Hooked on Science: Marshmallow shooter

Did you know you can use a few ingredients from around the house to shoot marshmallows across the room?

Materials

* 1 1/2" x 7" PVC pipe

* 6 1/2" x 3" PVC pipes

* 2 1/2" PVC tees

* 2 1/2" PVC caps

* 2 1/2" PVC 90-degree elbows

* Marshmallows

Instructions

STEP 1: Connect the PVC pipes and connectors to create the STEM Shooter in the picture above.

STEP 2: Place a few marshmallows into the end of the STEM Shooter.

STEP 3: Blow through the opening at the top of the STEM Shooter, forcing the marshmallows out of the STEM Shooter.

Explanation

Newton's First Law of Motion says an object at rest will remain at rest until acted upon by an outside force or an object in motion will continue in the same direction until acted upon by an outside force. The marshmallows will remain in the gun until your breath forces them out of the gun. Once your breath forces them out of the gun, they will remain in motion until acted upon by an outside force.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments.