What Is Convection?
Need a fun and exciting way to demonstrate convection currents?
Convection is the transfer of heat through the movement of a fluid, such as a liquid or a gas. When air or water is heated, it expands, becomes less dense, and rises. Cooler, denser fluid moves in to take its place, creating a convection current.
You can observe convection in several everyday examples:
Lava lamps: Warm liquid rises and cooler liquid sinks, creating a continuous motion.
Boiling water: Heated water rises while cooler water sinks, creating circulating currents.
Tea bag rockets: Heated air rises and helps lift a lightweight tea bag into the air.
How to Make a Tea Bag Rocket
Materials
One lightweight, empty tea bag
Scissors
A lighter or long-reach lighter
Instructions
Prepare the tea bag. Carefully cut off the string and remove the staple, if present.
Empty the tea. Unfold the tea bag and pour out the tea leaves.
Create a cylinder. Carefully shape the empty tea bag into an upright cylinder and place it on a nonflammable surface.
Light the top. With adult supervision, carefully ignite the top edge of the tea bag and step back to observe what happens.
As the tea bag burns downward, the lightweight paper becomes less able to support itself. The heated air rises, and the remaining ash-light structure can lift into the air like a tiny rocket.
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