Blow up the balloon, then toss
this ‘copter up into the air and watch it soar! Up to two stories high with new
balloons. Wow! Newton’s Third Law needs to be applied twice in
order to explain the upward motion of the helicopter. A fun science toy!
Age: 7 +
What
you get
Three
blades, blade connector, hub, and two balloons. See the bottom of the page for a
picture of the packet contents.
How
does it work?
The first thing to do is assemble
the helicopter. It is easy to put together and you get to practice some basic
constructions skills too! Then it’s time for the real fun. Blow up the balloon,
pinch it shut and attach the hub on the end of the balloon to the blade
assembly. The gases escaping from the balloon force the blades to rotate. The
rotating blades, in turn, drive the air downward to provide lift and propel the
helicopter high into the air. Awesome!
Teach
- Newton’s
three laws of motion –
1)
An
object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in
motion with the same direction and speed. Motion (or lack of motion) cannot
change without an unbalanced force acting.
2)
Exerting
the same force on two objects of different mass results in different
accelerations (or changes in motion). The acceleration on the smaller mass is
greater.
3)
For
every action (or force) there is an equal and opposite reaction (or force).
Forces are found in pairs.
- Principles
of air and flight.
- Air
pressure.
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Small Parts. Not
for children under 3 years.
