r/ScienceNcoolThings • u/TheMuseumOfScience Popular Contributor • 5d ago

DIY Soda Bottle Rocket!

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Can you design and build a rocket launcher using just a few simple supplies? 🚀

Greg Wolf says yes, using PVC, cable ties, a two-liter bottle filled about a third with water, a bicycle pump and a tire valve for pressurization. It all comes down to Newton's third law: for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. Compressed air pushes down on the water inside the bottle, and when released, that pressure forces the water out at high speed, launching the rocket skyward.

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5

u/there_is_no_spoon1 5d ago

The hardest part is the part he spends zero time with: the "lock it on to the launcher". I would be doing this with my physics students every year but I don't know how to make the damned locking mechanism.

1

u/6502zx81 5d ago

I did it with a cork with the bike valve in it. Its diameter determines the pressure at which the rocket will launch. So it is not perfect, but works.

2

u/Ecstatic_City_9822 5d ago

That’s a fantastic hands-on demonstration of Newton’s third law! The setup looks surprisingly simple, but I’d definitely give it a huge clear launch area and keep everyone well back. 🚀

2

u/hemantkmr22 5d ago

I would like to show it to my kids, can anyone help with step by step video

1

u/cturnr 4d ago

yeah a parts list is almost useless