======Tornado in a Bottle======


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**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Clean two large clear plastic bottles (2-liter bottles work best) and remove the labels.  
  - Fill one bottle about three-quarters full of water.  
  - Optionally add a few drops of food coloring and glitter or small objects to simulate tornado debris.  
  - Connect the two bottles securely using a tornado tube connector or plenty of duct tape.  
  - Flip the bottles so the water-filled bottle is on top.  
  - Swirl the bottles in a circular motion for about 15–20 seconds.  
  - Stop swirling and observe as a funnel cloud forms and water spirals into the bottom bottle.  
  - Repeat the process as many times as desired.



====Links==== 
Tornado in a Bottle │ Cyclone Tube │ Science Experiment - The Amaze Lab: 
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How to make a: TORNADO IN A BOTTLE - Questacon: 
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📄 Tornado in a Bottle Experiment - Playing With Rain: [[https://playingwithrain.com/tornado-in-a-bottle-experiment/]]\\


====Variations====
  * Use different sizes of bottles to see if tornado strength changes.  
  * Try creating a tornado in a jar instead of bottles.  
  * Compare how glitter versus larger objects (like small toy houses) move inside the tornado.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Ensure bottles are sealed tightly to avoid leaks, especially if food coloring is used.  
  * Avoid using objects small enough to pose a choking hazard if children are handling the experiment.  
  * Perform on a surface that can be cleaned easily in case of spills.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why does the water spin into a funnel instead of just falling straight down? (The swirling motion creates a vortex, pulling water into a spiral path.)  
  * How does the debris in the bottle represent real tornadoes? (It models how tornadoes pick up and toss objects in strong winds.)  
  * What part of the experiment represents the updraft in a thunderstorm? (The air bubbles rising from the bottom bottle into the top.)  
  * How does shaking the bottles harder affect the tornado? (It creates a faster, stronger vortex, similar to more powerful wind shear in real tornadoes.)