January 16th, 2013

We carried out two weather experiments in class today.
Try them at home yourself!!!

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MAKE IT RAIN 
 
MATERIALS:

• glass jar
• plate
• hot water (ask an adult to help with this bit)
• ice cubes

PROCESS:

Pour about two inches of very hot water into the glass jar.

Cover the jar with the plate and wait a few minutes before you start the next step.

Put the ice cubes on the plate.

EXPLANATION:

What happens? The cold plate causes the moisture in the warm air, which is inside the jar to condense and form water droplets. This is the same thing that happens in the atmosphere. Warm, moist air rises and meets colder air high in the atmosphere. The water vapor condenses and forms precipitation (Stuff that falls from the sky) that falls to the ground.

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MAKE A RAINBOW  
MATERIALS:

• Mirror
  
• torch
• glass jar of water
  
• A dark room with a white wall or ceiling.

PROCESS:

Fill the jar or glass with water.

Place the mirror inside the water filled jar or glass.

Tilt the mirror slightly upward.

In a very dark room with white walls, shine the flashlight onto the mirror.

A rainbow will appear! (Note: If no rainbow appears at first, just change the angle of the light from the flashlight or change the angle of the mirror.)


EXPLANATION:

Why does this happen? Light is made up of a lot of colors. Specifically, the colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. When light passes through the water, it is broken up into the colors seen in a rainbow.

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