LESSON DESCRIPTION:
Students learn about air flow and turbulence as they create a simple device for launching smoke rings. Some of the smoke rings can travel as far as 30 feet through the air.

TIME REQUIRED: One Hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students learn about the nature of vortexes, turbulence, and air flow. This lesson ties well into a discussion of the nature of tornadoes.

FACILITIES REQUIREMENTS:
Requires an indoor location with fairly still air and access to an electrical outlet. The source of the smoke is a smoke machine, similar to those used in dance clubs.

SAFETY:
This experiment is not recommended if any participants have asthma or other respiratory conditions.

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

Kindergarden: 1st Grade: 2nd Grade:   3rd Grade:   4rth Grade:   5th Grade: 6th Grade: