EXPERIMENT: ROCKET BALLON

Hye!!! Today, I want to share about an experiment in physic subject, especially for Newton’s Law's chapter. For a teacher, you can try it with your students. For parents, this also can be do at home. You can do it with your children and your children can learn something from this experiment. So, just try it…….step by step…

1. Collect your materials for the rocket balloon

To create a rocket balloon, you'll need the following items:

· Balloon (any size)

· Piece of string (10 to 25 feet, or shorter if your space is limited)

· Straight drinking straw

· Scotch tape

2. Set-Up String & Straw

You have to create a "track" for the rocket balloon to run on. You begin by tying one end of the string to a tree, post, chair, or other sturdy support.

Slide the free end of the string through the drinking straw.

Tie the other end of the string to another support (generally at the same height, so the string is horizontal). Make sure the string is taut when tied down.

Move the straw to one end of the string.

3. Prepare Balloon

Inflate the balloon. Pinch the neck to keep it full.

Using two pieces of Scotch tape, attach the inflated balloon to the straw. The mouth of the balloon should point toward the nearest support.

4. Release Balloon

Release the balloon and watch it go!

Scientific Explanation: Why the Rocket Balloon Works

The balloon, which is made of an elastic material, contracts on the air within the balloon. When the mouth of the balloon is held (or tied) closed, the air has nowhere to go, so it pushes back to retain the balloon's shape.

However, since the mouth is open, the air has somewhere to go. The air pushes out the mouth of the balloon. Since the air is now moving, the rocket balloon also moves. This follows both Newton's Third Law of Motion ("for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction") and the law of conservation of momentum.

There is friction between the string and the straw, but the straw is made of material with a low coefficient of friction (because it's smooth) and the weight of the balloon and straw is light, so the overall frictional force is effectively negligible.

This is essentially the same principle upon which rockets work. They burn fuel to propel matter out the back forcefully. The rocket moves in response to this. Since a rocket typically weighs much more than a balloon, of course, it takes more propellant to get it moving.