Make a cloud in a jar Follow FizzicsEd 150 Science Experiments: Comments 0 You will need: 1 clear glass jar 1 match A kettle with water A rubber glove Adult supervision needed Written by Fizzics Education. Reviewed by Ben Newsome CF. Cite this experiment Copyright Notice Instruction 1 With adult help, boil your kettle and allow the water to sit until it cools a little. You don’t need really hot water, just enough for it to be still steaming. Once the kettle has cooled a bit, carefully pour a small amount of water into the glass jar (just enough to cover the bottom of the jar). 2 With adult help, light a match and allow it to burn for a couple of seconds. Now blow the match out and drop it into the glass jar to put out the smouldering match in the water. 3 Quickly stretch your rubber glove over the entrance of the glass jar. The rubber glove should be stretched tightly across the jar but still loose enough to be able to move up and down without tearing. Using a latex glove: We’ve found that it is easier to then clamp your hands around the side of the jar so that the rubber glove fingers are not involved in the experiment. Using a laundry rubber glove: If you are using a laundry glove (and you have a large enough jar), another way is to place the glove fingers all the way into the jar and then roll the opening of the glove over the entrance of the jar. The glove should then be entirely inside the jar and be upside down when you place the jar on the table. 4 Now it’s time to make your cloud in a jar! Using a latex glove Pinch the middle of the stretched rubber and pull upwards. Using a laundry rubber glove: Place your hand as far into the upside-down glove as you can. Now pull the glove upwards. In both versions, you should see a cloud momentarily form in the jar. You can then repeat the demonstration by pushing the glove back inside the jar and then pulling the glove out again. 5 Troubleshooting If you find there is too much condensation inside your jar to see the cloud, your water is too hot. If the cloud doesn’t form when you pull on the glove, either not enough water vapour is in the air inside the jar or you don’t have enough smoke inside the jar or finally the glove is not being out far enough to change the volume enough for the cloud to form. 6 School science visits since 2004! – Curriculum-linked & award-winning incursions. – Over 40 primary & high school programs to choose from. – Designed by experienced educators. – Over 2 million students reached. – Face to face incursions & online programs available. – Early learning centre visits too! 7 Online courses for teachers & parents – Help students learn how science really works 8 Get the Unit of Work on Pressure here! Want to dive into air pressure? It’s all about air pressure in many ways! From how storms form to how planes fly, this unit covers many concepts about air pressure. Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more What is going on? How to Make a Cloud in a Jar Adding hot water into the jar allows water vapour to fill the space. This significantly increases the humidity, but at this stage, it is too warm for the vapour to condense into visible droplets. Temperature is essentially a measure of how quickly molecules are moving and colliding. When you pull on the rubber glove, you rapidly increase the volume of the air space inside the jar. This causes the air pressure to drop and the molecules to spread out, leading to adiabatic cooling. Because there are fewer collisions between the molecules, the temperature drops instantly. A cloud forms when the temperature becomes low enough for the water vapour to condense. However, water needs a “starting point” to latch onto. The smoke particles from the match (or hairspray) act as cloud condensation nuclei. Without these tiny floating particles, the water vapour would have nothing to cling to, and the cloud wouldn’t form! Variables to test Find out more on variables here. Thermal Threshold Try different temperatures of water in the jar. What is the minimum temperature needed for a visible cloud to form when you pull the glove? Nuclei Type Try using hairspray instead of smoke from a match. Does the density of the particles make it easier or harder to see the cloud? Volume and Pressure Try using large vs small jars. Does a larger volume of air require a bigger “pull” on the glove to create enough of a temperature drop? âś… Reviewed: April 5, 2026 APA 7 Citation: Fizzics Education. (2021). Make a cloud in a jar. https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/150-science-experiments/force-movement-experiments/make-a-cloud-in-a-jar/ Copy APA Citation Reviewer This resource was last reviewed for scientific accuracy on April 5, 2026. Ben Newsome CF is the recipient of the 2023 UTS Chancellor’s Award for Excellence and a Churchill Fellow. He is a global leader in science communication and the founder of Fizzics Education. Learn more! Teaching about air pressure? Check out the Flight or Weather show! Teaching about Newton’s laws? Check out the Forces, Friction & Movement workshop! Get in touch with FizzicsEd to find out how we can work with your class. Flight or Weather Years 3 to 6 Maximum 30 students School science show (NSW & VIC) 60 minutes Online Class Available Read More Enquire Now Hands-on Kids Science Party >20 hands on science experiments Gigantic bubbles Slime making Professional science show From $395 inc. GST Read More STEM Full Day Accelerator - Primary Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials. Read More Enquire Now Hot & Cold Workshop Years 1 to 6 Maximum 30 students School workshop (NSW & VIC) 60 or 90 minutes Online Class Available Read More Enquire Now
With adult help, boil your kettle and allow the water to sit until it cools a little. You don’t need really hot water, just enough for it to be still steaming. Once the kettle has cooled a bit, carefully pour a small amount of water into the glass jar (just enough to cover the bottom of the jar).
With adult help, light a match and allow it to burn for a couple of seconds. Now blow the match out and drop it into the glass jar to put out the smouldering match in the water.
Quickly stretch your rubber glove over the entrance of the glass jar. The rubber glove should be stretched tightly across the jar but still loose enough to be able to move up and down without tearing. Using a latex glove: We’ve found that it is easier to then clamp your hands around the side of the jar so that the rubber glove fingers are not involved in the experiment. Using a laundry rubber glove: If you are using a laundry glove (and you have a large enough jar), another way is to place the glove fingers all the way into the jar and then roll the opening of the glove over the entrance of the jar. The glove should then be entirely inside the jar and be upside down when you place the jar on the table.
Now it’s time to make your cloud in a jar! Using a latex glove Pinch the middle of the stretched rubber and pull upwards. Using a laundry rubber glove: Place your hand as far into the upside-down glove as you can. Now pull the glove upwards. In both versions, you should see a cloud momentarily form in the jar. You can then repeat the demonstration by pushing the glove back inside the jar and then pulling the glove out again.
Troubleshooting If you find there is too much condensation inside your jar to see the cloud, your water is too hot. If the cloud doesn’t form when you pull on the glove, either not enough water vapour is in the air inside the jar or you don’t have enough smoke inside the jar or finally the glove is not being out far enough to change the volume enough for the cloud to form.
School science visits since 2004! – Curriculum-linked & award-winning incursions. – Over 40 primary & high school programs to choose from. – Designed by experienced educators. – Over 2 million students reached. – Face to face incursions & online programs available. – Early learning centre visits too!
Get the Unit of Work on Pressure here! Want to dive into air pressure? It’s all about air pressure in many ways! From how storms form to how planes fly, this unit covers many concepts about air pressure. Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more
Teaching about air pressure? Check out the Flight or Weather show! Teaching about Newton’s laws? Check out the Forces, Friction & Movement workshop! Get in touch with FizzicsEd to find out how we can work with your class.
Flight or Weather Years 3 to 6 Maximum 30 students School science show (NSW & VIC) 60 minutes Online Class Available Read More Enquire Now
Hands-on Kids Science Party >20 hands on science experiments Gigantic bubbles Slime making Professional science show From $395 inc. GST Read More
>20 hands on science experiments Gigantic bubbles Slime making Professional science show From $395 inc. GST
STEM Full Day Accelerator - Primary Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials. Read More Enquire Now
Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials.
Hot & Cold Workshop Years 1 to 6 Maximum 30 students School workshop (NSW & VIC) 60 or 90 minutes Online Class Available Read More Enquire Now
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