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