Hooked on Science: Tea bag rocket

A tea bag can be used to create a rocket. This experiment should be done with adult supervision.

Materials

* Tea bag

* Grill lighter

Instructions

STEP 1: Remove the staple and string from the tea bag.

STEP 2: Open the tea bag and remove the tea leaves.

STEP 3: Open the bag to form a cylinder.

STEP 4: Place the bag onto a flat surface away from curtains or anything that might catch fire.

STEP 5: Using the grill lighter, ignite the top of the tea bag.

Explanation

The fire heats up the air around the tea bag, causing the air to rise. As the tea bag burns, it loses mass. Therefore the lighter tea bag rises with the rising warm air.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindseyhookedonscience.com. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.