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Balloon Car Ideas

A creative, educational science project, balloon cars made from ordinary objects teach kids basic physics principles while challenging their ingenuity and design skills. They are simple cars made from household objects incorporating one or two balloons for propulsion. Children can experiment with elements of weight, design and propulsion to see who can create the fastest car or the car that goes the greatest distance. The project demonstrates Newton's Third Law of Motion--for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Car Frame
- Though possible car frame materials are nearly limitless, they may include milk cartons, fast food hamburger containers, empty water bottles, poker cards, drinking straws, match boxes and empty oil containers. To allow the car to go fast, lightweight materials are ideal. Of course, the cars must also remain on the ground, so some weight is needed. Hollow frames, such as plastic bottles, make interesting choices as they can be incorporated as part of the propulsion mechanism as well as the basic car structure. For instance, Steve Fuerstenau, a participant in a 1998 balloon car contest at NASA̵7;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, used an empty oil container as the car̵7;s frame and propulsion mechanism. Cutting a hole toward the bottom of the container and attaching the air-filled balloon, the air was forced out through the bottle neck propelling the car forward.
Wheels
- Though project rules can vary, some teachers choose to limit wheel materials to those not primarily intended as wheels. For instance, wheels from a toy car would not be permitted. This, of course, is up to the individual instructor. The project teaches the same laws of physics either way. Commonly used wheel materials include plastic bottle tops, CDs and wheels cut from cardboard. Axles can be made from straws, wooden skewers, pins or pencils.
Propulsion System
- Some instructors provide the balloons used for propulsion in order to ensure uniformity. Others allow participants to experiment with their own balloon size, shape and capacity as part of the experiment. Either way, it̵7;s best to limit the number of balloons allowed to one or two. The cars are propelled by pressurized gas released and moving cars forward. The chambers used from car to car vary, including balloons attached to straws, empty water or oil bottles. In some designs, the balloon itself is the entire chamber, and as the air is released it rockets the car forward.

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