Introduction
Do you cover your coughs and sneezes? How far do you think the droplets can travel if you do not cover them? Why is this important to help prevent the spread of diseases like COVID-19? Try this activity to find out!
Materials
- Spray bottle filled with water
- Newspaper
Procedure
- Cover the floor with newspaper.
- Hold the spray bottle above the newspaper.
- Question: How far do you think the water droplets will travel when you spray?
- Squeeze the handle a few times.
- Can you see how far the droplets go?
- Continue spraying water until the newspaper is visibly damp.
Does your ”sneeze” go as far as you expected it to?
Try to stop the sneeze from spreading.
What happens if you cover the bottle’s nozzle with a tissue or your elbow?
Why do you think the CDC recommends staying at least 6 feet away from someone who is coughing or sneezing?
What Happened?
If you only spray the bottle a few times, you might not think the water travels that far. The mist created by the bottle is very fine, and hard to see in the air. A small amount of water also does not get the newspaper very wet. However, as you spray more and more water, the newspaper will start to get soaked, and turn a darker gray. Once the newspaper gets wet enough, you can see that the droplets of water actually travel several feet!