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A tornado is a rotating column of air, one side of which is in contact with the ground and the other side with a cumuliform cloud. It looks like a funnel cloud. The windstorm caused by a tornado is called a twister, whirlwind or cyclone. Tornado has different shapes and sizes. A tornado can be made in a bottle with a science experiment. This experiment is conducted to understand how to make Tornado in a bottle using items such as dishwashing liquids, food colours, glitter etc. and an empty bottle. Here, we will discuss the tornado bottle experiment in detail along with some important questions.
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Key Words- Tornado, rotating column of air, cumuliform cloud, funnel cloud, twister, whirlwind, cyclone, empty bottle, centripetal force
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What is Tornado?
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Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm to the ground. They have the ability to uproot trees, destroy large buildings and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. A tornado can be made in a bottle. This experiment is conducted to know how can we make a tornado in a bottle using items such as dishwashing liquids, food colours, glitter etc. and an empty bottle at home or laboratories.
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Material Required
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Some material is needed to conduct this tornado experiment. The material required are as follows-
- Two empty bottles
- Tornado tube plastic connector
- Water
- Food colour or glitter
- Dishwashing soap
- Pieces of Paper (optional)
Tornado In a Bottle Experiment
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Experiment Instruction
The first step is to fill your bottles with 2/3 water.
- Add food colour or glitter or a few pieces of paper.
- Connect both the bottles with the connector
- Place both the connected bottles on a sturdy surface. The empty bottle should be at the bottom
- The water will drip down to the lower bottle, in a few seconds the water flow stops completely.
- For the continuous flow of the water to the empty bottle, move both the bottles in a circular motion for a few minutes.
- After it is placed on a sturdy surface, the shape of the tornado appearing on the top bottle for the downward flow of water is seen.
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Observations
- After the experiment was successfully conducted, some of the observations were witnessed. The observations are-
- When the water moves in the bottom-placed bottle, the air pressure forces the air bubble to move to the top. When the water level is low with low pressure, it stops the flow of water completely.
- It is also observed that the water has started flowing in a circular motion due to the rotation of the bottle. A tunnel is formed as the water slows down, by increasing the speed of water around the centre, that is called centripetal force.
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Things to Remember
- A tornado is a rotating column of air, one side of which is in contact with the ground and the other side with a cumuliform cloud.
- The windstorm caused by a tornado is called a twister, whirlwind or cyclone.
- Tornado has different shapes and sizes.
- When the water moves in the bottom-placed bottle, the air pressure forces the air bubble to move to the top.
- When the water level is low with low pressure, it stops the flow of water completely.
- The water has started flowing in a circular motion due to the rotation of the bottle.
- A tunnel is formed as the water slows down, by increasing the speed of water around the centre, that is called centripetal force.
- The usual shape of a tornado is like a funnel originating from the base of the cumuliform cloud.
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Sample Questions
Ques: What is a tornado? (2 marks)
Ans: A tornado is a rotating column of air, one side of which is in contact with the ground and the other side with a cumuliform cloud. It looks like a funnel cloud. Tornado has different shapes and sizes.
Ques: What are the items needed to make a tornado in a bottle? (2 marks)
Ans: A tornado can be made in a bottle with a science experiment. This experiment is conducted to understand how to make Tornado in a bottle using items such as dishwashing liquids, food colours, glitter etc. and an empty bottle.
Ques: What is centripetal force? (2 marks)
Ans: Centripetal is a force that causes an object to move in a circular path. In the experiment, it was seen that the water has started flowing in a circular motion due to the rotation of the bottle. A tunnel is formed as the water slows down, by increasing the speed of water around the centre, that is called centripetal force.
Ques: Are tornados dangerous in nature? (2 marks)
Ans: Yes, the tornado is dangerous in nature. The tornado can be accompanied by thunderstorms, heavy rains or high-speed wind. It can uproot trees, destroy large buildings and also hurl vehicles to hundred yards.
Ques: What is observed in the tornado in the bottle experiment? (2 marks)
Ans: The observations in the experiment are as mentioned-
When the water moves in the bottom-placed bottle, the air pressure forces the air bubble to move to the top. When the water level is low with low pressure, it stops the flow of water completely.
It is also observed that the water has started flowing in a circular motion due to the rotation of the bottle. A tunnel is formed as the water slows down, by increasing the speed of water around the centre, that is called centripetal force.
Ques: What causes a tornado? (2 marks)
Ans: A tornado can be caused by atmospheric pressure, where the air moves at a high speed. It can be caused by a thunderstorm, a storm that becomes a supercell or can be caused by the jet streams.
Ques: What is an appropriate example that states how the vortex is formed in this experiment? (2 marks)
Ans: The most common example is the bathtub water. We have seen the water drain in the bathtub, there is a vortex. Vortex is a type of motion that causes liquid and gases to travel in cool spirals around the centre line. In this experiment the vortex is created when gravity pulls the liquid when we open a bottle, it forms a miniature rotating bottled tornado.
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