POE – Bernoulli’s Bags

This POE activity involves using two long bags, diaper pail bags work well, to
demonstrate Bernoulli’s principal. Two long, skinny bags of the same length will attempt to be
filled with air in two different ways using one single breath. One bag will be blown into with it
placed directly around someone’s mouth, while the other will be held at a distance, about 15-
20 cm, from the person’s mouth. Before the experiment is explained, students can be asked to
discuss what they think the most effective way to fill the bag with air would be using only their
mouth. Then, after the experiment is explained, have students predict what the outcome will
be in regards to which bag will be filled with more air. To perform the experiment, have a
volunteer blow into the bag with it around their mouth while you, the teacher, blow into the
bag from a distance at the same time. Ensure only one full breath is used and that it is captured
by quickly clasping the bag shut. The outcome should be that the bag at a distance fills up the
most, possibly even to capacity, while the bag around the mouth will have minimal amounts of
air in it.
Bernoulli’s principle is essentially that as pressure decreases,
velocity increases. The bag at a distance from the mouth will fill
up with more air because as it is blown into, a low pressure
system is created in the space between the mouth and bag which
increases the velocity of the air being blown. As the air rushes
into the bag, it pulls in the surrounding air with it. On the other
hand, the bag directly around someone’s mouth does not have
any space to gain velocity or pull more air in with it and so the
bag can only fill up as much as the one breath contains. This
activity is a great way to ease middle school students into some
basic physics.
< The bag on the left was blown into directly around the
student’s mouth while the bag on the right was blown into from
about a 15-20 cm.

The source for this POE was provided by Summer Stevenson who recommended it as it
was a popular activity during her time with Science North.
This POE can lead into many extension questions such as where do students see this
principal in everyday life? (planes, birds etc.), how can they use this principal to benefit their
life?, what is something they can design that uses this principal?, and what other scientific
principals do they know of that relate to or occur in conjunction with this one?