action requires a reaction, no matter how small. Pupils experience two demonstrations of Newton's third law of motion as it relates to thrust in the 10th segment of a 22-part unit on flight. Using their mathematical...
Teach Engineering
Rock and Boat
Present the class with a question on whether the water level of a pond will rise they take a large rock out of a boat and drop it into the pond. Groups come down on all sides of the question and try to justify their answers. The activity...
Exploratorium
Straw Oboe
Trim the end of a straw to construct a vibrating wind instrument. Everyone in your class can make their own during a lesson on sound waves.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Lab 5: All About Air Pressure
A lab experiment in a series of experiments that explores hurricanes. Students learn about the effects of the differences in air pressure with hand-on experiments and demonstrations
![Federal Aviation Administration: Air Takes Up Room [Pdf] Activity](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Federal Aviation Administration: Air Takes Up Room [Pdf] Activity")
Other
Federal Aviation Administration: Air Takes Up Room [Pdf]
See how air takes up space by conducting this classroom experiment. With the aid of several common objects, observe the effects of air pressure.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Science Rocks: Air Lift
Through this experiment, students are challenged to lift a book (and other items) with just air. Requires simple household items, gallon-size, zipper-lock plastic bag, book, pencil, drinking straw, and tape.
Education.com
Education.com: An Air Science Experiment
[Free Registration/Login Required] With three simple items (ball of paper, 2 liter pop bottle & hair dryer) you can demonstrate the reality of air pressure. This experiment is user friendly.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Dirtmeister's Science Lab: The Air Is There
An experiment to see how the temperature of an object affects how high it bounces. This site contains web links and notes for the teacher.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Feeling Pressured
Feel the effects of air pressure in this activity! Activity will have students feeling a squeezing sensation as the difference in air pressure causes the air to rush from high to low pressure.
American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society: Best of Wonder Science: There's Air in There! [Pdf]
An experiment to obsevre the effects of air pressure on the water level inside a bottle.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Balloon & Straw Experiment
Investigate air pressure, motion and the forces of air currents using a bendy straw, a balloon and a rubber band.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Card Lift Experiment
Demonstrate air pressure by using index cards to defy gravity.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: I Can't Take the Pressure!
Students develop an understanding of air pressure by using candy or cookie wafers to model how it changes with altitude, by comparing its magnitude to gravitational force per unit area, and by observing its magnitude with an aluminum can...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Under Pressure: Ball Bouncing Dynamics
Many sports use a ball in some way or another. We throw them, dribble them, hit them, kick them, and they always bounce back. What makes a ball so bouncy? In this experiment you can investigate the effect of air pressure on ball bouncing.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Air Is It Really There?
By watching and performing several simple experiments, students develop an understanding of the properties of air: it has mass, it takes up space, it can move, it exerts pressure, it can do work.
Bill Nye
Bill Nye: A Wing and Some Air
Try this at-home science experiment to learn about air pressure.
Other
Easy Science Experiments: The Incredible Can Crusher
Can you crush a soda pop can with your bare hands? Try this experiment where with the help of air pressure you can show your friends what kind of strength you have. Make sure you stay safe! There is a video included.