Air Takes Space

Students attempt to blow a wad of paper into a soda bottle.  In this physics instructional activity, students discover that air pressure inside of a soda bottle prevents new air from going in.

How do you know there is air? Can you see it, smell it, feel it? To begin the investigation, learners watch a video and discuss what they know about air and the atmosphere. Then, they participate in five different hands-on, inquiry-based...

Students demonstrate an awareness of air as a substance that surrounds us and takes up space, and whose movement we feel as wind. They predict and describe how local weather conditions affect living things, including themselves.

Make a hovercraft out of a compact disc, a balloon, and a few other materials. This is an activity that every physical science learner in your class can make if they bring a sports drink pop-top bottle to class. It will help them...

Students conduct an experiment to discover what happens to air when it is heated or cooled, discover that wind moves from a high-pressure area (an area of sinking air) to a low pressure area (an area of rising air).

Students explore the concept that air is everywhere. They assess that it can't be seen, but is all around us. Each student becomes aware that air takes up space and listen to the book, "Air is All Around You," by Franklin M. Branley.

Students engage in experiment activities, which illustrate that air is made of matter, does take up space, and is very important to our health. This lesson contains activities for a variety of grade levels. A very nice idea!

Steve Spangler shows how you can blow a cup off of your friends head and his or her papers off the desk with this "air blaster" or "AirZooka." Demonstrate that air does take up space and how air moves. What fun!

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.

Air takes up space. It's only when air in the bottle escapes that more air is easily added!