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Forces and Motion Science Fair Project

Air Pressure and the Egg in a Bottle

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Air Pressure and the Egg in a Bottle | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Can air pressure push a peeled egg into a narrow-mouthed jar? Place a hard-cooked egg on the jar's opening. It just sits there. Air pushes equally from all sides. Now drop two lit matches into the jar and set the egg back on top. The matches heat the air inside. Some air escapes past the egg. As the remaining air cools, it shrinks. The outside air now pushes harder than the air inside. That difference in pressure forces the egg through the opening. The egg is pushed in, not sucked in.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that air pressure can push an egg into a bottle.

Method & Materials

You will peel the shells off two hard-cooked eggs, place one of the eggs on the mouth of the jar, and observe the egg after dropping two well-lit matches into the jar.
You will need a narrow-mouthed jar, two hard-cooked eggs, and wooden matches.

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Results

The egg was pushed into the jar by the air in the room. It is a misconception to say it was "sucked" into the jar. When the balance of pressure was changed, the egg moved.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting and unique because it shows how air pressure can be used to move an object.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include using different sizes of eggs and bottles, or using different types of matches.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

Related video

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