You don't have to bother looking at the clouds in the sky if you can make your own interesting clouds at home! You only need glass jars or plastic bottles used for soft drinks and a few other household items. You can do this easy experiment to make your own cloud in a bottle.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Creating Clouds in a Glass Jar
Step 1. Gather the necessary materials
Before starting this scientific experiment, gather all the necessary materials. Prepare the following items:
- Large glass jar (4 liter size)
- Match
- Rubber gloves
- Rubber bracelet
- Flashlight or lamp
- Food coloring
- Water
Step 2. Pour boiling water into the jar
Use enough water to fill the bottom of the jar. You only need to use a little water for it to evaporate.
- Stir or shake the water so that the sides of the jar are submerged or moistened.
- Use cooking gloves as boiling water can make the surface of the jar very hot.
Step 3. Put rubber gloves on the mouth of the jar
Make sure the finger part of the glove is pointing down (into the jar). This way, the air will be trapped in the jar.
Step 4. Try to put your hand into the glove that has been attached to the mouth of the jar
Once your hand is in the glove, raise the glove up so that the finger part is lifted out of the jar. At this time, there has been no change to the water in the jar.
Step 5. Light a match and put it in a jar
Take off the gloves for a moment. Light a match (or ask an adult to light it) and place the match in the jar. Put the rubber gloves back on the mouth of the jar, with your fingers pointing into the jar.
The water that collects at the bottom of the jar will extinguish the fire. After that, smoke will start to form inside the jar
Step 6. Put your hands back into the rubber gloves
Tuck your hand into the glove and pull the fingers out. This time, a cloud will form inside the jar. When you put your hand back in the jar, the cloud will disappear.
Clouds will form and appear for 5-10 minutes. After that, the particles will fall to the bottom of the jar
Step 7. Shine a flashlight on the jar
When you shine light into the jar, you can see the clouds forming more clearly.
Step 8. Understand the process of cloud formation in this experiment
The air in the jar is filled with warm water vapor molecules. The air is compressed by the gloves because the fingers take up space in the jar. When the spokes are removed, the jar has additional space previously filled by the glove. At this time, the air inside the jar started to cool down. The smoke that emerges from the lighter acts as a binder for the water molecules. The molecules then combine with the smoke particles and condense into clouds.
When the fingers of the glove are put back into the jar, the air in the jar heats up again and the cloud dissipates
Step 9. Repeat this experiment with colored clouds
Add a few drops of food coloring to the water in the jar. After that, close the jar again with rubber gloves. Light a match and put it in a jar. Now, you can see clouds forming in various colors.
Method 2 of 3: Using Aerosol Products to Create Clouds
Step 1. Gather the necessary materials
Before starting this scientific experiment, gather all the necessary materials. Prepare the following items:
- Large glass jar (4 liter size) with lid
- Aerosol products (hair spray or air freshener)
- Flashlight or lamp
- Water
- Dark color paper and flashlight
Step 2. Pour boiling water into the jar
Pour enough water to cover the bottom of the jar (until the water level is about 2 cm). Stir or shake the jar to warm up the temperature inside the jar. This is also done to prevent condensation in the jar.
The jar will feel very hot. Therefore, make sure you wear kitchen gloves when handling the jars
Step 3. Place the ice on top of the lid of the jar
Flip the lid of the jar so that it forms a kind of small bowl. Place two pieces of ice on top of the lid. After that, place the lid over the mouth of the jar. Now, you can see the dew in the jar.
Step 4. Spray the aerosol product into the jar
Use an aerosol product such as hair spray or air freshener to spray into the jar. Lift the lid of the jar and quickly spray a small amount of product into the jar. Place the lid back over the mouth of the jar to contain the aerosol product molecules.
Step 5. Place the dark colored paper behind the jar
Use dark colors to create color contrast. This way, you can see the clouds forming inside the jar.
You can also shine a flashlight into the jar
Step 6. Open the lid of the jar and touch the cloud that is forming
When you lift the lid of the jar, the clouds will float in the air. You can insert your finger and penetrate the cloud.
Step 7. Understand the process of cloud formation in this experiment
When you pour hot water into a jar, you create hot, humid air in the jar. Ice placed over the lid of the jar works to cool the rising air. When the air is cold, the water vapor will turn back into a liquid form, but in order to condense, it needs some kind of surface. When you spray an aerosol product, you create a kind of surface for the moisture. The water vapor molecules then combine with the aerosol product molecules and condense into cloud droplets.
The clouds that are formed will rotate in the jar because the air in it is rotating. The warm air will rise while the cold air will descend to the bottom of the jar. You can see the movement of the air as the clouds rotate
Method 3 of 3: Using Plastic Bottles of Fizzy Drinks to Make Clouds
Step 1. Gather the necessary materials
Before starting this experiment, gather all the necessary materials. Prepare the following items:
- Plastic bottle with lid. For this experiment, a 2-liter soda bottle was appropriate. Make sure you have removed the label from the bottle. This way, you can see the clouds forming inside the bottle. In addition, it would be better if you use a transparent bottle (clear color).
- Match
- Water
Step 2. Pour hot water into the bottle
You can use boiled tap water. Pour enough water to cover the bottom of the bottle (until the water level reaches about 2 centimeters).
- Do not pour boiling water into the bottle. Plastic can melt and this experiment will not work. However, make sure to use water that is hot enough. You can use water with a temperature of around 50 degrees Celsius.
- Stir the water to warm the walls of the bottle.
Step 3. Light the match
Blow out the fire after a few seconds. Make sure this step is performed by an adult.
Step 4. Put the burnt match into the bottle
Tilt the bottle with one hand and insert the match head into the top of the bottle. Let the smoke from the lighter fill the bottle. Once the smoke appears to have cleared, throw away the lighter.
Step 5. Put the cap on the bottle
Hold the neck of the bottle so that you don't squeeze the walls of the bottle before the cap is firmly attached. This is done so that smoke or air does not come out of the bottle.
Step 6. Squeeze the bottle wall firmly
Do this three or four times. Wait a few seconds, then squeeze the walls of the bottle again. This time, squeeze and hold for a bit longer before you release the pressure on the walls of the bottle.
Step 7. Notice the formation of mist inside the bottle
Now, you can see the clouds in the bottle! The pressure on the walls of the bottle also presses the water particles. When you release the pressure on the walls of the bottle, the air expands and the air temperature drops. When the air gets colder, the particles in it can combine more easily, forming cloud dots around the smoke molecules.
This process resembles the process of forming clouds in the sky. Clouds in the sky are formed from water droplets that have combined with particles of dust, smoke, ash, or salt
Tips
- Try experimenting with the amount and force of pressure on the bottle.
- If you don't have a match, you can use a lighter and a piece of paper, or incense to create the smoke you need.
- Experiment with adding a few drops of alcohol to the water (or distilled spirits) to create clearer clouds.
- Try experimenting with mason jars.
