HOW TO DESIGN
EXPERIMENTS
Designing a Balloon powered Car(BALLON CAR)
GROUP 1 ONLY
Materials:
· Balloons (various sizes: small, medium, large)
· Straws (straight, 1–2 per car)
· Skewers, wooden sticks, or barbecue sticks (for axles)
· Bottle caps, CDs, or cardboard circles (for wheels)
· Cardboard, foam board, or plastic from containers (for car body)
· Tape (duct tape or masking tape)
· Scissors or craft knife (with supervision)
· Glue or hot glue gun (optional)
· Ruler or measuring tape
· Stopwatch
· Small weights (washers, coins, etc.)
· Notebook for recording data
Designing a Balloon Powered Car (Ballon Car)
Instructions: GROUP 1 ONLY
Step 1: Design Your Car
Sketch a basic design of your car. Consider how to:
Mount the wheels so they spin freely
Attach the balloon so it propels the car forward
Minimize friction and maximize stability
Step 2: Build Your Car
Chassis (Body):
Cut a rectangular piece of cardboard or plastic for the car’s base.
Wheels and Axles:
Poke holes in bottle caps or wheels.
Insert skewers through straws to make spinning axles.
Attach wheels to each end of the skewers and mount the straw-axles underneath the car.
Balloon Propulsion System:
Insert a straw into a balloon and tape it tightly (so no air leaks).
Tape the straw to the top of the car, pointing backward.
When you blow up the balloon, let it go and watch the air push the car forward!
Step 3: Test Your Car
Blow up the balloon, place the car on a flat surface, and let it go.
[Link]
Designing a Hydro Water Plant
GROUP 2 ONLY
Materials:
• 1 clear plastic or glass container (to act as a water reservoir)
• Water (approx. 2–3 liters)
• Plastic tubing (1–2 ft long) or a funnel
• Small waterwheel or turbine (can be made from plastic spoons and a plastic bottle cap
as shown in video)
• Small DC motor (acts as a generator, 3V–6V recommended)(WILL BE PROVIDED BY
MYSELF IF NEEDED)
• LED light or small buzzer (to show power output)
• Wires and alligator clips
• Stopwatch
• Measuring cup or graduated cylinder
• Ruler or tape measure
• Waterproof tape
• Cardboard or wooden base (to mount the model)
Designing a Hydro Water Plant
Instructions: GROUP 2 ONLY
Step 1: Build the Waterwheel (Turbine)
Create a simple waterwheel using a plastic bottle cap as the hub.
Attach 6–8 small plastic spoons around the cap to catch water (equally spaced).
Mount the turbine on a stick or skewer so it can spin freely.
Step 2: Set Up the Model
Attach the turbine to the shaft of the small DC motor.
Fix the motor onto a cardboard or wooden base.
Connect the motor wires to the LED or buzzer using alligator clips.
Secure the plastic tubing/funnel to direct water onto the turbine blades.
Step 3: Conduct the Experiment
Test 1 - Water Height:
Use different water heights (e.g., 20 cm, 40 cm, 60 cm) to pour water onto the turbine.
Measure how bright the LED glows or use a multimeter to record voltage.
Use a stopwatch to keep timing consistent (e.g., pour for 10 seconds).
Test 2 - Flow Rate:
Pour different volumes of water in the same time period to see the effect of flow rate.
Test 3 - Turbine Design:
Modify the turbine (number or size of blades) and observe the effect.
[Link]
RAINBOW WALKING WATER
• Rainbow walking water
Materials: GROUP 3 ONLY
• 6 cups (Plastic)
• Water
• Food coloring (red, yellow, blue)
• Paper towels
• Instructions:
• Fill 3 alternating cups with water and add food coloring
(red, yellow, blue).
• Fold paper towels and place them connecting the cups.
• Watch the water “walk” and mix colors!
• Why it works: Water travels through the paper towel
fibers due to capillary action and mixes in the empty
cups.
• [Link]
BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR BALLOON INFLATION
GROUP 4 ONLY
• Materials:
• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Empty plastic bottle
• Balloon
• Funnel
• Instructions:
• Use the funnel to add baking soda into the balloon.
• Pour vinegar into the plastic bottle.
• Carefully stretch the balloon over the bottle's mouth
without letting the baking soda fall in.
• Lift the balloon, allowing the baking soda to mix
with the vinegar, and watch the balloon inflate.
• YouTube Link: Balloon Inflation Experiment
Materials:
Cardboard or sturdy paper DESIGN A WIND TURBINE
Pencil with eraser
GROUP 5 ONLY
Push pin
Straws
String
Small weight (like a paperclip)
Instructions:
1. Cut the cardboard into blades (rectangles about 2 cm x 10
cm).
2. Attach the blades evenly around the straw to create a rotor.
3. Push a pin through the center of the rotor into the pencil's
eraser, allowing it to spin.
4. Tie one end of the string to the rotor and the other to a
small weight.
5. Blow on the blades or place the setup in front of a fan to
observe the rotor lifting the weight.
[Link]
Page 142
Answer
THANK
YOU