Suck an Egg Into a Bottle

Parry Pretty here!

Today, I thought I’d show you a fun science project.  ”Science isn’t fun!” you say.  Well, try sucking an egg into a bottle first, and then we’ll talk.

Here’s All You Will Need:

A hard-boiled egg
A large bottle with a top slightly smaller than the egg
A strip of paper
A box of matches or a lighter
An adult to supervise (Safety in numbers, I always say!  Plus, you can show off how scientifically cool you really are to a crowd!)

Here’s What You Do:

1.     Peel the shell off of the egg.  Simple enough.

2.     Grab a strip of paper, any paper, about 2 inches wide (5 cm) and 6 inches long (15 cm).  Then fold in half.

3.     Light the paper and quickly drop it into the bottle.

4.     Now, don’t blink because this part happens quickly!  Immediately place the egg on top of the bottle, and watch the magic happen.

The flames will soon go out after the burning paper has heated the air and used up all of the oxygen.  When the air cools, the egg will be “sucked” in.  In all actuality, the egg is pushed in by the extra air pressure on the outside.

Going…

…going…

…gone!

Side note: If you want to get the egg out of the bottle–only if–be sure to shake out the burnt paper first.  Then blow hard into the bottle.  Keep blowing while you tilt the bottle until the egg rests on the opening.  Take your mouth away while the egg shoots out.  If that doesn’t work for you, just fill the bottle up with water and shake it violently.  That always works.