Blast off

You won't be able to do this experiment just one time. If there's friends around, they'll be yelling, "Do it again,do it again!" By the way, this is an outside experiment.

What you need:

An empty film canister and it's cap (the white ones work better than the black ones), vinegar, baking soda

How it works:

A chemical reaction changes one or more different substances into a new substance. The chemical reaction between the bicarbonate (baking soda) and the acid (vinegar) produces carbon dioxide gas.

The carbon dioxide can either stay dissolved in the water or it can escape as gas bubbles. The gas quickly takes up a lot of space creating a build up of pressure in the canister. It has nowhere left to go but outside of the canister and the result is the lid of the film canister is pushed off and the main part of the canister shoots straight up into the air.

What you do:

First fill the film canister half full with vinegar and then add about 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Quickly put the lid on the film canister and place it level on the ground with the lid to the ground. Now quickly run back from the canister and wait for blast off! Try different amounts of vinegar to baking soda to see what gives you the best launching.