This week in Junior Science we investigated water and air pressure, and how to make our own Deep Sea Divers. We used cleaned out pop bottles filled with water, and folded straws with paperclips to weigh them down. The secret is getting the balance just right so that the Diver is just poking out of the water when you test it in a cup of water.

After the Diver is weighed down properly, we put the cap on tightly. Something really neat happens when you squeeze the bottle… the Diver goes down to the bottom of the bottle!

How does it work? When you squeeze the bottle, the water can’t compress, but the air does, just a bit. So the air bubble inside the Diver shrinks, and the Diver sinks down to the bottom of the bottle. When you let the bottle go, the pressure is released, and the air bubble returns to its original size, so the Diver comes back up to the top of the water!

Ask either of our Junior Scientists to show you! This really is a cool science experiment.