Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

If we had a several inch long flexible tube e.g. rubber or the like.
And this tube was closed at one end and a vacuum machine was attached to the other.
When the vacuum machine was turned on and the air was drawn from the tube
and the event was watched in slow motion would we see the air at the closed end of the tube be drawn first?
Put another way - would the tube begin to collapse at the far end?
Or would it collapse equally along its length?

I ask this because clearly at the end of the vacuum exercise all the air would be gone.
And the tube would be flat.
Clearly too there must be air that exits first. And air that exits last.
There is no way I can work out how that distribution occurs. But occur it must.
This is an important question for an experiment - if you can help please do.
Thanks.

Hi adamwalker,

Is your question related to a K-12 science fair project? If so, what is the hypothesis you are trying to test? If not, then a different set of online forums will be able to help you. These forums are specifically for K-12 students, parents, and teachers working on science fair projects.

That said, the air closest to the vacuum will be the first air sucked out of the tube.