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How to Make a Tornado With a Heat Lamp and Dust in an Aquarium

A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that extends from the base of a cloud to make contact with the surface of the earth. It commonly presents itself in the form of a spiraling vortex of dust and debris as it moves across land. Owing to the nature of their destructive potential, it is inadvisable to study the mechanics of tornadoes in person. However, you can simulate the motion of a tornado by using dust in an aquarium.

Things You'll Need

7-inch transparent plastic plant saucer
Heavy-duty scissors
Heat lamp
Large aquarium
10-inch by 12-inch piece of wood
Glue gun
Plastic cup
Two 9-inch by 10-inch sheets of vinyl, .01-inch-thick
Water
Small handheld fan
2 cups of loose dust, dirt and/or sand
Protective gloves
Steel tongs
Protective goggles
Dry ice
Measuring cup

Instructions

- 1
  Cut a hole roughly 2 inches in diameter in the bottom of your plastic plant saucer using your heavy-duty scissors.
- 2
  Mount your heat lamp on the sides or top of the aquarium, whichever is easier. Leave it unplugged until later.
- 3
  Set the piece of wood on the bottom of the aquarium and glue your cup to the middle of it, facing up.
- 4
  Stand one of your vinyl sheets upright and glue one of its sides to the side of the cup. Mold the rest of it into a half-circle shape, surrounding but not touching the cup.
- 5
  Repeat Step 4 on the opposite side of your cup with the other sheet of vinyl. From above, the two sheets together should form the shape of an "S."
- 6
  Pour 1/2 cup of water into your plastic cup.
- 7
  Pour approximately 1 cup of your loose dust, dirt or sand into each of the half-circles created by the vinyl sheets. The loose material can be found in most unpaved outdoor locations.
- 8
  Put on your safety gloves and goggles and drop a few cubes of dry ice into your cup, using the tongs to handle them.
- 9
  Turn your saucer upside down and place it on top of the vinyl sheets, forming a lid.
- 10
  Turn on the heat lamp in the aquarium to accelerate the melting of the dry ice.
- 11
  Turn on your handheld fan and place it in the hole in your saucer, standing it so that the air from it is blowing upward, away from the dust, water and dry ice below. This air flow combined with your vinyl sheets will create a spiraling updraft that will pull the air and dust from the bottom up through the hole at the top of the plant saucer. As the dry ice is melted by the heat lamp, it will cool the air above it, causing water vapor to condense from the air. The addition of water vapor to the vortex of air and dust will create a very realistic simulation of a tornado.

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