Bernoulli's Blowout

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In this quick activity (page 1 of PDF under SciGirls Activity: Kites), learners will witness firsthand the effects of Bernoulli’s Principle by capturing a ping pong ball in the stream of air created by a hair dryer. Not only does the ball float straight above the dryer, but learners can also experiment by tilting the dryer at an angle, setting the blower on a lower speed, or turning on the heat. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV: Kites.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
free per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Demonstration
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • a hairdryer
  • a ping pong ball

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Structure
      • Atmosphere
  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Aerospace Engineering
  • Mathematics
    • Geometry
  • Physical Sciences
    • Energy
      • Work and Machines
    • Motion and Forces
      • Gravity
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Formulating Explanations

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Explicity developed for this group
    • Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
    • Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
    • Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Foreign language versions of this resource:

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • DragonflyTV

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., 2005

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation, 436260