![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.dartofscience.com/video/straw-rocket-launcher/&media=http://www.dartofscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/straw-rocket-launcher1.jpg&description=<a href="http://www.dartofscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/straw-rocket-launcher.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-410" src="http://www.dartofscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/straw-rocket-launcher-300x168.jpg" alt="straw rocket launcher" width="300" height="168" /></a>Air pressure is an immensely powerful entity. If used correctly, it can help us do superhuman things, like making a huge truck come to a stop, or lifting a car. What we do in this experiment is synthesize the same pressure to launch our rocket. So how do we do it? The bottle has air present within it.
The bottle has air present within it. When we drill a hole and insert a straw into the cap of the bottle, we essentially reduce the surface area of the outlet for the air. Since pressure equals force divided by surface area, the smaller cross sectional surface area of the straw, the larger the force. Our projectile (wider straw) blocks off this outlet for the air with the ball of clay attached to the front side. When the bottle is squeezed, all the air inside it tries to rush out. Since the little straw is the only outlet it has, the pressure exerted upon the ball of clay is huge. Thus, the ‘rocket’ zooms off so fast. Imagine how much pressure it would exert if our air reservoir was really large and the holes really small. This is exactly how pneumatic lifts work!)
![](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http://www.dartofscience.com/video/straw-rocket-launcher/&title=Straw Rocket Launcher&summary=<a href="http://www.dartofscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/straw-rocket-launcher.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-410" src="http://www.dartofscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/straw-rocket-launcher-300x168.jpg" alt="straw rocket launcher" width="300" height="168" /></a>Air pressure is an immensely powerful entity. If used correctly, it can help us do superhuman things, like making a huge truck come to a stop, or lifting a car. What we do in this experiment is synthesize the same pressure to launch our rocket. So how do we do it? The bottle has air present within it.
The bottle has air present within it. When we drill a hole and insert a straw into the cap of the bottle, we essentially reduce the surface area of the outlet for the air. Since pressure equals force divided by surface area, the smaller cross sectional surface area of the straw, the larger the force. Our projectile (wider straw) blocks off this outlet for the air with the ball of clay attached to the front side. When the bottle is squeezed, all the air inside it tries to rush out. Since the little straw is the only outlet it has, the pressure exerted upon the ball of clay is huge. Thus, the ‘rocket’ zooms off so fast. Imagine how much pressure it would exert if our air reservoir was really large and the holes really small. This is exactly how pneumatic lifts work!&source=http://www.dartofscience.com)
NOTICE BOARD
d’Art of Science partners with DFC 2017
Starting this year, d’Art of Science partners with DFC for promoting Hands-on/DIY Culture in Schools by starting a sub-award in the annual DFC Challenge. One school selected under the Best Prototype Award will get a chance to travel to Goa and develop their solution prototype in Goa with us. Over… READ MORE…
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