
Bottle siphon water play
Use two bottles and a length of tube to move water uphill, then work out how it happens.
A siphon looks like a trick until you spot where the water level sits. Then it is physics.
What you need
- Two plastic bottles or jugs
- A length of clear tubing or a straw taped to another
- A washing up bowl
- Food colouring if you have it
How to do it
- 1
Fill one bottle with coloured water and stand it higher than the empty one.
- 2
Fill the tube with water, holding both ends closed with your thumbs.
- 3
Put one end in the full bottle and the other in the empty one, then let go.
- 4
Watch the water flow, then raise the empty bottle higher and see it stop.
- 5
Try a longer tube and a bigger height difference and time each one.
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