VanCleave's Science Fun

Your Guide to Science Projects, Fun Experiments, and Science Research

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With mouth wide open, vibrating air coming up the throat from the vocal chords leaving the open mouth and spreading in all directions. Hi, I am Janice VanCleave, author of 50+ best-selling science experiment books for children ages 4 through high school. I taught science for 27 years and now am creating this science website.   My scream was not staged. The picture was to be of two adult cats, which I was holding. A microsecond before the camera snapped, the two cats dug their claws into my skin as they prepared to leap out of my arms. A picture like this is great for making inferences. Kids could make "guesses" as to why I am screaming. They would be drawing on facts from the photo, such as I look like I am in pain or maybe I am just pretending.

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Home » Vortex Bottle

Vortex Bottle

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You can create a vortex by stirring a oit of water with a spoon. But a vortex bottle provides the opportunity to investigate different variables.

You can construct your own vortex bottle using instructions here:   VORTEX BOTTLE

1. Making the vortex bottle is part of your research. Other things to research would be to read about vortex motion and what creates this type of motion.

2. If your science project has to be an experiment, then you need to think of ways the vortex bottle can be changed. The part that you purposefully change is called the independent variable (see index for more information about independent variables.) Examples of independent variables are: the size of the hole in the washer, the amount of water in the bottles, the kind of liquid in the bottles, and the size of the bottles. CAN YOU THINK OF OTHER INDEPENDENT VARIABLES?
3. How could any of the changes in step 2 affect the vortex? This is the part that you are going to be observing and it is called the dependent variable. Examples of dependent variables are: size of the vortex; and the duration of the vortex. CAN YOU THINK OF OTHER DEPENDENT VARIABLES?
4. Using the Variable Example in steps 2 and 3, nine different questions can be written. Note that each question compares ONE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE and ONE DEPENDENT VARIABLE.

  • How does the size of the hole in the washer affect the size of the vortex?
  • How does the size of the hole in the washer affect the duration of the vortex?
  • How does the amount of water in the bottles affect the size of the vortex?
  • How does the amount of water in the bottles affect the duration of the vortex?
  • How does the kind of fluid in the bottles affect the size of the vortex?
  • How does the kind of fluid in the bottles affect the duration of the vortex?
  • How does the size of the bottles affect the size of the vortex?
  • How does the size of the bottles affect the duration of the vortex?

5. Your project investigation should be to compare two things: ONE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE and ONE DEPENDENT VARIABLE. So, choose one of the questions from step 4 or design one of your own.

For more ideas about science fair projects, See  

Guide to the Best Science Fair Projects

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