The Human Vacuum

By: Jonah, Michael, and Zoe

Objective
To use human lung power and your knowledge of
Newton's 3 laws of motion to extract air from a
straw to efficiently move pieces of paper to the
recycling bin from the starting point in less than
60 seconds.
 Rules

~ Has to be under 60 seconds

~ One person can’t go twice in a row

~ May only use 1 straw at a time

~ If a piece of paper falls in the middle of the table start from the beginning

~ Don’t hold the straw while moving

Materials
● 1 small straw (1 per person)
● 1 large straw( 1 per person)
● A baggie (1 per person)
● 2 pieces of 9 by 12 super heavyweight construction paper
● Ruler
● Scissors
● Plastic Cup
● Human Lungs
Brainstorming- Plan of action
~ Cut the paper into small pieces so we can lift it easier

~ Cut the paper into 16 pieces

~ Bend the straw so air doesn’t have a direct route to the paper

~ Smaller pieces of paper allow the paper to fit into the cup while also being able to
be picked up by the power of human lungs
Test/Modification
Test Modification

There were many failed ~ Instead of having 16 flat pieces which were hard
attempts till we came to pick up the papers were folded into envelope
up with a working system like shapes
Getting it done
By sucking in air through a straw you are
lowering the pressure inside of your mouth
which allows atmospheric pressure to push
the liquid up the straw. But, the straw can
also create an airtight seal around an object
which makes a vacuum inside of the straw.
Sucking in air from the straw also
unbalances natural forces such as gravity.
The unbalanced forces allow an object to be
suctioned and picked up by the straw.
Success (video)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_tG85DdIrAYvJPzc0y6Yrms7x2wCEmbF/view?usp=sharing
Applying understanding of Newton's 1st
law of Motion
Newton’s 2nd law of Motion
Newton's 3rd law of
Motion
Glossary of key terms
Terms~ Speed Direction

Force Velocity Opposite

Inertia Acceleration Vacuum

Mass Momentum Matter

Resistance Friction Energy

Unbalanced Force Gravity

Balanced Force Reference point

Apply Motion
Key Concepts
1. Difference between constant speed, instantaneous speed, and average speed

2. 3 ways an object can accelerate

3. Forces (friction and gravity) how they affect objects in motion

4. Identify and make a connection to Newton's three laws of motion