Alpha science classroom：DIY Bottle Thermometer

With the coming of hot summer, do the children find it getting hotter and hotter outside? But it's cool inside the room? Do you know why? Do kids want to know how things work scientifically? Today, through a DIY Bottle Thermometer which is a simple physical science experiments activity for children, Alpha science classroom will work with children to build their own liquid thermometer, children can use it to track indoor or outdoor temperature changes of location. Let us explore the mysteries of the physical sciences experiment of expansion and contraction.

Alpha science classroom: DIY Bottle Thermometer

• Materials

• Clear plastic drinking straw

• Ruler

• Fine-tipped permanent marker

• Narrow-necked, small, plastic bottle with lid (Small bottles such as those for medicine, food-coloring, or vanilla extract work well.)

• Water

• Rubbing alcohol (Work in a well-ventilated room, and do not leave the bottle of rubbing alcohol uncovered.)

• A few drops of red, blue, or green food coloring (Liquid food coloring works best.)

• Paper towels

• Modeling clay

• Medicine dropper or syringe

• Small bowl

• Hot water

• Ice cubes

• Store-bought thermometer (optional)

Alpha science classroom:  DIY Bottle Thermometer Step by step tutorial

step 1

First, children emptied and cleaned the small plastic bottles.

Step 2

children put a little more alcohol in the middle of the bottle. Then, drop a few drops of red food coloring into the bottle and shake it until the mixture is uniform.

third step

children pour a little alcohol from the bottle and poured it into small cups. Put down the cup.

the fourth step

children will cut off their necks from the balloon. Then, stretch the other end of the balloon to the top of the bottle and fix it with a rubber band.

Step 5

children cut a small seam in the middle of the balloon. Then, insert the straw into the slit and gently push it into the bottle until the tip of the straw is immersed in the alcohol.

Step 6

children use a pipette to drop the alcohol in the cup into the straw. Alcohol should stay in the straw. Continue to add alcohol until the alcohol content reaches about 1/3 of the bare part of the straw.

prompt

If the water level in the children's straws does not rise, the balloons need to be replaced. Cut a smaller seam in the new balloon.

Step 7

Children need to calibrate the thermometer carefully! Place the bottle in a bowl of ice water and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Then, mark the alcohol content on the straw with a permanent marker.

Step 8

children repeat step 7 with a bowl of hot water.

Step 9

children take the bottle out of the bowl and allowed it to return to room temperature.

Step 10

children put the thermometer on the window where it can get direct sunlight. Go back all day and see how the sun changes the temperature of the room!

Alpha Science Classroom: Observations of DIY Bottle Thermometer

Did the children see the fluid rise when the fuel tank was heated and the oil fell when it cooled?

The alpha science classroom tells the children that as the temperature of the liquid in the reservoir increases, it expands and the liquid can only pass through the thin tube. If the temperature of the liquid decreases, it shrinks, causing more liquid to collect in the container. Then, the water level in the slim tube will fall back to a lower water level. Once the thermometer is established, each liquid level in the slim tube corresponds to exactly one volume of liquid, and therefore exactly one temperature.

A thinner tube (straw) can produce a more accurate thermometer because the expansion or contraction of the same fluid will cause a rise or fall over a longer distance. The disadvantage is that the narrow straw may lower the maximum temperature that the thermometer can reach.

The reservoir of the thermometer may be filled with various liquids. When selecting a liquid for a liquid thermometer, how much the liquid expands after each temperature rise, and its freezing and boiling points are all factors to consider.

Whether children with DIY Bottle Thermometers can test outdoor and indoor temperature changes? If it's a rainy day, children can use food at different temperatures and put it around a thermometer to watch the change. OK, the interesting children's physical science experiment activities in Alpha Science Classroom are over, if the children want to know more interesting kid's science experiment activities, pay attention to Alpha Science Classroom, we explore the magical world of science together.

Alpha Science Toys also has a lot of fun physical science kits for kids, helping kids explore different physical science phenomena, learn interesting knowledge, and become the best scientists. Go to Alpha Science Toys' science world to find the magic mysteries!