DIY science project- Balloon Car

Balloon powered car

This is a very easy to do project which can be used to teach kids about Newtons' third law: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction".  Before I explain the science behind this project, let me first tell you the list of things needed and also give you step-by-step instructions about making the car.

Things needed:

Bottle caps-4

Toothpicks-2

Straws-2

Glue-as needed

Tape- as needed

Small cardboard piece

Balloon-1

Instructions:

1. Make tiny holes at the center in all the bottle caps. Take a straw and cut into 2 pieces. Each piece should be the same length as the toothpick. Now insert toothpick through one of the bottle caps. Put a glob of glue near the hole so the toothpick doesn't come out. Now slide the straw onto the toothpick and insert the other end of toothpick into a bottle cap and glue it. Do the same with other 2 bottle caps. Now take a cardboard piece and using pieces of tapes, attach the straws to the cardboard as shown:

2. Turn the other side. Insert a straw through the balloon and twist the end of the balloon around the straw and tape it so the air doesn't get out. Attach this straw onto the cardboard piece using the tape as shown:

3. After all the gluing and taping, your car should look like this.

4. Blow the air into the balloon using the straw. Make sure the air is not escaping from anywhere.

5. Hold the end of straw so the air does not escape and put the car on the floor and then let it go and your car should zoom around. 

6.  See the video to see how it works.

Now what is the science behind it? 

Every vehicle needs fuel to function. Here air is the fuel. As I mentioned above, this car can be used to explain Newtons' 3rd law. You see, "Force" is needed for any object to change it's state of motion. As we let the air come out of the balloon, the car moves in the opposite direction. Here the air is creating the force, which is the 'action' and the car going in the opposite direction is the 'reaction'. 

Note: You can make this car using water bottle instead of cardboard. You can make it more fancy by painting the bottle and wheels. I just kept it simple. If you get a chance to make one of these "Balloon powered cars" then please share the pictures in the comments section. We would love to see your version.