Balloon-Powered Car

Lesson Objectives:

1. Students will explore ideas of action and reaction.
2. ​Students will use iterative design to create successful cars.

Materials:

• LEGO technic pieces, including beams and wheels
• 12-inch helium-quality balloons
• Meter sticks

Click Here for BALLOON-Powered car Handout

​Let's Get Started!

​Introduce Newton’s third law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For example, you can power a vehicle by attaching an inflated balloon to it. As air escapes out the back of the balloon, the vehicle is pushed forward.
 
Challenge the students to construct a car that will travel as far as possible powered by one balloon. Provide a variety of LEGO pieces and encourage the students to test and modify their design in a systematic and incremental way. If you wish, you can use the handout to encourage step-by-step modifications and documentation.