At a Glance: Students convert an empty soft-drink bottle into a high-flying rocket! After they attach fins, a body tube, and a nose cone, they launch their rockets (up to 250-300 feet!) using water and air pressure.
Concepts: Students will discover stability as it applies to rocket design and investigate thrust, fluid properties, and Newton's third law.
Details:
Students add fins to the bottle for stability and a nose cone for smooth airflow. A recovery device is added to spare the rocket from certain destruction when gravity brings it back to Earth.
A pneumatic device, the Pitsco AquaPort, launches the bottle rocket. This piece of equipment is typically attached to a bicycle pump that transfers pressurized air into the bottle portion of the rocket. Before the rocket is attached to the AquaPort, water is added to the bottle. The amount of water may vary, but typically about one half to two-thirds of the volume of the bottle provides the best altitudes.
The AquaPort mechanism keeps the rocket securely on the launcher until the desired pressure is obtained (usually 60 to 90 psi). After the bottle is pressurized, the student pulls the launch cord and the rocket streaks upward, propelled by the thrust of air escaping from the bottle.
Bottle rockets will achieve altitudes of 50 to 300 feet, depending on the size of the bottle, the design of the rocket, the amount of air pressure, and the amount of water added to the bottle.
At a Glance: Students convert an empty soft-drink bottle into a high-flying rocket! After they attach fins, a body tube, and a nose cone, they launch their rockets (up to 250-300 feet!) using water and air pressure.
