No, you do not need super Hulk strength to crush a can…. you can actually do so with science!
Find out how with this experiment!
Materials:
A pan, tongs, ice, a bowl of water, empty soda cans, water.
Time Estimated:
10-15 minutes
Directions:
In each of the empty soda cans, pour in about ½ cup of water.
Place each can on top of the pan and turn on the stovetop. Wait for the water inside to start boiling.
While you are waiting, start to prepare your bowl of water by dumping in about 3 cups of ice, depending on how big your water bowl is.
Once the water has come to a boil (you should be able to hear it), carefully grab the cans with the tongs and place them into the ice water bath upside down. Watch as the can starts to crush on its own!
Think Like a Scientist:
What happened inside of the can when you submerged it into the ice water?
What caused the can to collapse?
How It Works:
In today’s activity, you experimented with air pressure!
You may be wondering how this was able to happen; it is actually very simple! When you placed the can on top of the stove, the water inside started to boil. This allowed the water to experience a change from water (a liquid) to water vapor (a gas). This hot water vapor then pushed out and replaced the air that was inside of the can!
When the can was turned upside down and placed into the ice water, a seal was created between the mouth of the can and the surface of the water in the bowl. With this airtight seal, all of the hot vapor that had replaced the air was suddenly cooled by the ice water bath. This allowed the vapor to condense, or turn back into liquid, creating a partial vacuum! Additionally, because of the seal, no air from the outside was able to come into the can. As a result, the pressure outside of the can became higher than the pressure inside, causing the outside air to exert pressure (force). This is why it was able to collapse!
Air pressure, also known as atmospheric pressure, is something that is referenced A LOT in science, especially in chemistry and physics! If you take a look around you, I’m sure that you will be able to see how important air pressure is to our everyday lives. For example, it is used in car tires, straws, balloons, toilets, and even our breathing!
Looking for more fun at home STEM activities for your young scientist? Check out our workbook full of exciting science experiments and empowering activities!
