Not your usual experiment, this is a book: “The League of Scientists” is a young adult fiction book by Andy Kaiser (the creator of Digital Bits Science Lab).

Equipment needed:

The League of Scientists is available here: http://www.LeagueOfScientists.com

The Digital Bits Science Lab Experiment:

The League of Scientists is a group of smart kids who love science. They use their knowledge and critical thinking skills to solve seemingly-supernatural mysteries.

One of the components of the book is the mystery aspect, and not just the “main” mystery. In most chapters, there is a puzzle. The solution to the puzzle involves the application of science or critical thinking. The book is intended to give science education (and scientific applications – something you don’t always get from such fiction) while still giving kids a good story and characters.

A leaky bottle can teach how air pressure works, and how strong air pressure is – It can stop water from flowing!

Equipment needed:

One clear, plastic bottle with an airtight top (a two-liter pop bottle with a screw-on cap works great)

A large bowl (something big enough to hold all the water that may be in the plastic bottle)

The Digital Bits Science Lab Experiment:

Punch very small holes (less than a quarter-inch diameter) in the bottom of the plastic bottle. Three holes works well.

Fill the bottle with water. The holes will start draining the water, so you may have to turn the water on full blast to fill, or use one hand to cover the holes.

When the bottle is full, screw the top on tight. If you lift the bottle up, there may be a few drips, but after a few seconds no water should flow out. (If water still glugs out of the bottle at this point, you’ve made the holes too big.)

Unscrew the cap.

The water will start pouring out the holes in the bottom.

If you screw the cap back on before the water drains, the water flow will stop.

What’s happening here? Many things, but one big one is air pressure. With the cap screwed on, the water stays in the bottle. This is because the water needs more air to take the space at the top of the bottle, to replace the space previously filled by the water. Gravity is pulling on the water, and the water tries to flow out, but needs the air to expand and take up more space to do so. The air pressure isn’t changed – the air won’t expand or contract from the very small pull of the water. The air pressure is stronger than the pull of gravity. So the water stays in place.

If the cap is screwed on, there is nothing to replace any space used by the water. So the water doesn’t move. Unscrewing the cap allows air to flow into the bottle, which allows the water to pour out from the bottom, and the air takes up more and more space at the top.