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Experiment 1
Air Density: Does warm air take up less room than cool air?

Purpose/Hypothesis

Density is the mass of anything divided by the volume it occupies. As the temperature of a given mass of air increases, its volume expands and the air gets less dense as a result—same mass, but larger volume, means less dense. As the temperature of a given mass of air decreases, its volume contracts and the air gets more dense. In this experiment, you will examine the density of air by causing a mass of air in a closed container to become both more and less dense by changing the temperature. To see these changes you will place a balloon over the open end of a bottle. When the trapped air expands, the balloon should get bigger; when the air contracts, the balloon should get smaller.

Before you begin, make an educated guess about the outcome of this experiment based on your...

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1. Introduction
2. Surrounded by air
3. Oh, the pressure
4. Changing densities
5. Experiment 1 - Air Density: Does warm air take up less room than cool air?
6. Experiment 2 - Convection Currents: How can rising air cause weather changes?
7. Design Your Own Experiment