Beginner's Guide
to Propulsion
Newton's Third Law and Aircraft Propulsion Answers
Record the results
of each experiment in the table shown below and compute the volume for
the balloon.
Amount
of Air
Circumference
(cm)
Diameter
(cm)
Distance
Traveled (cm)
Volume
of Balloon
(cm)3
full
37.68
12
22
904.32
1/4 full
9.42
3
5
14.13
1/2 full
18.84
6
8
113.04
3/4 full
28.26
9
15
381.51
Complete a plot
showing the distance the balloon traveled with each experiment.
What conclusion
can be made from this graph and how does is relate to Newton's Third
Law?
The
more air inside the balloon the farther the distance the balloon will
travel. The air trapped inside the balloon pushes out the open end,
causing the balloon to move forward. The force of the air escaping
is the "action"; the movement of the balloon forward is the "reaction"
predicted by Newton's Third Law of Motion.
Any comments, concerns, or questions should be addressed
to:
