If you want to study the physics of flying reindeer (and make a super fun mess in the process), make Reindeer Rockets. Maddie Moate and Greg Foot combine small plastic bottles with sports caps, some Alka-Seltzer or fizzy vitamin C tablets, and some reindeer craftwork to see those reindeer fly. Moate explains:
Because we’re putting the lid on, what’s going to happen is pressure is going to build up inside the bottle because that carbon dioxide gas… it has nowhere to go. So that pressure eventually is going to push the sports cap of the lid down, and when that cap pushes down, it’s going to push against the bench and that’s going to make the bottle whoosh up in the air. And if the liquid comes down, that’s only going to push the bottle up higher.
A reminder: “Make sure to be careful and stand back once you’ve put on the reindeer rockets lids! You never know when they might blow!”
Related watching: How to make a rocket, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 crashes & landings, and The Chemistry of Rockets: How do rockets work?
Plus: Salt crystal snowflakes, DIY candy canes, & more holiday science projects with Greg Foot.
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