Balloon in a Bottle

Balloon in a Bottle

Students are given the simple task of blowing up a balloon inside of a bottle . . . but there's a twist.

Introduction

When the balloon is placed inside the bottle, it will not inflate, since the bottle is already filled with air particles with no escape route. This is a great demonstration that air takes up space. The air inside the bottle compresses a little bit but not enough to permit the balloon to inflate.

However, when you punch a hole in the bottle, the air molecules in the bottle have an exit. They are pushed out as the balloon fills the space inside, resulting in room for the balloon to inflate.