Equal and opposite forces
Ben Ford shows you how to make a matchstick rocket.
Transcript
To get a rocket into the air, the first thing you need to do is overpower gravity. Like everything on Earth, a rocket will remain motionless until a force acts on it to get it moving. The rocket’s engine supplies this force in the form of thrust.
Two matches, one small square of tin foil, one safety pin and one paperclip.
Safety:
Children should get an adult to help them build and launch this rocket. Be aware that the safety pin will be sharp and that the lit match and matchstick rocket both require careful handling to avoid burns. The foil that wraps the match head will remain hot for some time after it has been lit. Make sure you go outside to fire the rocket and be sure that the area is free of people and animals.
How does it work?
When the match head reaches ignition temperature, gas molecules are released. We see these as smoke and the only place they can exit is through the narrow exhaust. The gas escapes very quickly here, creating enough thrust to make the matchstick overcome the pull of gravity and blast off. This demonstrates Newton’s third law of motion, which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
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