Activity Overview
The Burping Bottle Experiment is sure to entertain young scientists. In fact, if you can freeze more than one bottle when you get started, go for it because of the simple fact that the kids are going to want to try this experiment more than once. This experiment explores air and water. When the air inside the bottle is cooled in the freezer, the molecules of air slow down and become more dense. When you pout the water over the dime, a better seal is created around the dime, so when the air molecules begin to warm up and move faster, the expand. As they expand, the air pressure builds inside of the bottle and pushes against the bottom of the dime so that it can escape, which causes the bottle to burp.
Materials Needed
- Dime
- Glass Soda bottle
- A glass of water
- Access to a freezer
- A straw
How To Do It
- Place a dime on the top of the mouth of your glass bottle.
- Put that same bottle with the dime covering the top into the freezer ( standing up). Leave the bottle in the freezer for several hours.
- Remove the bottle from the freezer.
- Immediately dip your straw into the glass of water and cap the top with your thumb.
- Place the water filled straw over the dime atop of the bottle.
- Remove your thumb from the end of the straw and release the water on top of the dime.
- Watch carefully to see what happens next.
- The dime will lift up off of the top of the bottle and release a burp that comes from the inside of the bottle.
