Water Rocket Party For All

[caption id="attachment_97419" align="alignleft" width="198" caption="Water rocket lifted-off during science experiment in Madobag Village [Photo: Fachrie Julverdie"]"][/caption]Water rocket is one of the most exciting also daring tools to learn physics. The raw excitement that explode while the blasting water appear—followed with lift-off—open a gateway to understand Newton’s Law of Gravity easier than using classical teaching in the classroom. This is the main message from water rocket experiment as a part of 1N3B (1 Nusa 1 Bangsa 1 Bahasa 1 Bumi) movement program, "Bagi Buku - Bagi Ilmu - Bagi Anak Negeri, May 21 - 23, 2009, in Madobag Village, Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. Without writing F = m.a formula, I asked the student to learn Newton’s Law from a small water rocket competition. Divided into three groups, namely "Nusa" (Homeland), "Bangsa" (Nation), and "Bahasa" (Language), I gave them only three chances to win the competition. The winner is the group who recorded the longest flying time. Even the prize is priceless in Jakarta—my completed build-up water rocket that constructed from rubbish—the student still showed good fighting spirit to win. Contrary to my fellow mentors at that event, I did not create a yell for them. I just asked the student to count natural number, from 30 down to zero. If the countdown classified as a yell, it might be the longest and mathematically yell that ever shouted since Pangrango.Com Community lighted up 1N3B Movement in 2005. 1N3B (1 Homeland 1 Nation 1 Language 1 Earth) is a scientific education and literacy movement for remote regions in Indonesia, and was initiated in Pangrango Community (pangrango.com). The very spirit of this movement is: education should be free from geographic, ethnicity, religion, race, and social group barrier. Began in 2005, the movement has been spreading through another community, including traveler, diver, climber, trekker, photographer, and hiker. Now this movement literary and figuratively belongs to all community and individual who shared the same spirit. The winner of this small water rocket competition recorded more than six seconds flying, far and away from average three seconds. While the winner in another class brought the prize as private property, my student immediately donated the prize to their school as public property, so everybody can learn how to built and launch water rocket. [caption id="attachment_97453" align="alignright" width="224" caption="Farmer, teacher, student, pompong (a traditional local boat) drivers, joined a simple and spontaneous science party. [Photo: Me"]"][/caption]In the evening, the water rocket fever spread over Madobag hamlet. Farmer, teacher, student, pompong (a traditional local boat) drivers, joined a simple and spontaneous science party. Rocket after rocket lifted off until twilight without assistance from 1N3B crew. One of them recorded more than ten seconds flying over Madobag. I watched that glorious moment and wonder someday one of them launch and win water rocket competition during Science Olympic event as Indonesian representative. The rocket that I had gave to them as price in the morning virtually out of order at the end of the party. They lifted the rocket like crazy. However, everybody was happy at that moment. The ultimate prize lies on knowledge itself not in the rocket. I would like to say thanks to 1N3B photographers who captured this moment, Mr Handy Atmojo, and Mr Fachrie Julverdie. Through their lenses, you can see and proved that water rocket experiment will and always a good science education tools regardless age, gender, social status, and education background. Special thanks to 1N3B technical assistant, Boediono Mangunsaponco and Arif "Gethuk" Hidayat, who also burning midnight oil with me to prepare the launcher and rocket, but did not have opportunity to join the people's science party in Madobag. Special to Pangrango Community, every lift-off, far and away in Mentawai, will account as happiness sign for their 9th birthday. Such a honorable celebration for a community who gave birth 1N3B, isn't? For 1N3B 2009 team... see you in the next challenging experiment. May the Force be with you… always. [caption id="attachment_97456" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Expression just before lift-off [Photo: Fachrie Julverdie"][/caption]