Page 6 - My discovery Lab Volume 1/ Issue 1

Experiment 2: Did you know,

Pop up rockets earth’s gravity is a force that
stops us all floating away?

You will need from your box:
• 500ml bottle and lid with a hole through it
• Straw
• Rocket template
• Sticky tape

Things from home:
• Pens or coloured pencils
• Scissors
• Glue Stick

LET’S EXPERIMENT: https://youtu.be/jql5rymNAB0

Get ready to design and launch your own rocket!

(1) Colour and cut out your rockets

(2) Take a straw and tape up one of the ends

(3) Place this end into your bottle

(4) Now push the other end of the straw
through your bottle lid so it sticks out the end

(5) Screw the lid onto your bottle

(6) Tape up the other end of the straw so
no air escapes

(7) Stick your rocket onto the very end
of the straw

(8) Now let’s see our pop up rocket in action –
squeeze your bottle to create a force

(9) Let it go and then squeeze again

HOW DOES IT WORK?:
Why does the rocket go up when you squeeze the bottle? Squeezing forces the air inside to push against the ends
of the straw. This force pushes the straw and your rocket upwards. When you stop squeezing the bottle, the air
doesn’t push against the straw and it drops back down along with a little help from gravity.

TIME TO EXPLORE - What would happen if you used a bigger bottle? Try it and see.

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