SIMPLE Bernoulli Principle Experiment for Kids

This simple bernoulli experiment will allow kids of all ages to understand how faster air meas less pressure and allows an object to fly.With just a piece of paper and straw children can make a ping pong ball float to understand about air pressure for kids. Try this Bernoulli principle experiment with preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th graders too.  Try this fun physics experiment in just 5-10 minutes for an easy science experiment for kids!

Bernoulli’s Principle for Kids

Have you ever wondered how do birds and airplanes fly when they are much heavier than air? You’ve probably figured out that their  wings are  involved somehow….. Well back in 1738 a mathematician and scientist named Daniel Bernoulli studied this phenomenon and discovered that as air moves around an object, it creates different pressures on that object. Faster air means less pressure, and slower air means more pressure. Now we can use the Bernoulli principle for kids to understand why birds, airplanes, and in this experiment – our ping pong ball can fly.  In this bernoulli experiment, children will create a floating ping pong ball by using Bernoulli’s principle! This air pressure experiment only takes a couple minutes, but is a fun and memorable science experiment to help kids understand this fascinating concept. Try this bernoulli principle experiment with preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 students.

Bernoulli’s principle experiment at home

To try this physics experiment for kids on energy you only need a couple simple materials:

• construction paper (any color)
• tape
• bendy straw
• ping pong ball
• scissors
• pencil

Bernoulli’s principle experiment

The technique for this energy experiment is simple, children trace a circle about 6″ in diameter on their piece of colored paper.

Physics experiments for kids

Then students will carefully use scissors to cut out the circle.

Floating ping pong ball

Next, cut the radius. If you recall from math class, the radius is the straight line from the center of the circle to the outside of the circle.

Air Pressure Experiment

pull the two sides of paper around the radius so they overlap and tape into place to make a cone.

Bernoulli’s principle experiments

Insert the smaller part of the bendy straw into the bottom of your paper cone. Securely tape in place so there are no gaps for air to escape.

Bernoulli principle for kids

Put ping pon ball in over the paper cone you created with one hand and in the other blow a constant, staed stream of air to make the ball levitate. Allow kids time to continue making the ping pong ball float as they experiment with air flow and air pressure to make the ball fly.

NOTE: This only works if you blow hard enough so that there is a steady fast stream of air around the ball. If you blow slowly, then the pressure goes back up and the ball falls.

Science for Kids

Once kids have had a chance to experince Bernoulli’s principle first-hand in this EASY floating ball experiment, it’s time to explain they why. Basically in this simple science project we created an area of low pressure around the ball by blowing into the straw. When you blow in a fast thin stream (because directs the straw focuses the air to make it thin), the fast air is able to move around the sides of the ball instead of simply pushing it upward from below. If you observe the ball closely as it levitates in the air, you will see that it wobbles in the low-pressure area. The ball is trying to escape the low-pressure air. The high-pressure air does not allow the ball to escape and pushes the ball back into the low-pressure area.

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Summer Fun

Looking for more outdoor activities for kids and things to do in the summer? Your toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, and elementary age kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:

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