Vortex Cannon
| Physics: | Vortexes, Air Pressure |
| Grade Range: | Elementary School |
| Format: | Hands-on, Stage |
Students will enjoy firing the vortex cannon, as well as seeing the cannon fire at them! If you plan to pair it with the fog machine, contact the school prior to the event to make sure it won't be an issue.
Materials
- Vortex Cannon
- Plastic Cups or Similar
- Optional: Fog Machine
Safety Precautions
Please read the General Safety Precautions section of the Demonstration Safety page before performing this demonstration.
Be sure to ask the school prior to the event if you can bring the fog machine. Some schools may want to avoid having it, to be sure it doesn't trigger any smoke alarms or student allergies.
Demonstration
- If you brought the fog machine, plug it in and let it warm up. Set up the cups in a pyramid on a table 10 feet away.
- Show the students the vortex cannon, and use it to knock over the pyramid. Feel free to aim it at the students as well, and try to blow off hats if students are wearing any!
- Use the fog machine to put a small amount of fog inside the vortex cannon. Fire the vortex cannon towards the students so they see the smoke rings form!
- If doing a hands-on night, allow the students to come up and try to fire the cannon at single cups or the pyramid.
- If doing a stage show, ask the audience to explain what causes the rings to form. Why does the vortex cannon make smoke rings instead of a jet of smoke?
Why This Works
A Vortex is when you have a fluid spinning around an axis. When water is going down a drain, the "whirlpool" that forms on the drain is a type of vortex, where the water is spinning around the center of the drain. The vortex cannon is firing a spinning vortex of air at the cups, knocking them over! When the vortex cannon is first filled with the fog machine smoke, the shape of the vortex is made visible. The "smoke ring" shapes that are fired out of the vortex cannon are known as a Toroidal Vortex. A toroid is the technical name for a ring, and the smoke in the rings is spinning around a ring shaped axis, making it a vortex!
Additional Information
- This demonstration pairs well with the Tornado Bottles demonstration.
- This demonstration is a part of the Pressure Show