Want to have some fun? Maybe you do not know what to do on the weekend with a child? It’s hard to surprise modern kids with anything, unless you offer them something really interesting. For example, show them how to make a rocket out of matches. This business is absolutely not troublesome, the costs are miserable, but the guys will be delighted, as, indeed, any adult, will have a sea.
All in flight!
In the recent past, almost all the boys dreamed of becoming an astronaut, and their girlfriends secretly imagined how the blue distances would conquer. Dreams have remained dreams, but this does not mean that it is impossible even for a moment to return to childhood and for a second become closer to the stars. Read how to make a rocket out of matches, arm yourself with the necessary materials and - go ahead, fly!
Any task, even a child, can cope with such a task. This fun is not new at all, adult men, for sure, will remember how they made improvised aircraft at breaks between lessons, well, and if they did not have to do this before, the more interesting the science will be.
Elementary physics
A matchstick and foil rocket is done in minutes. And although her flight will be short-lived and absolutely short-sighted, nonetheless, the idea is funny and fascinating. The principle of operation of such a unit is very simple. The rocket flies due to the release of accumulated gas resulting from the combustion of sulfur.
The main thing in this matter is to correctly make a foil tube that will act as a nozzle, and even so that the gases have time to collect in its upper part, and explode when set on fire, creating an energy boost for a subsequent flight. Before you make a rocket out of matches, it is better to carefully watch the master class, which describes the progress of the work in stages.
A stationery rocket?
There are several options for assembling mini-rockets. To make the simplest, you need to prepare a list of things, consisting of only two points - a box of matches and foil. But if you decide on a more complex design, you will need to strain a little and arm yourself with such items:
- Matchbox;
- matches;
- wooden skewers;
- foil;
- scissors;
- needle or safety pin;
- standard paper clip (simple, without braid);
- candle for an aromatic lamp (low, in a capsule washer).
It is unlikely that there is a house in which all these items cannot be found, so that having prepared everything you need, you can start making a rocket out of matches with your own hands.
Working process
In the simplest and fastest version, there are no tricks. To make a rocket, you just need to wrap a match, or rather its upper part (where the ball with gray) is located, with ordinary foil. To do this, cut a small square piece of foil from the roll (with sides about two centimeters). Having placed the match in the middle with the edge of the square, you need to wrap it with a stick of sulfur. The upper tip of the roll should be flattened well and, bent, pressed to the match. Then, using a needle or pin, you need to carefully make an impromptu nozzle. The easiest way to do this is during the direct winding of the match with foil. It is enough just to firmly press the needle or the sharp part of the pin to it, and then remove it.
Now you know how to make a rocket out of matches, and launching it is also easy. The rocket can be installed with the help of a box by sticking the bottom edge into the cardboard at a slight slope, and then bring the burning fire to the cirque wrapped in foil.
A slightly complicated option involves a longer preparation. In this case, from the matches you need to cut off the tops with a serka. Then roll a roll from a rectangular piece of foil, wrapping the metal around the skewer. The next step is to squeeze one edge of the tube and bend it several times for added reliability. Put the match head in the resulting tube and, having rammed it tightly, place the workpiece on an unbent paper clip. Next, the paper clip clings to the matchbox, the angle of inclination of the rocket is adjustable in height, and a candle is placed under it, then it is ignited.
Safety precautions
A match rocket is a simple but still unsafe fun. You can make homemade rockets at home, but you need to launch them only on the street and in the open. The flight will be short-lived, a maximum of 2-3 meters, the burning temperature of the sulfur inside the foil winding is quite high, so before picking up a used sleeve, it is better to let it cool. That is why it is not recommended to use colored clips, the braid on which is a flammable material.
In addition, the well-known saying that matches are not a toy for children is in this case justified by one hundred percent. If you are not sure of the responsibility and care of your child, in no case give him the idea of such entertainment ahead of time, otherwise a home-made rocket can be launched right in your living room and will not cause pleasure and vivid impressions, but irreversible consequences due to fire and burns.