Home >> Science & Nature >> Science

How to Make a Geyser Model for School

Geysers are vents in the Earth's surface that erupt hot water and steam. The most famous geyser in the United States is Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. Old Faithful ejects about 3,000 gallons of hot water into the air every hour, hence the name, Old Faithful. These natural phenomenons make a good science project. There are different ways to construct a geyser model, such as a glass model or a juice model.

Things You'll Need

500 milliliter flask
Hot plate or Bunsen burner
Glass tubes ranging from 12 to 16 inches long
Flask rubber stopper
Ring stand
Plastic container

Instructions

- 1
  Fill the flask three-quarters full with water. Insert a rubber stopper into the opening of the flask. Insert a 12-inch to 16-inch long glass tube into the rubber stopper. Allow the glass tube to enter the flask reach to about one-quarter from the bottom.
- 2
  Put the flask onto a hot plate. If you do not have a hot plate, attach the flask to a ring stand and place it over a Bunsen burner. Obtain a plastic container and make a hole in the center of the bowl. Attach a ring on the ring stand above the flask. Place the part of the glass tube sticking out of the rubber stopper through the hole in the plastic container. Apply some sort of clay, dough or putty around the hole in the plastic container to prevent leakage from occurring. The plastic container is used to catch any water from the geyser eruption.
- 3
  Fill the plastic container up with water so that water enters the glass tube and enters the flask. Add water until the flask and tube are completely full. Turn on the hot plate or Bunsen burner and wait for the geyser eruption to occur.
- 4
  Take pictures and record the length of time it takes for the eruption to occur. You should see water erupting into the plastic container and the water should reenter the glass tube and back into the flask. This is how a real geyser would work. Change the lengths of the glass tube varying from 12 inches to 16 inches and compare the lengths of time it takes for an eruption to occur. You can also vary the amount of water and temperature of water to compare eruption times as well.

Science