"Rockets #2"

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SCIENCE CONCEPT:

Newton's Third Law of Motion: for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

STUDENT OBJECTIVE:

The student will experiment with Newton's Third Law of Motion.

OVERVIEW:

The student will use a balloon to discover that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

TEACHER TEXT:

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes

LESSON TIME: 15 minutes

TEACHER PREP:

Gather materials.

WORDS TO KNOW:

• blow
• balloon
• opposite
• air
• propel

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• long balloon
• drinking straw
• string or fishing line
• tape
• two chairs

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Thread the string through the straw.
2. Tie the string between two chairs approximately 12 feet apart.
3. Blow up the balloon.
4. While holding the balloon shut with one hand, tape the balloon to the straw lengthwise.
5. Release the balloon from one end of the string.
6. Observe what happens. (The balloon and straw are propelled to the end of the string.)

WHY?:

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. In this case, the air escaping out the back of the balloon is the action. The opposite reaction propels the balloon forward along the string.

ASSESSMENT: Can the student communicate what they observed?

4....The student is able to communicate that the balloon shooting forward across the string is the opposite reaction to the "action" of air escaping backward out the end of the balloon.

3....The student is able to communicate that the balloon was propelled across the string because the air came out.

2....The student is able to communicate that the balloon was propelled across the string.

1....The student is able to communicate that the balloon moved.

CURRICULUM LINK IDEAS: