Answer: You divide the students into groups of 3 or 4, and you have them make balloon rockets to investigate whether the size of the balloon opening has an effect on how far the balloon travels along a string.

Hypothesis:

I think the balloon will go farther if the hole is smaller. ...Nathan

I think it will go farther if the hole is bigger. ....Zach

I think the balloon will get more distance with a smaller hole ....Ashlie

Test, record, and interpret data

The larger the hole, the farther the balloon went. ...Todd

The big hole let the air out with a grater force. The smallest hole hardly moved the balloon. ...Paul

Note: we used fish line as string. It doesn't show up in the photographs.

My hypothesis was totally wrong. The medium size (7mm) hole let the balloon go the farthest. ...Nolan

The size of the opening would effect the distance. It's got to be small, but not too small. I think it would work better on an incline. I would do it again with an incline. ...Duane

If the hole was too big or too small, it wouldn't go as far. ...Ashley

It would go farther if the string was on an incline, because it would go twords the ground. ...Brooke Ann

Students used three index cards with three different size holes to control the amount of air leaving the balloon.

Groups measured the diameter of the hole and recorded it. Not all groups used the same sizes. (one group used 10, 8, 2 mm while another used 20, 15 and 10 mm)

Balloon size was supposed to be the same, however measuring a round balloon with a meter stick proved to be a challenge.

Much comment was made by students during the experiment. Several noted they needed long skinny balloons so they would be more streamlined. (The teacher unfortunately had a bag of 150 round balloons!) Others commented that the size of the index card was causing air resistance. Result: fun plus some learning.

What else can you do with a balloon???

See main Onekama page
http://www.onekama.k12.mi.us

December 18, 2003