Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am trying to help my niece make a doll that smokes cigarettes for a science proejct. We are running out of time. The dolls head is on a clear jar and is hollow. She has an open mouth and when the lit cigarette is incerted and her head is squeezed, she is supposed to suck in the smoke. Kind of like a medicine dropper. But for some reason this is not working. Can someone PLEASE HELP as we are very close to the due date.

Have you tried squeezing the head, inserting the cigarette, and then letting go? It seems that if the doll's head is hollow and the jar obviously doesn't compress, that squeezing the head will expel air from the head--blowing smoke out instead of pulling it in. But if you remove the air from the head by squeezing it and then let it go, you will create a vacuum that should suck the smoke in.

If you're already doing this and I'm just misunderstanding--are you sure the seal with both the jar and the cigarette is largely airtight? That's the next thing I would check.

I hope you're doing this in a well-ventillated area; second-hand smoke is pretty dangerous.

Hi,

This sounds like a very good science project. However, I think you should check your local science fair rules to see if a cigarette project would be allowed. Typically, projects are not allowed that involve the use of nicotine, alcohol, or anything else that would not be legal for a student to have. If this is the case, you may want to switch to herb cigarettes so the project won't be disqualified when it is judged. Have your niece talk to her science teacher as soon as possible.

I hope this helps.

Donna Hardy