Summary
Phil powers a car with a burst of escaping air to demonstrate Newton's third law — every action has an equal and opposite reaction. He then maxes it out with a much bigger blast. ~22 min, free on the official Science Max YouTube channel.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Air rushes out the back, and the car shoots forward — Phil explores action and reaction.
- What pushes the rocket car forward?
- Which way does the air go, and which way does the car go?
- What is Newton's third law in your own words?
- How could you make the car travel a longer distance?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: rocket, reaction, thrust, force, motion.
Try it: Tape a balloon to a straw threaded on a string. Let the air go and watch the balloon zoom — explain which way the air pushed.