Skip to main content

Secondary Menu

  • Hotline
  • Contact Us
  • Give Now

Call to Action Menu

  • Visit Us
  • Apply Now
Enter the terms you wish to search for.
Search type:
Information for:

Information Menu

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Business & Industry
  • Visitors
Penn State Behrend mark Home
Penn State Behrend mark Home
Penn State Behrend
Search

Information Menu

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Business & Industry
  • Visitors

Secondary Menu

  • Hotline
  • Contact Us
  • Give Now

Call to Action Menu

  • Visit Us
  • Apply Now

Main navigation

  • This is Penn State
  • Academics
  • Admission
  • Tuition and Financial Aid
  • Student Life
  • Athletics
  • Research and Outreach
Information for:

Information Menu

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Business & Industry
  • Visitors

Main navigation

  • This is Penn State
  • Academics
  • Admission
  • Tuition and Financial Aid
  • Student Life
  • Athletics
  • Research and Outreach
  1. Home
  2. School of Science
  3. Research & Outreach
  4. Science Story Time

Science Story Time Experiment: Soda Straw Rockets

Soda Straw Rockets at Home Experiment

Connected Standard

3.2 PK.B.1 Explore and describe the motion of toys and objects.

Science Story Time Experiment: Soda Straw Rockets

What You Will Need

  • Empty soda bottle with its cap
  • Two straws of different sizes
    (one needs to be thicker than the other to fit over top of it)
  • Tape
  • Drill

Instructions

Soda bottle rocket with straw launched from the top
  1. ADULTS: Drill a hole in the center of the bottle cap just big enough for the smaller straw to fit in it.
  2. Tightly screw the cap back on the bottle.
  3. Slide the smaller straw into the hole in the bottle cap. Push it about half way through.
  4. Seal up one end of the larger straw using the tape. No air should be able to get out of one side.
  5. Slide the larger straw over the smaller one.
  6. Squeeze your bottle to launch your straw!

The Science Behind It

Our soda straw rockets are a great way to see Newton’s Third Law of Motion in action! Newton’s Third Law states that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." As you squeeze the bottle, the air is forced out through the smaller straw and pushes on the closed end of the larger straw. The resulting force is that the larger straw gets launched through the air!

Books to Pair with This Experiment

  • Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
  • Edward Built a Rocket Ship by Michael Rack

Handout

Download the Soda Straw Rockets PDF to print or save.

Science Story Time Experiment: Soda Straw Rockets2.71 MB

See Also

  • Science Story Time

Penn State Behrend

4701 College Drive
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6000
Pennsylvania map showing Penn State's campuses with Penn State Behrend highlighted

Secondary Menu

  • Hotline
  • Contact Us
  • Give Now

Call to Action Menu

  • Visit Us
  • Apply Now
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, offers the learning opportunities of a major research university in a welcoming, student-centered campus environment.
Information for:

Information Menu

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Business & Industry
  • Visitors

Footer Menu

  • +This is Penn State
    • Behrend At A Glance
    • College History
    • College Leadership
    • College Strategy
    • Employment
    • People & Departments
  • +Academics
    • Majors & Minors
    • Graduate Programs
    • Academic Advising
    • Bookstore
    • Career Planning
    • College Registrar
    • Learning Resource Center
    • Lilley Library
    • Study Abroad
  • +Admission
    • Undergraduate
    • Graduate
    • Adult Learners
    • International Students
    • Veterans
    • Visit Us
  • +Research/Outreach
    • Faculty Research
    • Student Research
    • Community & Workforce Programs
    • Innovation Commons
    • Knowledge Park
    • Pennsylvania Sea Grant
    • Plastics Training Academy
    • WPSE Radio
    • Yahn Planetarium
    • Youth Outreach
  • +Student Life
    • Student Leadership and Involvement
    • Athletics & Intramurals
    • Equity & Diversity
    • Housing & Residence Life
    • International Student Services
    • Student Services
  • +Academic Schools
    • Black School of Business
    • School of Engineering
    • School of Humanities & Social Sciences
    • School of Science
    • Nursing Program
  • +Tuition & Aid
    • Tuition & Costs
    • Financial Aid
    • Grants
    • Scholarships
    • Veterans Benefits
  • +Resources
    • Behrend Blog
    • Calendars
    • Campus Map
    • Directions
    • Parking
    • Safety on Campus
    • Virtual Tour

Connect with Us

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • instagram
  • youtube
Penn State University
Penn State University

Footer Info Menu

  • Employment
  • Hotline
  • Website Feedback
  • Map
  • Search
4701 College Drive, Erie, PA 16563 | 814-898-6000

Footer Legal Menu

  • Privacy
  • Non-discrimination
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Accessibility
  • Copyright
The Pennsylvania State University © 2021