You didn't just make a tornado — you made one of the most powerful forces in nature happen inside a jar.

When you spin the water, a funnel forms in the middle. Scientists call this a vortex, and it's the exact same thing happening inside real tornadoes and hurricanes. Same force. Way bigger jar.

Did you notice the water right next to the glass was actually moving the slowest? That's friction — the glass steals energy from any water touching it. But head to the centre of that funnel and the water is spinning fastest of all — like an ice skater pulling their arms in tight. The tighter the spin, the faster it goes.

And those soap bubbles? They didn't fly outward — they got pulled into the funnel. That's the vortex grabbing everything nearby and dragging it to the centre. Real tornadoes do the same thing to cars, roofs... and cows. 

Did you also notice it slowly disappears on its own? That's friction doing its thing again — the water rubbing against the glass and itself, stealing all the energy until there's nothing left to spin.

The detergent is the sneaky part though — and it changes everything about how the vortex behaves.

Want to know why? And why real tornadoes spin in opposite directions depending on where you are in the world? Find out in The Crazy Scientist Lab!