Science Common Sense

229 - How do rockets work?

Imagine you're blowing up a balloon and then letting it go. The air rushes out really fast, right? Now, picture a super powerful, controlled version of that air rushing out. That's basically how a rocket works.

Here's a simplified explanation:

1. A rocket has a special liquid called fuel inside.
2. When the fuel is ignited (burned), it gets really hot and creates a lot of hot gas.
3. This hot gas wants to escape and rushes out of the back of the rocket through a small hole.
4. As the gas escapes, it creates a force that propels (pushes) the rocket forward.
5. The faster the gas escapes, the faster the rocket goes.

Think of it like this: for every action (the gas rushing out), there's an equal and opposite reaction (the rocket moving forward). This is called Newton's third law of motion. That's how rockets work!