How to Make a Bottle Rocket Out of a 1-Liter Plastic Bottle

A plastic bottle rocket can be made to fly.

A bottle rocket demonstrate the principle of Newton's third law (action=reaction). You can make a bottle rocket that will fly, if only for a short time, from a one-liter plastic bottle and a few household supplies. You will also need a few supplies from a grocery store. Get adult supervision when making your bottle rocket if you are under age, since a cutting edge must be used.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper
• Two manila folders
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Utility knife
• Duct tape
• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Toilet paper
• Cellophane tape

1. Place a sheet of newspaper on a table. Place the manila folder on the newspaper with the long end facing you. Fold the upper, left corner down towards the bottom side of the manila folder. Crease the fold down with your fingers. Cut along the crease with the scissors to cut out a triangle.

2. Repeat this procedure with the upper, right corner of the manila folder and then repeat the process with the upper, left corner of another manila folder.

3. Place the three cut triangles that will be the fins of the rocket aside. Dispose of the remains of the manila folders in the trash.

4. Hold the plastic bottle against a door frame with the bottle cap facing down. Trace a vertical line along the side of the plastic bottle where it meets the door frame with the pencil.

5. Rotate the plastic bottle a quarter turn. Trace a vertical line along the side of the plastic bottle where it meets the door frame with the pencil. Rotate the plastic bottle a quarter turn. Trace a vertical line along the side of the plastic bottle where it meets the door frame with the pencil.

6. Stand the plastic bottle on the newspaper. Place the long side of a fin against the vertical line drawn on the plastic bottle where it meets the neck of the plastic bottle.

7. Tape the long side of the fin to the plastic bottle with a strip of duct tape on each side. Repeat this procedure with the other two fins and the other two vertical lines.

8. Place a strip of four squares of toilet paper horizontally on the newspaper. Sprinkle baking soda from the left side of the strip of toilet paper to the right side.

9. Fold the top of the strip of toilet paper over to the bottom. Fold the left side of the strip of toilet paper over to the middle. Fold the right side of the strip of toilet paper over the middle. Tape the left and right sides of the strip of toilet paper to each other with a piece of cellophane tape.

10. Remove the cap from the plastic bottle. Put the cap on the newspaper. Cut out a hole in the center of the cap with the blade of the utility knife.

11. Pour vinegar into the open mouth of the plastic bottle. Stop pouring when the plastic bottle is filled about halfway.

12. Go outside in your backyard. Push the strip of toilet paper into the open mouth of the plastic bottle. Screw the bottle cap on. Place your thumb over the hole in the bottle cap.

13. Shake the plastic bottle violently as you twist it back and forth for 20 seconds.

14. Stand the plastic bottle upside down on a level piece of ground. Move away. Wait as the compressed gas generated by the vinegar and the baking soda propels the bottle rocket you have made off the ground.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear protective eye gear when firing off your plastic bottle rocket.

• Do not use the plastic bottle rocket in a public place or anywhere there is a crowd of people.

References

• inhs: Mr. Hayhurst's Quick and Easy Bottle Rocket
• YouTube: How To Make A Vinegar And Baking Soda Rocket

Resources

• NASA: Brief History Of Rockets