Rubber Atmospheric Mat with Hook
by American Scientific

Simplistic by design, this thick and durable rubber mat was created to show and demonstrate an extremely powerful concept: that of atmospheric pressure. Using that idea, combined with the atmospheric mat, you will be able to pick up an ordinary flat lab stool, or make it a nearly impossible challenge to lift the mat off of a table.

This demonstration explores, and shows, how suction cups are able to stay stuck to an object because of the pushing force of air, not from pulling a “suction” force, which does not exist. Other concepts that can be explored with the atmospheric mat include surface area, force, vacuums, and pressure.

The mat measures 10.5×10.5 inches, and includes a teacher’s guide with a variety of different experiments and concepts to explore.