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Adult Help Needed For Cutting and Supervising Potato Launches!

Materials:
•    Five or six large potatoes
•    Cutting knife
•    PVC pipe – various sizes can be used (Have an adult cut into lengths of 12 inches)
•    Wooden dowel

Directions:
1.    Have an adult carefully cut the potatoes into 1” thick slices.
2.    Once an adult has cut PVC pipe into a length of 12 inches, you are ready to go.
3.    Place a slice of the potato on the ground. Take the PVC pipe and stab it through a potato slice so a plug is created on one end.
4.    Place another piece of potato on the ground and repeat for the other end of the PVC.
5.    You are ready to launch! Hold the launcher in one hand and the wooden dowel in the other.
6.    Aim the launcher towards an open area – never in the direction of a person.
7.    Use the wooden dowel to quickly push one end of the potato plug up towards the other.
8.    The potato on the opposite end should propel through the air.
9.    You can make this into a game by placing targets of various points in the open area.

**This is a great activity to conduct in the outdoors on a nice.

Explanation:
The potato launchers work due to the concept that air takes up space. Once you create a potato plug on each end, you have trapped air inside the PVC pipe. When you push one potato plug with the wooden dowel, the air inside the pipe has to go somewhere. There is enough pressure created to push the opposite potato plug out of the pipe and into the air.

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Experiments Ancient Quicksand Penny Cleaning Magic Sand Keep Me Dry Underwater Slimy Gak Games Thar She Blows Speedy Dollar Potato Rocket Launchers Homemade Lava Lamps Invisible Ink Multimedia Coming Soon About Scientwists Contact Us		Potato Rocket Launchers Learn how to launch a potato through the air just using air pressure! Adult Help Needed For Cutting and Supervising Potato Launches! Materials: • Five or six large potatoes • Cutting knife • PVC pipe – various sizes can be used (Have an adult cut into lengths of 12 inches) • Wooden dowel Directions: 1. Have an adult carefully cut the potatoes into 1” thick slices. 2. Once an adult has cut PVC pipe into a length of 12 inches, you are ready to go. 3. Place a slice of the potato on the ground. Take the PVC pipe and stab it through a potato slice so a plug is created on one end. 4. Place another piece of potato on the ground and repeat for the other end of the PVC. 5. You are ready to launch! Hold the launcher in one hand and the wooden dowel in the other. 6. Aim the launcher towards an open area – never in the direction of a person. 7. Use the wooden dowel to quickly push one end of the potato plug up towards the other. 8. The potato on the opposite end should propel through the air. 9. You can make this into a game by placing targets of various points in the open area. **This is a great activity to conduct in the outdoors on a nice. Explanation: The potato launchers work due to the concept that air takes up space. Once you create a potato plug on each end, you have trapped air inside the PVC pipe. When you push one potato plug with the wooden dowel, the air inside the pipe has to go somewhere. There is enough pressure created to push the opposite potato plug out of the pipe and into the air.