Effervescent canister rockets
In this activity, students make an effervescent canister rocket using baking soda and vinegar. They develop their understanding of rocket propulsion and investigate the amount of vinegar that will make the rocket go the highest.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
explain how rocket propulsion works in terms of gases being pushed out one end so that a force is exerted on the rocket in the opposite direction
carry out a fair test to find the amount of vinegar that makes the rocket go the highest
explain that pressure needs to build up inside the film canister for a successful launch
explain how the speed of the rocket changes as it goes up and comes back down and how these changes are related to the forces acting on it.
This activity is ideally done after the teaching and learning activity Introduction to rockets and space
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do
discussion questions
extension ideas
student worksheet.
Nature of science
In a science investigation, such as finding out the amount of vinegar that makes a film canister rocket go the highest, it is important to identify all of things that might affect the results – in this case, the height reached. Only one variable should be changed for each trial.
Developing primary-secondary links
Primary and secondary teachers (such as Sinead Senek from Sts Peter and Paul School and Brenten Higson from St Bernard’s College in Lower Hutt) can establish and maintain mutually beneficial links that support the teaching and learning of science within their community. Here, a year 5 and 6 class explores the physical and material world by building vinegar and baking soda rockets with senior students from a local secondary school.
To think about:
How might out-of-school linkages be established, strengthened and sustained in your learning community?
What are the purposes and benefits of the linkages?
Note that this video shows footage from the old legacy Science Learning Hub website but all the resources referenced in this video are available on this website.
