Convection

Convection Current Lab

In this experiment students use food color to trace the path of a convection current created by less dense warm water rising cooling off becoming more dense and sinking again. Below I have also included some pictures of everyday things that I use to show convection to my students as demos.

In this lab students heat up water to a boil and then place it in a cup below a plastic plant try. The boiling cup is the one in the middle. They then place drops of food coloring at the bottom. They can follow the convection current as the food coloring is taken with the current.

This is a convection lamp. as the light bulb heats up the air it becomes less dense and rises up through the windmill type top of the shade. This makes the shade turn.

The lava lite also is a good demonstration of convection currents.

I take the drink called "Orbitz" and pour it in a beaker. One side of the beaker is heated and this creates a convection current that can be followed by watching the jelly balls move around. Make sure you are using a pyrex beaker that is made to be heated. Do NOT heat the Orbitz in its original glass bottle. It could shatter or even explode if the cap was on. Oh, and of course wear safety glasses!!! :0

The star chime shows convection very well as the hot air rises and turns the angles.

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	In this lab students heat up water to a boil and then place it in a cup below a plastic plant try. The boiling cup is the one in the middle. They then place drops of food coloring at the bottom. They can follow the convection current as the food coloring is taken with the current.
	This is a convection lamp. as the light bulb heats up the air it becomes less dense and rises up through the windmill type top of the shade. This makes the shade turn.
	The lava lite also is a good demonstration of convection currents.
	I take the drink called "Orbitz" and pour it in a beaker. One side of the beaker is heated and this creates a convection current that can be followed by watching the jelly balls move around. Make sure you are using a pyrex beaker that is made to be heated. Do NOT heat the Orbitz in its original glass bottle. It could shatter or even explode if the cap was on. Oh, and of course wear safety glasses!!! :0
	The star chime shows convection very well as the hot air rises and turns the angles.
Back to Morrison Labs	Back to the Main Menu