- a brief description of the lab
- an explanation of what you learned that references the key point
- any questions that arose from your testing or speculation you may have about why this will be important for Mission to Mars
Example Blog:
Today I did a lab where I created alka seltzer rockets. Using a film canister, water and an alka seltzer tablet I was able to demonstrate Newton's 3rd law. Newton's 3rd law says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and it is this equal and opposite reaction that allowed my film canister to shoot up in the air almost 20 feet!
When I added water to the alka seltzer tablet it began to fizz. Closing the canister tightly trapped the gas inside and created pressure that eventually forced the lid off the canister. By setting the canister upside down on a solid surface I could take advantage of the force created. The gas pushed down on the lid that was on the ground as much as it pushed up on the body of the canister. You might think the lid is lighter and therefore easier to accelerate (as the 2nd law says) than the body of the film canister, but to move the lid you'd have to move the Earth - and that's MUCH more massive.
One thing this lab made me wonder was how does this work in space once you've already pushed off the ground of a planet and there's no air. I also wonder if its possible to have alka seltzer rockets which have multiple stages like real rockets. It's an idea I'd like to try.
