Points to Ponder Can you think of a time you were lifted up by air? Why do people fall off cliffs? Have you slept on an air mattress? Have you seen a stunt jumper land on an air mattress? How do birds soar, or fly without moving their wings?

CAN air lift heavy objects? Write your hypothesis in your science notebook.

Straws Scotch tape or duct tape. A gallon-sized ziploc bag A box of books

1.Poke a small hole in the bottom of the Ziploc bag, just big enough for the straw to fit inside. 2.Tape the opening very carefully with scotch tape or duct tape. No air can escape! 3.Place the bag on a desk with the straw sticking off the desk. 4.Place the box of books on the bag, but not covering ANY part of the straw. 5.Take turns trying to see if your bag/straw combination can lift the box of books off the table, simply by blowing air into the bag.

Draw a diagram that shows what happened! Be sure to: draw the box of books draw the bag and straw contraption show how it worked/didn’t work/came apart/blew up/failed miserable/worked perfectly – WHATEVER HAPPENED! use WORDS to explain the pictures in your diagram

SO: Does air have the ability to lift heavy objects? Was your hypothesis correct? What does this mean related to our study of weather and climate? Remember – Air can be heavy and dense (high pressure) or the molecules can be spread apart (low pressure). The density of air, or air pressure, causes wind, rain, and storms. Air pressure changes because of the heating and cooling of air by THE SUN!