Tornado Trouble; DIY Air Blaster

We are going to build a tornado air blaster that can knock over objects more than 20 feet away

Materials

• Glue
• Scissors
• Duct tape
• Empty, clean gallon jug of milk
• Sheet of rubber
• Lid of the milk jug

Now Follow These Steps:

First: Cut the entire bottom off of the milk jug. Duct tape the rubber across the bottom of the milk jug. Glue the lid to the middle of the rubber sheet.

Next: Build a pyramid of Styrofoam cups. Pull back on the lid, stretching the rubber. Aim at the cups from about 10 feet away. Then let the lid spring back. If you are a deadeye you can topple the whole pile!

Here's What Is Happening

So, what's going on? When you let go of the lid the rubber springs back pushing a large volume of air through the small opening of the milk bottle. The fastest way it can escape is to form a vortex (a spiral of air). The energy from the spiral of air remains concentrated. It doesn’t spread out like regular wind. So it stays focused and keeps its power all the way to the pyramid, knocking it down.