Sippy straw experiment

Two drinking glasses, water and a straw and you can try the Sippy Straw experiment. What will happen when these three things come together? Kids will love trying this out to see how it goes.

Number of players:

1+

What you need:

• drinking straw
• two drinking glasses
• water

Activity:

Half fill one glass with water.

Put the straw in the glass.

Suck a small amount of water into the straw.

Hold your finger across the top of the straw.

Take the straw out of the water.

Place the straw over the second empty glass and take your finger away from the top of the straw.

The water will come out. Why? When you suck through a straw, you don't pull the liquid up but you take away some of the air inside the straw.

This makes the pressure inside the straw lower than the pressure outside the straw.

The greater air pressure under the straw holds the water inside.