-!Water Bottle Rocket Project!-
Introduction
The purpose of this project was to construct a rocket individually and launch them whilst collecting data that would allow us to determine the maximum height reached by our rockets. Rachel launched her rocket four times with the fins as her independent variable. She chose this as a testing variable because fins could easily be improved by experimenting with different shapes. Her first design had curved plastic fins with the purpose of spinning the rocket in a spiffy way and keeping the rocket straight as it flew through the air. This design was not sturdy enough to handle the launch so she changed the shape and material of the fins to straight cardboard fins. Her question was, Will curved fins have a better effect on the rocket’s overall performance rather than straight fins? This question was answered after her rocket launched unsuccessfully with the floppy fins.
Katie's rocket was designed with two water bottles, three triangular fins made of paper, a pointy cone and clay in the top of the rocket for sturdiness. This design was very effective in launching the rocket high. Her experiment consisted of using various cones to determine which made the rocket reach the highest distances. Her hypothesis was, “If top cover affects velocity then adding a pointy top cover will escalate the rocket in a straight direction because the shape balances the rocket.” When there is air resistance, the air will influence the rocket to move in a particular direction; therefore, she can control the direction as best as possible through manipulating the shape of rocket. The winning cone was the highest and pointiest cone out of all of them.
Procedure
The only way to test out our variable was by launching it and recording the data. We decided that Katie’s rocket was the best one to use at the exhibition so we tested it many times with different shapes and materials for the cone. When the cone continued to detach from the rocket after take off, we decided to make a thicker and sturdier cone in the end which proved to be successful. We made this cone with many sheets of construction paper and duct taped them to the top of the rocket. This was the largest and pointiest cone of all the test subjects.
During the launching tests, we recorded all the data for each launch which was how we determined the effectiveness of the cones. After every launch, we took our data and calculated the height the rocket went. To calculate this measurement we used the trigonometric function, tangent, by taking the angle of our rocket's highest point at a certain distance away from the launching pad. This is the equation used:
TAN(angle) * (distance from rocket) = Height
The cone was our independent variable and so it was not kept constant of course. The other variables we did try to keep constant were the mass of the rocket, the air pressure, the water volume, and the overall shape of the rocket-not including the cone.
Data
(Graph at bottom)
The independent variable was the cone shape. The main dependent variable was height. Observing the graph, the default bottle shape did not hit very high. The inverted cone did not either but made a slight comeback after the second try. However, out of all the types, the pointy cone proved to be the best.
Conclusion
The winning cone was the highest and straightest cone out of all of them. This was the most effective shape because it successfully guided the rocket straight through the air and attained very high heights. In order to prove Katie’s hypothesis to be true we needed to change the shape, size, weight and material of the cone and test each one. In the end, the pointiest cone did fulfill its purpose of balancing the rocket and reaching an incredible height. Even though our rocket was a success, it could have had improvements on the design and tools that held it together. If we had used very reliable resources to build our rocket, it definitely would have been an even better smashing success. Personally, the experiment probably would have been more exciting and diversely different if there were more cones with surreal shapes. For future students, we recommend using stable ingredients as well as a parachute to ensure your rocket will not fall to pieces. For funsies, try different stable materials instead of a typical plastic water bottle. And for practicality, make sure the dependent variables are always constant. (It's one aspect that trips up students during experimentation.)
Introduction
The purpose of this project was to construct a rocket individually and launch them whilst collecting data that would allow us to determine the maximum height reached by our rockets. Rachel launched her rocket four times with the fins as her independent variable. She chose this as a testing variable because fins could easily be improved by experimenting with different shapes. Her first design had curved plastic fins with the purpose of spinning the rocket in a spiffy way and keeping the rocket straight as it flew through the air. This design was not sturdy enough to handle the launch so she changed the shape and material of the fins to straight cardboard fins. Her question was, Will curved fins have a better effect on the rocket’s overall performance rather than straight fins? This question was answered after her rocket launched unsuccessfully with the floppy fins.
Katie's rocket was designed with two water bottles, three triangular fins made of paper, a pointy cone and clay in the top of the rocket for sturdiness. This design was very effective in launching the rocket high. Her experiment consisted of using various cones to determine which made the rocket reach the highest distances. Her hypothesis was, “If top cover affects velocity then adding a pointy top cover will escalate the rocket in a straight direction because the shape balances the rocket.” When there is air resistance, the air will influence the rocket to move in a particular direction; therefore, she can control the direction as best as possible through manipulating the shape of rocket. The winning cone was the highest and pointiest cone out of all of them.
Procedure
The only way to test out our variable was by launching it and recording the data. We decided that Katie’s rocket was the best one to use at the exhibition so we tested it many times with different shapes and materials for the cone. When the cone continued to detach from the rocket after take off, we decided to make a thicker and sturdier cone in the end which proved to be successful. We made this cone with many sheets of construction paper and duct taped them to the top of the rocket. This was the largest and pointiest cone of all the test subjects.
During the launching tests, we recorded all the data for each launch which was how we determined the effectiveness of the cones. After every launch, we took our data and calculated the height the rocket went. To calculate this measurement we used the trigonometric function, tangent, by taking the angle of our rocket's highest point at a certain distance away from the launching pad. This is the equation used:
TAN(angle) * (distance from rocket) = Height
The cone was our independent variable and so it was not kept constant of course. The other variables we did try to keep constant were the mass of the rocket, the air pressure, the water volume, and the overall shape of the rocket-not including the cone.
Data
(Graph at bottom)
The independent variable was the cone shape. The main dependent variable was height. Observing the graph, the default bottle shape did not hit very high. The inverted cone did not either but made a slight comeback after the second try. However, out of all the types, the pointy cone proved to be the best.
Conclusion
The winning cone was the highest and straightest cone out of all of them. This was the most effective shape because it successfully guided the rocket straight through the air and attained very high heights. In order to prove Katie’s hypothesis to be true we needed to change the shape, size, weight and material of the cone and test each one. In the end, the pointiest cone did fulfill its purpose of balancing the rocket and reaching an incredible height. Even though our rocket was a success, it could have had improvements on the design and tools that held it together. If we had used very reliable resources to build our rocket, it definitely would have been an even better smashing success. Personally, the experiment probably would have been more exciting and diversely different if there were more cones with surreal shapes. For future students, we recommend using stable ingredients as well as a parachute to ensure your rocket will not fall to pieces. For funsies, try different stable materials instead of a typical plastic water bottle. And for practicality, make sure the dependent variables are always constant. (It's one aspect that trips up students during experimentation.)