Reference: HY11
Category: Hydrostatics
Purpose: Demonstrates the properties of air and water.
Description: The Cartesian diver is an experiment in the properties of air: it occupies space, has weight, and exerts pressure. The Cartesian diver, consisting of a plastic medicine dropper and a metal nut, will float or sink in the bottle of water depending on the water level in the bulb of the dropper. When pressure is applied to the outside of the bottle, the water level inside of the diver rises because the pressure squeezes the air into a smaller space. Thje more water that is inside the diver, the less buoyant it becomes and the diver sinks. When the pressure on the outside of the bottle is released, the water level inside of the diver drops and the diver floats to the top.
