Concept: Laws of Motion

Description of Demo: One of my most personal favorite physics demos is the bottle rocket launcher.  I feel that this can serve as a great demonstration of Newton’s Laws and introduce projectile motion.  Having the students identify which forces are acting on the rocket and how mass takes a role on the rocket’s acceleration and force need to accelerate.  Also allow students to predict/calculate the projected path the rocket will take based on the mass, acceleration, and force the rocket has.  This is also a great lab for the students to create and launch in groups, for a more hands on feel.

Heidy Garcia-Moreno