Soda Bottle Pre-Lab

Hypothesis: The carbon dioxide rocket is performed based on the Newton's Third Law. As the vinegar and baking soda mix together when the bottle is rotated, the reaction takes place and carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced. Carbon dioxide will cause the cork flies forward. As the cork flies forward, it applies the equal force but opposite direction to the container, making the container flies in the opposite way.

Procedure: Pour 200 mL of fresh vinegar into a 2-liter plastic container. Place a rubber stopper in the mouth of the container and then position it on round pencils. Then use aluminum foil to make a trough. Fill the trough with baking soda and carefully insert it into the mouth of the bottle. When everything is set up completely, rotate the bottle. The baking soda and vinegar will mix together and produce carbon dioxide, which makes the stopper flies out of the mouth and cause the container flies backward.

• How much force is necessary to dislodge the stopper from the bottle?

Measure the mass of the stopper and the bottle (with vinegar). Record the time that the stopper moving. Measure the distance the stopper travels after being dislodged from the bottle. Calculate the acceleration the stopper using the motion equations. Find the force acting on the stopper using Newton's Second Law.