If I take an empty ordinary drinks bottle, place it in my mouth and

[jamesd2008]

If I take an empty ordinary drinks bottle, place it in my mouth and suck, the sides collapse in wards. Is this because I have reduced the pressure in the bottle and the weight of the atmosphere is crushing it?

Thanks in advance
James

 

[Integral]

Yes.

 

[jamesd2008]

Wow, ok thanks. Just trying to absorb this.

 

[jamesd2008]

So if I was in space would this happen?

 

[Danger]

If you were in space and the bottle was uncapped, it would have a near-perfect vacuum inside. In such a case, it would suck your lips into the bottle and make you wish that you had remained on Earth. That is assuming that you could maintain your own atmosphere while doing so; otherwise, there would be no reaction. Your lips would freeze as soon as you stick them out of your helmet.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

If an uncapped bottle is in space, there no air inside either inside or out. There is nothing to suck. If you try to use, say a bicycle pump, to suck the can, you'll just move the lever up without any resistance like you'd move a free rod. The can will not change shape.

On Earth's surface, there is a >100 000 feet column of air above the bottle that squeezes and deforms it when its air is sucked out.

 

[Danger]

Believe it or not, Doc, that was sort of what I was trying to say. I'm afraid that a modicum of alcohol got between my brain and my typing fingers.

 

[jamesd2008]

Thanks everyone, that all makes sense :-)!

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

Yeah, where I live, the alcohol limit went down to like 0.05 recently. I guess that still hasn't made it to the forums.

(You got some of that stuff for me?...)

(Hmm... one of these days, I got to try that Danger Special Davec was talking about in another post...)