Spring & Experiments

Let it rain: A rain cloud in a glass of water!  

To do this experiment you need to: 

• Pour some hot water in a glass (or jar). 

• Put a (light) plate on top of the glass. 

• Wait a couple of minutes. 

• Put some ice cubes on top of the plate and watch closely to see what happens inside the glass. 

• Observe streaks of water running down the side of the glass, making rain! 

So what is going on here? The cold plate causes the moisture in the warm air inside the glass to condense and form water droplets. This is the exact phenomenon that occurs in the atmosphere. Warm, moist air rises and meets colder air high in the atmosphere. The water vapor condenses and causing precipitation, which can be anything from light rain and snow to ice pellets and hail.