Newton's sailboat

Description
An air track glider equipped with a battery-powered fan and a sail showcases three scenarios: 1) the sail is attached to the glider, but the fan is not turned on; 2) both the sail and the fan are attached and active on the glider; and 3) the fan is turned on without the sail. In the first scenario, the glider does not move as the fan is off. In the second scenario, when the fan blows air into the sail, the forces cancel each other out, and the glider remains stationary, illustrating Newton's third law that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In the third scenario, the fan propels the glider forward as the air pushes against the surrounding environment. This setup effectively demonstrates the principles of action and reaction forces, highlighting how forces interact in different configurations and the importance of unbalanced forces for motion.
PIRA DCS Number
1H10.20