Make a Weather Front
Materials:
- 2 measuring cups
- Warm water
- Ice water
- 2 colors food coloring (green & purple are good)
- 2 spoons
- 2 small empty clear glass jars of baby food (make sure the jars are identical and line up perfectly
- to each other when put together lid to lid)
- 1 laminated piece of paper
Instructions:
1. Remove the lids from the jars of baby food. Make sure the jars are clean.
2. Fill one measuring cup with ice water. Pour several drops of green food coloring on it till it's a pale or lime green color. Stir it with a spoon to make the coloring even and place it back in the freezer.
3. Fill the other measuring cup with warm water. Pour several drops of purple food coloring on it
till it's a somewhat medium shade of purple. Stir this with a spoon as well.
4. Pour the purple water into one baby food jar till it's slightly overflowing. Cover it with the laminated paper. Place it by the sink.
Page Two: Easy-to-Follow Steps on How to Make a Weather Front (Make a Weather Front continued)
5. Take the green water out of the freezer. You may have to stir it again. Pour the green water into the other baby food jar till it's slightly overflowing. Place it by the sink.
6. Ask someone to help you do this next step: Hold the laminated paper down on the warm water jar and turn it over. The paper should be held down strongly enough so the water doesn't flow out. Remember to flip it over quickly as well so that force will keep the water inside the jar.
7. Ask someone to help you do this next step: Quickly place the jar over the other jar so they match up lid to lid. Slide the laminated paper out and get your assistant to take both jars quickly and turn them onto their sides while still holding them tightly together. (You should probably do this over the sink so if water spills out, you don't make too much of a mess.)
8. You should see that the purple water (warm) will float on top of the green water (cold).
This experiment is a demonstration of what happens during a weather front. Cool air from one direction meets hot air from the other direction. The cool air passes under the hot air (since hot air like hot water is less dense and will move upwards.) When this happens in our weather system, storms, hurricanes, and rain is created.
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