EXPERIMENT | See how convection works using colored water!

Here's what you need to make this experiment on how convection works in the atmosphere:

-4 clear plastic bottles
-warm water
-cold water
-food coloring (red and blue)
-index card
-tape (optional)

Fill 2 of the bottles with warm water and red food coloring. Fill the other 2 bottles with cold water and blue food coloring. In part 1, we start with warm water on the bottom and cold water on the top. Use a card to hold over the opening of the cold water bottom and carefully flip the bottle with cold water on top of the hot water. Line up the openings and carefully slide the card out of the way. Tape bottles together.

You will notice that the cold water will sink and the warm water will rise, gradually causing the water in both bottles to turn purple. This happens because warm water (like warm air) is less dense and will rise. Cold water (like cold air) in the atmosphere is more dense and sinks.

When we reverse the experiment and put the cold water on the bottom and the warm water on top (part 2), the two colors stay separate. This happens because cold water is more dense and stays at the bottom and warm water is less dense so it stays on top.


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