Branch of Science: Physics
Concept: Newton’s Third Law of Motion

VINEGAR ROCKET

A blasting rocket is an exciting experiment. This rocket uses things you find around your house. It packs a punch and explains an important physics law.

You’ll Need:

• Clean, empty drink bottle
• Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 square of toilet tissue
• Tape
• Cardboard oatmeal or cornmeal canister (must be wide enough for the pop bottle to fit into)
• Cork that fits snugly in the mouth of the pop bottle

Put It Together:

1. Fill the bottle about 1/3 full of vinegar. Set it aside.
2. Place the baking soda in the center of the toilet tissue. Carefully roll the tissue into a tight tube around the baking soda.
3. Fold the ends over, and tape them in place to make a small packet. Make sure the packet is small enough to fit inside the mouth of the pop bottle.

   

4. Find an open area outside. Place the cardboard canister on the ground or prop it at an angle with bricks or rocks. Make sure the canister is not pointing toward people, animals, or windows.
5. Drop the packet into the bottle. Quickly cork it. Put the bottle cork side down inside the canister.

   

6. Back several yards (meters) away, and wait. It may take a little while for the rocket to take off. Do not go near it as you wait!
7. Search out the landing place of your rocket. Then do the experiment again!

Reusable Knowledge

This experiment shows Newton’s Third Law of Motion. This law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The vinegar and baking soda reaction forms carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide explodes backward from the bottle. An equal force pushes the bottle forward. This is the same principle that lifts rockets into space.