Movement, energy and balloon
ROCKETS
LUBRICANTS REDUCE FRICTION
Friction can be useful (for example in the brakes of a car and gripping your shoes to the floor) or it can be
a problem (trying to get a rocket into space or back to Earth, or when you want a sports car to break the
speed record). Friction brings the balloon to a rocket balloon to a stop. To reduce friction, use a lubricant.
OBJECTIVES
To understand the effect of friction on the
movement of objects.
To communicate ideas to a group.
STARTER
Label one side of the room true and the
other false. Read out the statements on
page 2 and ask children to move to either the
true side or the false side of the room or play
Taboo (see page 2). At the end of the game,
ask children to sit in a circle
STIMULUS
If possible, set the following up in
advance of the lesson. Set two chairs
approximately 4 metres apart. Thread a straw
through a length of string. Tie the ends to
each chair so that the string is more than 30
cm above the ground. Inflate (but do not tie)
a rocket balloon. Fold the neck over and
secure with a clothes peg to prevent the air
coming out. Pull the straw to one end and
tape lengthways along the balloon.
Ask children to be prepared to observe
what happens and to describe what they see
to a partner. Remove the peg and watch the
rocket travel along the string. Repeat the
Resource for Teachers
Why d
the bal oes
loo
move? n
experiment, this time rub some washing up
liquid solution or oil along the string.
ENQUIRY
Allow children to take part in open
GENERATING QUESTIONS dialogue, without putting their hands up.
After allowing the children some thinking REFLECTING ON THE ENQUIRY
time give each pupil an index card and ask
Place 3 A3 sheets of paper on the floor,
them to record a question which they would
labelled knowledge, understanding and
like to discuss. Arrange the class into groups
skill. Then give each student 3 different
of 3 and ask them to work together to decide,
coloured post-it notes and ask them to reflect
with reasons, on one out of the 3 questions
in silence about what new knowledge they
put forward. However they must
have, which skills they have used and
communicate silently within their group. They
something they still do not understand. Ask
may write, use body language or any other
silent method, but they must not talk. Once
the children to then record the information on
the post-it notes and stick to the
the groups have decided on a question, the
corresponding piece of card.
teacher then records them on a flip chart.
SELECTING A QUESTION
Read all the questions once, asking each
group their reason for submitting their
question. Take a secret vote. Do this by
asking the children to close their eyes, then
reading out one question at a time. If the
pupil wants to vote, they place their palm
upwards on their knee. Count and record the
number of votes for each question on the flip
chart. The question with the most votes will
be the focus of the enquiry.
1 www.ulster.ac.uk/scienceinsociety/
 Wood slides
over carpet easily.

E
F
U
R
A sleigh Rubbing your
travels faster over hands together
snow than grass. creates heat.
T

T T
It is easy to lift
Friction is not
jelly with
useful
chopsticks.

F F
Friction is
Friction slows
needed to make
things down.
cars move.

T T
E
s
L

You can
increase friction
FA

by putting oil
between rubbing
surfaces.

F
Resource for Teachers 2 www.ulster.ac.uk/scienceinsociety/
FrictionTaboo
Divide the class into groups of 4 and print one set of the Taboo cards for each group. Divide the cards evenly between each person within the
group. The first player must describe the word in bold to the other members of their group without using the other words on the card. The first
person to get the correct word wins that card, the overall winner will be the pupil with the most cards at the end.

SLIDE RUB PUSH

Swing Hands Pull
Park Mistake Swing

BALLOON STRING ROCKET

Party Tie Moon
Hot Air Rope Space

STRAW STRING ROCKET

Drink Tie Moon
Bed Rope Space

AIR FRICTION FORCE

Oxygen Rubbing Push
Breathe Sliding Pull

Resource for Teachers 3 www.ulster.ac.uk/scienceinsociety/

forcesandmotion
BALLOONROCKETS FORCES
When a balloon is blown up it is filled with gas. The gas particles hit
against the inside of the balloon. The particles hitting the inside if the
balloon are what creates the pressure.

When the balloon is released the compressed air inside the ballon rushes
out into space and the reaction is to thrust the balloon forward like a
rocket. The balloon moves in the opposite direction to the escaping gas.

The balloon and straw move along the string until the balloon is
completely deflated.

Newtons third law of motion states that: for every force (or action) there
is an equal and opposite force, in other words if you push against a wall,
it will push back against you as hard as you are pushing it. For example;
when the gas escapes, the force of it escaping is balanced by a reaction
force of the balloon moving in the opposite direction to the gas.

Friction is the force between two surfaces when they rub together, it is a
force that resists motion. There is friction between the straw and string. To do this demonstration
you will need 2 chairs,
When two smooth surfaces rub together there is little friction.
string, a peg, a balloon
When two rough surfaces rub together there is more friction. rocket, sellotape, a straw
and some oil or washing
Friction reduces when there is a liquid between the two surfaces e.g.
up liquid solution.
washing up liquid.

Sounds are made by vibrations, for example the strings on a violin or a

guitar vibrate to produce the sound, placing a blade of grass between
your thumbs and blowing it, even your own voice is a result of your vocal
cords vibrating. The balloon will make a noise as it deflates because as
the air escapes from the balloon it causes the rubber that the balloon is
made of to vibrate.

Oil i
lubri s a
redu cant. It
ces f
r
betw iction The rocket balloon makes
een
surfa a loud sound as the air
ces.
escapes. Sound is made
by vibrations. The rubber
neck of the rocket balloon
vibrates as the air
escapes.

Resource for Teachers 4 www.ulster.ac.uk/scienceinsociety/