ALka-Seltzer Rockets
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Background Paper
Small things can have big reactions. Simple ingredients like Alka-Seltzer tablets and water can trigger an amazing chemical reaction with extremely cool results. This basic reaction occurs when water and the tablet release a gas called Carbon Dioxide. This is the same gas that we exhale when we breathe. The main ingredients in an Alka-Seltzer tablet are Citric Acid and Sodium Bicarbonate, or Baking Soda. Aspirin is also an ingredient, but it has no part in the reaction.
The main concept behind Alka-Seltzer is stomach relief. Alka-Seltzer is an Effervescent reaction, meaning it releases bubbles and gas. This product is sold as a way to neutralize stomach acids. This neutralization helps combat heartburn and indigestion. The aspirin in it also helps with pain relief.
This experiment relies on chemical reactions, which are the main focus of chemists and chemical engineers. According to tufts.edu, “Chemical reactions occur when bonds within molecules are broken or formed.” Different forms of reactions include color change, the production of a solid or gas, and the formation of a new substance or chemical. In this case, the tablet and water are releasing the gas, Carbon Dioxide. This particular reaction is similar to what happens when bread is baked. The yeast causes a reaction that releases air bubbles, which makes the bread rise and expand.
My experiment uses several different scientific laws and theories, most of which can be used in chemistry or engineering. Scientific laws allow us to dig deeper into how the world works and better understand scientific concepts.
Boyle’s law states that if the volume decreases, then the pressure increases, as long as the temperature is constant. My experiment is Boyle’s law visibly in action. Because the volume cannot expand, the pressure increases.
This experiment also uses Newton's first law, the law of inertia. This law states that an object will stay at rest until it is acted upon by an external force. In this case, the canister will not move until the internal pressure exceeds the seal pressure of the cap.
Newton’s third law is also in effect. Newton’s third law states that an object will react with an equal and opposite force when acted upon. The canister shooting into the air is the direct force due to the upward pressure.
This experiment also uses the law of the conservation of mass, or the law that says that matter is neither created nor destroyed. The seltzer tablet isn’t completely gone; it was just changed into the form of the gas.
There are many different experiments you could do surrounding this idea. Some include making a lava lamp, testing water temperatures to see how the Alka-Seltzer would react differently, changing the amount of water to see different results, or, in my case, using different amounts of Alka-Seltzer in each trial to see if the cannisters launch faster.
In my experiment, the carbon dioxide builds up and causes the film canister to launch into the air. I will be testing to see if different amounts of the Alka-Seltzer tablet will change how fast the canisters launch. I hypothesize that if more carbon dioxide is produced inside a sealed film canister, then the launching speed will increase, because the greater amount of carbon dioxide will create greater pressure. I will achieve this by using different amounts of Alka-Seltzer in each trial, each with the same amount of water.
My experiment uses both chemistry and a little bit of engineering, which are both necessary for us to learn about. Even with simple experiments, we can learn very in-depth things. With the help of scientific laws, we can learn many things about the world around us.
The main concept behind Alka-Seltzer is stomach relief. Alka-Seltzer is an Effervescent reaction, meaning it releases bubbles and gas. This product is sold as a way to neutralize stomach acids. This neutralization helps combat heartburn and indigestion. The aspirin in it also helps with pain relief.
This experiment relies on chemical reactions, which are the main focus of chemists and chemical engineers. According to tufts.edu, “Chemical reactions occur when bonds within molecules are broken or formed.” Different forms of reactions include color change, the production of a solid or gas, and the formation of a new substance or chemical. In this case, the tablet and water are releasing the gas, Carbon Dioxide. This particular reaction is similar to what happens when bread is baked. The yeast causes a reaction that releases air bubbles, which makes the bread rise and expand.
My experiment uses several different scientific laws and theories, most of which can be used in chemistry or engineering. Scientific laws allow us to dig deeper into how the world works and better understand scientific concepts.
Boyle’s law states that if the volume decreases, then the pressure increases, as long as the temperature is constant. My experiment is Boyle’s law visibly in action. Because the volume cannot expand, the pressure increases.
This experiment also uses Newton's first law, the law of inertia. This law states that an object will stay at rest until it is acted upon by an external force. In this case, the canister will not move until the internal pressure exceeds the seal pressure of the cap.
Newton’s third law is also in effect. Newton’s third law states that an object will react with an equal and opposite force when acted upon. The canister shooting into the air is the direct force due to the upward pressure.
This experiment also uses the law of the conservation of mass, or the law that says that matter is neither created nor destroyed. The seltzer tablet isn’t completely gone; it was just changed into the form of the gas.
There are many different experiments you could do surrounding this idea. Some include making a lava lamp, testing water temperatures to see how the Alka-Seltzer would react differently, changing the amount of water to see different results, or, in my case, using different amounts of Alka-Seltzer in each trial to see if the cannisters launch faster.
In my experiment, the carbon dioxide builds up and causes the film canister to launch into the air. I will be testing to see if different amounts of the Alka-Seltzer tablet will change how fast the canisters launch. I hypothesize that if more carbon dioxide is produced inside a sealed film canister, then the launching speed will increase, because the greater amount of carbon dioxide will create greater pressure. I will achieve this by using different amounts of Alka-Seltzer in each trial, each with the same amount of water.
My experiment uses both chemistry and a little bit of engineering, which are both necessary for us to learn about. Even with simple experiments, we can learn very in-depth things. With the help of scientific laws, we can learn many things about the world around us.
Investigation Paper
- Gather Materials ( Film Canisters and Alka-Seltzer tablets)
- Make sure all lids snap on tightly to the canisters
- Use a knife to break/saw two tablets in half
- Fill three canisters with one tablespoon of water
- Line up three canisters and place a half tablet into one of them
- Quickly place the lid on it, start the timer when you turn them over, and stop the timer when they launch
- Repeat for each canister with the half tablet two more times
- Record each time on the graph with the corresponding tablet size
- Line up 3 new canisters and put one tablespoon of water in them
- Place one tablet in one of them
- Quickly place the lid on it, start the timer when you turn them over, and stop the timer when they launch
- Repeat with one whole tablet two more times
- Record each time on the graph with the corresponding tablet size
- Line up three new canisters and put one tablespoon of water in them
- Place two tablets in one of them
- Quickly place the lid on it, start the timer when you turn them over, and stop the timer when they launch
- Repeat with one whole tablet two more times
- Record each time on the graph with the corresponding tablet size
- Fill three new canisters with one tablespoon of water each (This is the control group)
- Snap on the lids and flip them upside down
- Make note of the time of the control
- Average the times and make any last changes to the data graph
- Clean up the area
There are a few things that can be changed to get different results. The water temperature needs to stay consistent for the results of each time trial to be the same. If you use hot water for one, you need to use hot water for all of them. The same is true with cold water.
Another accidental variable could be different kinds or brands of Alka-Seltzer. The ingredients in different brands will vary, which can affect the results. The overall brand does not matter as long as it is consistent in each trial. In my experiment, I used the Equate brand from Walmart.
If the experiment is done outside, the environmental temperature must be the same if done on separate days. A day when the temperature is forty degrees will yield different results than a day when the temperature is ten degrees.
Many different experiments can be done around this concept, which is why it is crucial that only the one variable, the amount of Alka-Seltzer, is the only thing that gets changed. Otherwise, you end up with results that aren’t entirely accurate, or you get a totally different experiment.
Certain measures or aspects might be different in the overall experiment after further testing. I tested the amount of water to make sure it was a good amount to cause a reaction for each trial. I settled on one tablespoon of water, which made an adequate reaction.
Conclusion
During my experiment, I learned several things, either about how the outcome could change with different variables, or ways to make my experiment better if I were to repeat it again. I hypothesized that if I changed the amount of Alka-Seltzer, the rockets would launch with different reaction times. In my experiment, I used one-half, one, and two tablets for each trial.
My original concept was to measure how high each trial would launch, and I quickly realized that it would be very hard to measure due to all the rockets going ten feet or higher. I then changed my experiment from height measurement to reaction time to make the data easier to collect. In hindsight, this became a good idea because all the rockets ended up launching to the same altitude. Even though each rocket had a different amount of catalyst, they all launched when the internal pressure reached the same level, which caused the rockets to lift off.
Before conducting my experiment, I tested the amount of water to use in each canister to ensure that, regardless of the amount of Alka-Seltzer, the rockets would still launch. This amount ended up being one tablespoon.
Another factor that could potentially change the results of my experiment would be if my experiment had happened over several days. Because my experiment was able to be done in a single day, the outside temperature would be the same. If my experiment had been done over multiple days, the outcome would have been different due to the variations in the outside temperature. For example, a day where the temperature outside is 45 degrees might vary in results compared to a day where the temperature is 85 degrees.
If I were to do this experiment again, I would test how water temperature would affect the reaction time. Because the energy molecules are moving at different rates, it could potentially change the reaction of the Alka-Seltzer.
In my experiment, my hypothesis was proven to be true. The rockets launched faster when more Alka-Seltzer was added. There was a significant time difference between the tested variables, which were the amounts of Alka-Seltzer.
My control for the experiment was a canister that just held water with no added Alka-Seltzer. The only way this rocket could potentially launch would be an extreme temperature change, which I do not have the patience to wait for.
Another thing I would change for the future would be to use a different type of fil canister. My specific type of canister didn’t have a good enough seal, which allowed a very small amount of water to leak out when it was turned upside down. Although this didn't affect the general outcome of my experiment, it would play a small part by altering the reaction time by a few seconds.
One other source of error could have been different canisters from the same package being sealed more tightly than others. Although they were all made and packaged together, they still varied in how tightly they were sealed.
In summary, my hypothesis was proven true; different amounts of Alka-Seltzer did change how fast or slow the rockets launched. My graph and table show the different trials and amounts of Alka-Seltzer, and how fast each one reacted.
This is a very simple experiment that can use common ingredients that can teach us extremely cool scientific information.
My original concept was to measure how high each trial would launch, and I quickly realized that it would be very hard to measure due to all the rockets going ten feet or higher. I then changed my experiment from height measurement to reaction time to make the data easier to collect. In hindsight, this became a good idea because all the rockets ended up launching to the same altitude. Even though each rocket had a different amount of catalyst, they all launched when the internal pressure reached the same level, which caused the rockets to lift off.
Before conducting my experiment, I tested the amount of water to use in each canister to ensure that, regardless of the amount of Alka-Seltzer, the rockets would still launch. This amount ended up being one tablespoon.
Another factor that could potentially change the results of my experiment would be if my experiment had happened over several days. Because my experiment was able to be done in a single day, the outside temperature would be the same. If my experiment had been done over multiple days, the outcome would have been different due to the variations in the outside temperature. For example, a day where the temperature outside is 45 degrees might vary in results compared to a day where the temperature is 85 degrees.
If I were to do this experiment again, I would test how water temperature would affect the reaction time. Because the energy molecules are moving at different rates, it could potentially change the reaction of the Alka-Seltzer.
In my experiment, my hypothesis was proven to be true. The rockets launched faster when more Alka-Seltzer was added. There was a significant time difference between the tested variables, which were the amounts of Alka-Seltzer.
My control for the experiment was a canister that just held water with no added Alka-Seltzer. The only way this rocket could potentially launch would be an extreme temperature change, which I do not have the patience to wait for.
Another thing I would change for the future would be to use a different type of fil canister. My specific type of canister didn’t have a good enough seal, which allowed a very small amount of water to leak out when it was turned upside down. Although this didn't affect the general outcome of my experiment, it would play a small part by altering the reaction time by a few seconds.
One other source of error could have been different canisters from the same package being sealed more tightly than others. Although they were all made and packaged together, they still varied in how tightly they were sealed.
In summary, my hypothesis was proven true; different amounts of Alka-Seltzer did change how fast or slow the rockets launched. My graph and table show the different trials and amounts of Alka-Seltzer, and how fast each one reacted.
This is a very simple experiment that can use common ingredients that can teach us extremely cool scientific information.
