Tornado Tube
The Tornado Tube is a device made of molded plastic that can be used to connect two two-liter soda bottles. When one of the bottles is filled with liquid and the two bottles are connected with a Tornado Tube, they may be used as a children's educational toy demonstrating a vortex.[1]
The device was accidentally invented in 1968 by Craig Burnham for a school science fair project as an attempt to create an hour glass with water. When the original concept failed to function, a frustrated shake created a vortex in the bottle rather than a slow drip.[2] In late 1986, the device was reimagined as a toy, at which point prototypes were constructed from plastic and a U.S. patent was granted. The toy debuted at the 1988 American International Toy Fair[3] Originally constructed of household materials, the retail toy is made from molded plastic produced in southern New Hampshire.[4] The toy has been produced in the United States since 1988 and millions of units have been sold across the world, with its popularity peaking in the late 1990s.[4]
A similar effect may be achieved by duct taping two soda bottles together.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Greene, Kim. "5 Spring Weather Activities". Scholastic. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
- ^ "Forgotten School Project Makes Man Rich". The Sun, December 5, 1989
- ^ "Going Down the Tubes". The Salem Evening News, February 8, 1988
- ^ a b "Tornado Tycoon". The Salem Evening News, March 20, 1997 Vol, 117 No. 130
- ^ "Make a Tornado". The Journal Times. 1998-05-10. pp. 3E. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
Further reading
[edit]- Schlenker, Richard M.; Schlenker, Karl R. (2001-01-01). "Using Tornado Tubes to Generate Interest in Science Research Integrating the Study of Science and Language Arts". Science Activities. 38 (3): 25–30. doi:10.1080/00368120109603617. ISSN 0036-8121.
External links
[edit]- US 4625780A, Burnham, Craig, "Vortex connector", published 1986-12-02 (patent)