G7 My Terrarium Project

Over the summer break, the seventh grade students researched and created their own terrariums.

Terrariums are a microcosm, a tiny ecosystem, usually sealed in a glass container.

The containers can range from a small incandescent light bulb to a huge 90-gallon tank.

The display is in front of the junior high science classroom.

G9 Water Bottle Rocket

Force = Mass x Acceleration (F = ma)

Last week, the grade 9 science students engaged in engineering a water bottle rocket for their introduction to Newtonian physics.

Many of the students quickly learned that force alone does not make the rocket go higher, but a balance of aerodynamics, weight, and luck play a role with every launch.

Before making the actual launch, we did a demo and compared a rocket with only air versus water.

Setting the pressure to 40 psi on each launch, the rocket with water went higher than the one with only air.

Students then began to wonder why adding water allowed the rocket to go higher (Newtons third law). What do you think?