Vinegar Rocket

[deleted-67313]

My kindergartner wants to do this experiment.
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... =Blog#help
He is so much interested in rockets. Is this project ok for him, will the judges deny it based on safety?
Are there any laws like Newtons laws of motion associated with this?

[rmarz]

nissan - I don't know if the judges will think this is inappropriate, but it is a bit messy for an indoor judging. Likely for safety purposes they will probably not allow a demonstration, so you may have to film your outdoor experiment and present your data and photos as your entry. There are some obvious safety concerns, so make sure everybody near the setup is wearing safety glasses. Because of the rapid rate of the baking soda/vinegar reaction (base and acid), the results can be unexpected and varied. The lid of the film canister is 'blown off' the container when the pressure builds up and exceeds the limits of the tight fitting lid to stay on the container. Yes, Newton's third law is at work here (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction). Caution, when the lid is 'snapped' onto the container, the baking soda may prematurely drop into the vinegar causing the somewhat violent reaction to happen while holding the container, a safety concern. This experiment may teach your son/daughter more about explosive actions than rocketry. Good luck.

Rick Marz