Bottle rocket
Our activity this week is to make bottle rockets using plastic bottles.
Our aim for this activity is to find how forces act on when the rocket goes up the sky (not up to the sky but float). Forces are so important in writing in Science terms. The forces that we will be needing are thrust, weight, air resistance, and lift. Thrust is the push that shoots the rocket up the sky, made when water and air rush out onto the bottom. Weight is the pull of gravity that always drags the rocket down. Air resistance is like air pushing back against the rocket as it moves, slowing down. Lift comes from air moving over the fins that are applied, and it keeps the rocket straight and steady, it will not tumble
Equipment: All the equipment we used was a bottle, colored paper, tape, hot glue gun, and a tiny amount of water to push the rocket by the pumper we used.
- First we took our bottle and covered it with some colored paper, we made a minion design so it is a yellow mix with blue color, we just added wings on each side of the bottle to because it made it more strong and heavier, and it did fly away for about 10.7 meters.
Forces are balanced when they are equal and pull or push in opposite directions, this means that the rocket does not speed up, slow down, or change into other directions. For example, when the rocket sits in the pad before launch, its weight is balanced by the pad that is pushing up. Forces are unbalanced when one is stronger than weight and air resistance, so the rocket zooms upward, later, thrust stops, weight and air resistance become stronger, so the rocket would start to slow down and falling.
At start of launching the bottle rocket, thrust is stronger force, but the weight is a quiet big because the rocket still has water inside, and air resistance lift are weak because it is moving slowly. When it goes up, thrust quickly disappears once all water is gone, weight gets lighter without the water, air resistance grows as it moves faster, and lift becomes stronger so that it will be straight. At the very top point, it moves almost not at all, but air resistance and lift are down. While falling, weight says the same, also air resistance gets stronger and faster as it goes.
These changes shows how the rocket moves, when thrust stronger, it pushed the rocket up fast, when thrust is out, there is no more push, so weight and air resistance slow it down until it stops going up, but gravity pulls it down, so it will eventually makes the rocket to fall down. As we know, air resistance always slows it down, both when going up and down. Lift keeps it steady to fly straight instead of just spinning around. The distance recorded for the flight was 10.7 meters.
Using physics ideas makes it more natural and good. Improvements are necessary because for its good result at the end by making bottle rockets, and explaining each force. Explaining forces helps us to understand more about how far and fast it would go to travel through the air.