Science: Material World
 : Bottle and Balloon
 43k
Approach: Station Level: Year 4 & year 8
Resources: Video showing a limp balloon attached to the mouth of a bottle. When the bottle was placed in hot water, the balloon partially inflated.
 Download the videoclip 1.7meg (requires QuickTime plug-in)
 

Questions / instructions:
In this activity you will watch a video about a balloon on a bottle.
Play the video and watch what happens to the balloon.
  % responses
y4
y8

1. What happened to the balloon?

Air expanded and blew up the balloon
Balloon blew up

1
88
3
88

2. Why does this happen?

Heat causes air to expand
Heat has some effect
Steam fills balloon (incorrect)

4
42
20
12
51
24
Commentary:
Few students understood that the heat caused the air to expand. Many used an explanation related to hot air rising, while many others said that the balloon filled with steam.

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