Free-Fall Bottles & Tubes

In this physics activity, learners conduct two experiments to explore free-falling. In the first experiment, water-filled plastic bottles with holes in them spurt water under normal conditions, but don't leak while in free-fall. In the second experiment, a ping-pong ball in a water-filled plastic tube floats upward under normal conditions, but remains motionless when the tube is dropped or thrown. Educators can use pre-assembled materials for group demonstration purposes. Note: this activity will get the floor wet, so consider doing this outside.