Science Smarts: Air currents

By Patty Rooks on March 21, 2026.

It is a big weekend for Praxis and so many of the students in southeastern Alberta – it is Regional Science Fair time! We will be at Medicine Hat College all day judging projects, and this year we will have some hands-on STEM activity tables for our participants to take part in when they have a break from judging.

If you have time, absolutely stop by and see the amazing talent we have right here in our region. Awards will be in the afternoon and the grand prize winner will be off all expenses paid (thanks to our generous donors) to the Canada Wide Science Fair.

The students will blow you away! In case you cannot make it down, here is a little science to occupy you today. Let’s get started!

*Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment.

Materials

– Piece of thread or string

– Piece of paper

– Lamp

– Scissors

Procedure

1. Cut a circle of paper out.

2. Make a small hole in the centre of the circle.

3. Insert the thread and tie it so you have something to hold the circle with.

4. Cut the circle into a spiral so that it is freely hanging down (as illustrated on the right).

5. Use this paper spiral to find air currents.

6. Looking down at the spiral, if it turns clockwise, it indicates an updraft. If the spiral turns counterclockwise, it is a downdraft.

What is going on?

It is a scientific fact that warm air rises and cold air falls. The spiral you made will allow you to test air currents. When heated air rises it creates an updraft and when air cools, it creates a downdraft.

This is similar to the movement of air across the land. Air often becomes warmed by the Earth and also creates an updraft. The movement of these air currents vary across the Earth.

These air currents are also very important when it comes to telling the weather

Patty Rooks, senior scientific consultant Praxis Science Outreach Society. Praxis is located in the Community Futures Entre Corp Building at #202 556 Fourth St. SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 0K8. For all your science needs, please email praxis@praxismh.ca.

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