Sci-Project : Sugar Rockets

Summer is coming up!
Don't know what to do? Have some fun with science!
This project is suitable for those who want to have some awesome science experience.

How to make homemade Core burning rockets out of 

• Domino Powdered Confectioners Sugar 16oz ($6.49)
• 1 Lb Potassium Nitrate  ($5.99)
• Durham Donald 168 Water Putty 1lb ($2.6)
• Paper
• Match heads Jarden #4878902122 250CT Anywhere Matches ($2.99)
• Waterproof Visco Cannon Fuse - 2.0 mm - 20 feet ($3.50)

Don't use any steel when making rockets because of the spark hazard. Test fire rockets on launching stands where there are no weeds or flammable materals nearby. It is best to conduct rocket tests after it just rained. (Who cares anyway? Do it when you want it!)

STEPS


To make a sugar powered rocket, you have to follow certain steps, I really have to warn you to be careful at all times when handling or making a rocket, since it is flammable.
There are 3 parts in making rockets:

• Propellant
• Rocket Body
• Delay

PROPELLANT

1. Get a good propellant to lift the rocket. The size of the rocket will determine whether you could need a slow or fast buring propellant. For small rockets, the faster the burn the better, while the larger the rockets need propellants that burn slower so the rocket does not exceed pressure limits and burst.
2. Gather your propellant materials. Which is KNO3 (Potassium Nitrate), Powdered Sugar, Rock Tumbler with marbles.
3. Dig a hole if you don't have sandbags to put the tumbler in because of the defragmentation hazard of the propellant being mixed.
4. Boil 2 cups water and add 2 pounds KNO₃ until all of it is dissolved.
5. Boil out all the water until you get a crusty, white powder left. That was fractional recrystalization; the KNO₃ was pilled, so we dissolved it in water to break the strong crystal formations and get a powder. It should be clumpy and look like a cake, so get a hammer and break the clumps and throw it in the rock tumbler and tumble it until it's a very fine dust.
6. Add the powdered sugar, by weight rather than volume. You should have 60% KNO₃ 40% Carbon (optional 5% Mg dust for nice tail).
7. Add KNO₃ and sugar to the rock tumbler with marbles and place it in a hole or pile sand bags around it. Propellants are not explosive, but they do burn fast. A fast burn could be 4000fps yet it would still be a fast burn. When a substance detonates, the entire substance turns to a gas. This is much quicker, more efficent, and the reaction is hotter, so it produces thousands of atms of pressure, compared to propellants that could produce half that under ideal conditions. You will get a finished product in 6 hours of tumbling. Be extremely careful when turning on and off the tumbler because it could burst if the powder takes fire.
8. Test your propellent by putting 1/8 of a teaspoon of propellant on a board outside and and carefully lighting it. You should get a fast burn and little residue of carbon on the test surface.
9. Continue to make many different mixes if the propellant if it does not burn fast enough. The entire pile should go up in a puff of smoke like a ninja smoke bomb; don't make it any faster! Don't leave the rocket tumbler on for the entire weekend or it will become very sensitive to shock.

ROCKET BODY

1. Case your propellant in a wrapped up piece of paper.
2. Wrap the paper in layers while putting glue around the ram rod up to 1/8 of an inch thick and let it dry over night. Making the motor casing is harder to make then the propellant. Make sure there are no bubbles in the casing or during the burn, the pressure with burn a hole in the motor.
3. Mix the water putty until it is very thick and not sticky.
4. Put the water putty on the spindle. A little will go a long way, so don't overdo it.
5. Put the motor casing in the spindle with the putty at the bast. With a rubber mallet, give the putty light taps until it has taken the form of the nozzle. Remove it slowly from the spindle and let the putty dry for an hour. Put the motor casing back on the spindle and charge with propellant. Pound until it is very stiff. The higher the density of the propellant in the rocket, the more thrust it will have. Continue to add propellant until it is clear of the spindle and add the delay propellant.

DELAY
This is normal propellant with 10% Baking soda to decrease thrust.

1. Add an end plug made of water putty.
2. Let the rocket dry on a rack and in an air tight container because the propellant is hydroscopic, which means it will take out the water from the air and add it to the propellant, making it a poor rocket.
3. Grind match heads and coat the core of the rocket so it takes fire easly. Insert a visco fuse, also known as a cannon fuse, into the nozzle.
4. Glue the guidance stick to the side of the rocket. Make sure the rocket will be stable in flight by placing the rocket on your finger just behind the nozzle. If it balances or the stick side falls, then it will be stable. #Balance your rocket with clay and just have fun because it is only the beginning of what you can do!

I know it's pretty damn long, but it will worth doing.

After all it's summer right?

HAVE FUN!

Magic Sand

How can something submerged in water stay dry? When ordinary sand gets wet, the result is a clumpy mess. However, "Magic Sand" begins as normal looking sand, until it's coated with a substance that repels water. This special coating keeps the sand dry even after it has been dumped into a container of water. Build castles and other structures under the water, then simply pour the water off when you're finished and the sand is still dry!

Materials

• Mars Space Sand - 1/2 Pound Bag - Blue
• Regular sand
• Water, cups
• Plastic soda bottle
• Vegetable oil
• Food coloring
• Plastic spoons. 

What Makes Magic Sand Magic?

1. Fill a cup 3/4 full with water.
2. Slowly pour Magic Sand in a continuous stream into the water. Look closely at the sand. What is that silver-like coating on the sand?
3. Pour off the water from the sand into a second container. Let them touch the sand and see what they find. To everyone’s amazement, the sand is completely dry! To better understand how Magic Sand works, try this demonstration…
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Fill a plastic soda bottle (16 oz. works well) 3/4 full with water.
   • Fill the remaining portion of the bottle with vegetable oil or mineral oil. Immediately, the students will notice that the oil and water do not mix.
   • Add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture. Notice how the food coloring only colors the water and not the oil… even when the bottle is shaken.

 

How does it work?

This is a great demonstration to introduce students to the properties of substances that are hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Hydrophobic substances do not mix with water. The term “water-fearing” is often used to describe the word hydrophobic. Hydrophilic substances, on the other hand, are “water-loving”. Notice how the drops of food coloring color only the water and not the oil. Since oil is hydrophobic, the oil did not mix with the food coloring or the water. What are other examples of oil and water not mixing? A newly waxed car will make water form beads on its surface. Oil from cars will float on top of puddles. Oil and vinegar salad dressings need to be shaken up before using. So, how does Magic Sand work? The surface of sand grains is made wet by water, which means that water molecules are attracted to sand grains. Remember, this water-loving property of sand is called a hydrophilic property. Magic Sand is regular sand that has been coated with an oil- like substance that is water-hating or hydrophobic.

 

Additional Info

Regular Sand vs. Magic Sand

For this activity you’ll need a small amount of regular sand and Magic Sand. Fill 2 cups with water. Use a spoon to sprinkle a small amount of regular sand into one of the cups. Notice how the sand immediately sinks. Sprinkle a thin layer of Magic Sand on the surface of the water in the second cup. Why does the Magic Sand float on the surface whereas the regular sand sinks? The surface of the regular sand grains is made wet by water, which means that water molecules are attracted to sand grains. Magic Sand is regular sand that has been coated with an oil-like substance so it is water- hating. The Magic Sand grains like to stay in contact with each other. Also, the surface tension of the water makes the Magic Sand float.


Making Magic Sand Wet

Pour a small amount of Magic Sand in a cup of water. As expected, the Magic Sand stays dry. Add about 12 drops of liquid detergent to the water and use a spoon to stir the mixture. Soap breaks down the oil coating on the sand and lowers its hydrophobic properties. Adding soap removes the “magic” from Magic Sand and causes it to behave like regular sand. The secret is revealed!


Other Uses for Magic Sand

The coating on Magic Sand is like Scotchguard, which is sprayed on fabric to protect it from stains. Magic Sand was originally developed as a way to trap oil spilled from oil tankers near the shore. The idea was that when Magic Sand was sprinkled on floating petroleum, it would mix with the oil and make it heavy enough to sink. This would prevent the oil from contaminating beaches. However, it is not being used for this purpose, perhaps because of the expense of making Magic Sand. Another potential use of Magic Sand is to bury junction boxes for electric and telephone wires in the Arctic in order to protect the utilities from the extreme cold temperatures but make it easy to dig up for repairs. Normal earth is frozen so hard because of moisture content that it is difficult to dig. However, Magic Sand remains dry and is easy to dig, regardless of how cold it is.


Science and Literature Connection

Experimentation with Magic Sand is fascinating. You might begin by reading the story Johnny Castleseed written by Edward Ormondroyd. After introducing the story, have the students experiment with different types of sand (beach sand, colored sand, etc.). Let them mix sand and water and feel the sand. Ask them why it feels wet. Then it's time to introduce Magic Sand.



Other Science Kit:

• Ja-Ru Magic Snow 
• Scientific Explorer's Mind Blowing Science Kit for Young Scientists 
• Scientific Explorer's Disgusting Science - A Kit for Studying the Science of Revolting Things 
• Sunforce 22005 12-Volt MotoMaster Eliminator Folding Solar Panel 

Sci - Project : Homemade Smoke Bomb

It's summer, and you are bored. Fun with science?? why not!

This is a homemade project about making smoke bomb, it's not a cheap ping pong plastic ball smoke bomb, but the real epic materials.

The smoke bomb you would purchase from a fireworks store usually is made from potassium chlorate (KClO₃ - oxidizer), sugar (sucrose or dextrin - fuel), sodium bicarbonate (otherwise known as baking soda - to moderate the rate of the reaction and keep it from getting too hot), and a powdered organic dye (for colored smoke). When a commercial smoke bomb is burned, the reaction makes white smoke and the heat evaporates the organic dye. Commercial smoke bombs have small holes through which the smoke and dye are ejected, to create a jet of finely dispersed particles. Crafting this type of smoke bomb is beyond most of us, but you can make an effective smoke bomb quite easily. There are even colorants you can add if you want to make colored smoke. Let's start out with instructions for the easiest/safest type of smoke bomb you can make:

Smoke Bomb Materials

• Sugar (sucrose or table sugar) Buy Here : Domino Premium Pure Cane Sugar 5Lb Bag
• Potassium nitrate, KNO₃, also known as saltpeter. Buy Here : 1 Lb Salt Petre
• Organic Red Powder Dye(For color).Buy Here: Tintex Powder Easy Fabric Dye #19 Red Red - 2 Oz
  
• Skillet or pan (make sure you don't use it for cooking anymore)
• Aluminum foil. Buy Here : Reynolds 015 Aluminum Foil 25 yds x 12 inches (75 sq ft)
• Waterproof Fuse. Buy Here : Waterproof Wick Cannon Fuse 10 ft

Once you've gathered your smoke bomb materials, you are ready to make one!

1. Pour about 3 parts potassium nitrate to 2 parts sugar into the skillet (5:3 ratio is also good). Measurements don't need to be exact, but you want more KNO₃ than sugar. For example, you can use 1-1/2 cups KNO₃ and 1 cup sugar. If you use equal amounts of KNO₃ and sugar, your smoke bomb will be harder to light and will burn more slowly. As you approach the 5:3 KNO₃:sugar ratio, you get a smoke bomb that burns more quickly.
   
   
2. Apply low heat to the pan. Stir the mixture with a spoon using long strokes. If you see the grains of sugar starting to melt along the edges where you are stirring, remove the pan from the heat and reduce the temperature before continuing.
   
   
3. Basically you are caramelizing sugar. The mixture will melt and become a caramel or chocolate color. Don't forget to add the dye powder to the pan. Continue heating/stirring until the ingredients are liquefied. Remove from heat.
   
   
4. Pour the liquid onto a piece of foil. You can pour a smaller amount onto a separate piece, to test the batch. You can pour the smoke bomb into any shape, onto an object, or into a mold. The shape and size will affect the burning pattern. Put the fuse in the middle before it's hardened.
   
   
5. If you aren't going to clean your skillet immediately, pour hot water into the pan to dissolve the sugar (or else it will be harder to clean). Clean up any residue you may have spilled out of the pan, unless you want mini-smoke bombs on your stove top.
   
   
6. Allow the smoke bomb to cool, then you can peel it off the foil.

Now that you've made your smoke bomb, it's time to light it...

WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL!

if you're not feeling to read...

Ultimate Color Smoke Bomb ! How to Make It.... - Click here for more home videos