SCUBA Diver Experiment Make-Up

SCUBA stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Scuba diving can be an incredible activity from studying sea life to historical shipwrecks. You missed an experiment where students simulated how pressure and buoyancy changes affected how a scuba diver moves underwater.

Read the following directions to see how the lab was completed:

1. Cut out a diver from your foil sheet. Your diver should be between 1 and 2 inches long and thin enough to fit through the top of a 2 liter bottle. See picture 1.

2. Cut your straw and secure it using the ends of the paper clip. See picture 2.

3. Slide the paper clip onto the scuba diver to create an air tank. See picture 3.

4. Place a small amount of putty at the divers feet. See picture 4. 5. Test to make sure your diver floats in a beaker of water. 6. Fill the 2 liter bottle to the top with water.7. Place your diver feet first into the bottle and screw on the top. 8. Squeeze the bottle and observe what happens.

Make-Up Lab Questions:

1. What do you think made the SCUBA diver move up and down?

2. If the SCUBA diver didn’t move up or down, what could be done

to adjust him/her?

3. How does buoyancy affect a SCUBA diver?

4. How does pressure affect a SCUBA diver as they descend?

5. How would ascending too quickly affect a SCUBA diver?