Sand in a Bottle
Christina L. Wood
Objective:
Students will know how the terminal velocity of particles change with
respect to size, shape, and density in a fluid.
This laboratory will help students understand this graph from the Regents Reference table.
Materials:
• Clear bottle (4 litter soda bottle).• 3 to 4 cups of sediment from clay sized particles up
to large enough to be able to fit in the hole of the bottle, it must include a range of sizes.
• Water to fill bottle, approximately halfway.• A funnel deposit the sediment into the bottle.• Time piece• Spread sheet to gather data and make a graph of all
the students’ data
Use a funnel to add sediment to the bottle.
Add water, approximately halfway up the bottle.
Put the lid on the bottle.Shake the bottle for approximately 1 minute.
Place the bottle on the table and do not disturb.
Observe the deposition.After 1 minute pebbles and sand are deposited.
After a half hour the one on the left had the silt particles out of suspension and the silt in the bottle on the right were out 5 minutes later.
Spread sheet of data
#1 #2particle size (cm) time (min)Pebbles 1 0.01 0.01 Sand 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.01Silt 0.001 60 65 Clay 0.0001 600 700
Graph of Data
Pebbles Sand Silt Clay0.01
0.1
1
10
100
1000
10000
0.01
0.1
35
1300
cool waterhot water