People conduct experiments because they want to know something. The first item on the agenda before creating a twister in a bottle is to ask yourself questions about how and why a vortex is created in nature. Ask yourself what would have to happen in order to replicate a vortex in a bottle of fluid.
Before beginning this experiment, research how and why gases and water will often swirl around a center line, creating a vortex. Discover the conditions that must be present. Survey the differences between vortexes involving water and those involving gases.
After you have surveyed scientific literature and have developed questions about creating a twister in a bottle, use both researched information and your reasoning skills to answer your own questions. Making an educated guess, or a hypothesis, about your intended experiment is crucial. Doing so helps you to understand the error in your reasoning if your experiment does not work as expected.
For this experiment, you will need two 16 oz bottles, electrical or duct tape, a drill, hot glue and a glue gun, enough water to fill one bottle about three-quarters full and a note pad and pencil to record your findings. You will also need a stop watch, or a clock with a second hand. Before conducting the experiment, drill a hole (about a quarter-inch in diameter) in the center of each lid and hot glue the lids together so that the holes are aligned.
1. Fill one bottle about three-quarters full with water and cap it. 2. Screw the empty bottle into the lid so the bottles are upright and end-to-end. 3. Tape the two bottles together (lid-to-lid) making the seal as waterproof as possible. 4. Flip the bottles upside down and watch for a vortex to form. 5. Record how long it takes for the water to go from one bottle to another, whether or not a vortex forms and what direction the water travels around the vortex.
Repeat the experiment using colored water or other types of liquids. Record all of your observations.
Study the data and decide if your original questions have been answered to your satisfaction. If not, try to figure out why, make necessary changes and repeat the experiment. Record and evaluate new data.