Make a Tornado in a bottle

TOTO | EXPERIMENT

Learn how to make a tornado in a bottle with an experiment. Using easy to find items such as dishwashing liquid, water, glitter and a bottle you can make your own mini tornado. Follow the instructions and enjoy the cool water vortex you create!

What you'll need:

    Water

    A clear plastic bottle with a cap

    Glitter

    Dishwashing liquid

 
Instructions:

Fill the plastic bottle with water until it reaches around three-quarters full.

Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid.

Sprinkle in a few pinches of glitter (this will make your tornado easier to see).

Put the cap on tightly.

Turn the bottle upside down and hold it by the neck. Quickly spin the bottle in a circular motion for a few seconds, stop and look inside to see if you can see a mini tornado forming in the water.

You might need to try it a few times before you get it working properly.

What's happening?

Spinning the bottle in a circular motion creates a water vortex that looks like a tornado.

The water is rapidly spinning around the centre of the vortex due to centripetal force (an inward force directing an object or fluid such as water towards the center of its circular path).

Vortices found in nature include tornadoes, hurricanes, and waterspouts.