Any reader of this blog knows that one of my favorite activities to do with my daughters is to launch a rocket. It's a blast, pun intended, every time! This week we set out to create a tea bag rocket. As the name suggests, we used a standard tea bag and turned it into a mini rocket. Basically we dumped the contents of the tea bag out and turned it into a tall, hollow cylinder. We lit the top of the cylinder on fire and the fire worked its way down the tea bag. Eventually the remainder of the tea bag lifts off into the air! See the video below to see our "launch".
Why does the tea bag launch into the air? It's all about density. As the flame works its way down the tea bag, the surrounding (exterior and interior) air increases in temperature. Hot air expands, becomes less dense, and rises while cool air contracts, becomes more dense, and sinks. In this experiment, the air inside the tea bag rises, taking the tea bag with it.
Be careful doing this experiment since it does involve a moving flame. Do not do it near curtains or anything else that may be flammable.
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