| NEWTON'S LAWS & ROCKET PROPULSION | ||
When you think of rockets, you rarely think of balloons. Nevertheless, a balloon is a simple but surprisingly accurate example of how a rocket operates. With a balloon, air (gas) is enclosed in a chamber (balloon). This gas is under pressure provided by the tension of the elastic balloon. The atmospheric air pushes back so that the inward and outward pressing forces are balanced. When the balloon opening is released, air escapes through the opening (nozzle) at some velocity and the balloon is propelled in the opposite direction. Conceptually, the only significant difference between a balloon and a rocket is the manner in which the pressurized gas is produced. |
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