In book one, Halley Harper; Science Girl Extraordinaire Summer Set in Motion, Halley and her friends need to solve a riddle about Newton’s Laws of Motion to win the Camp Eureka challenge! Here’s how they solve it.
Blast off into the sky
You’ll see me moving by
Off to the moon into the stars
This law of motion could get you to Mars!
What you need: String, a balloon, a straw (cut in half), tape
How to do it:
Thread the string through the straw. Tie off both ends of the string to a doorknob and a chair. Blow up the balloon and hold the open end shut. Carefully tape the balloon to the straw. Move the balloon to one of the ends of the string. Let go and observe how the air in the balloon pushes the balloon forward.
What’s the science?
The air pressure inside the balloon is balanced when the balloon is closed. When the balloon is opened, the pressure inside the balloon is forced out. The forces are then unbalanced causing the balloon to shoot forward. It is an example of Newton’s Third Law of Motion: for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction.
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