Soda Pop Can Hero Engine

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In this demonstration/activity, water streaming through holes in the bottom of a suspended soda pop can causes the can to rotate. The Soda Pop Can Hero Engine is an excellent demonstration of Newton's Laws of Motion. Learners can also compare the rate of rotation with different numbers of holes (4 vs. 2) and different diameters of holes (large vs. small). This activity is an introductory activity related to rocketry principles, but can be used more broadly for general physics lessons. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Demonstration
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Empty soda pop can with the opener lever intact
  • Nail or ice pick
  • Fishing line
  • Bucket or tub of water

Keywords

Subjects

  • Physical Sciences
    • Motion and Forces
      • Acceleration
      • Newton's Laws
      • Rotation Motion
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

Informal Categories

  • Transportation

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Clausen, Tom ; Storm, Roger

Rights:

  • Public domain, NASA, 2008