D. K.

Physics
SPH3U
A Lab Report:
Bottle Rockets;
To ininity an! beyon!"
Presente! to #$e %eena
Aca!&$ie !e la capitale
'ctober () *+,-
Bottle Rockets;
To ininity an! beyon!"
Purpose
.n the Bottle Rocket Lab) /e /ill be creatin0 rockets o1t o e$pty *2liter bottles. The
rockets /ill then be la1nche! into the air 1sin0 press1rise! air an! /ater as the prop1lsion
syste$. The p1rpose o this e3peri$ent is to both to e3plore ho/ %e/ton4s three la/s /ill aect
the rocket4s tra5ectory) an! to see /hat is the $ost eicient !esi0n or the rocket.
Materials or Apparatus
6 Scissors
6 Tap /ater
6 D1ct tape
6 Altit1!e tracker
6 Stop/atch
6 Tire p1$p
6 7ater rocket la1ncher 8one per class9) pro:i!e!
6 ;+ paper clips in a plastic ba0
6 3 e$pty *2liter so!a bottle
6 Poster boar!
6 * Styrooa$ nose cones
6 Tiss1e
6 Le0o $an
6 -+c$ o strin0
Procedure or Method
PART 1 Design and Build
<o1 /ill !esi0n an! b1il! a /ater rocket 1sin0 the $aterials pro:i!e!. <o1r rocket $1st:
6 Be $a!e ro$ an e$pty *2liter so!a bottle
6 Ha:e ins an! a re$o:able nose cone
6 =arry a loa! o ;+ paper clips
6 Use only air or a $i3t1re o air an! /ater as a prop1lsion syste$
6 Re$ain in the air or at least ; secon!s
6 Be able to be la1nche! on a rocket la1ncher
PART 2 Evaluate and Redesign
,. Be0in by thinkin0 abo1t ho/ yo1r rocket /ill /ork an! ho/ yo1 /o1l! like it to look. Sketch
yo1r !esi0n an! $ake a list o $aterials that yo1 /ill nee!.
*. Rockets oten ha:e a set o ins to stabili>e the$ in li0ht. =onsi!er the best shape or s1ch
ins) an! !eci!e ho/ $any ins yo1r rocket nee!s. Use poster boar! to $ake yo1r ins.
3. Deci!e ho/ to saely an! sec1rely carry a loa! o ;+ paper clips in yo1r rocket.
-. Deci!e ho/ $1ch) i any) /ater to po1r into yo1r rocket.
;. B1il! yo1r rocket.
?. Test yo1r rocket by la1nchin0 it on the rocket la1ncher. =AUT.'%: #ake s1re that the rocket
is la1nche! :ertically in a sae) open area that is at least 3+ $ across. All obser:ers sho1l! /ear
0o00les an! stan! at least (@,+ $ a/ay ro$ the rocket la1ncher. The rocket sho1l! be
p1$pe! to a press1re o no $ore than ;+ po1n!s per sA1are inch.
B. Use a stop/atch to !eter$ine yo1r rocket4s li0ht ti$e.
(. Recor! in a !ata table the res1lts o yo1r o/n la1nch.
C. #ake any corrections or chan0es in yo1r !esi0n an! prepare or secon! la1nch. Recor! yo1r
!ata.
Data
La1nch D Ti$e to Peak 8s9 Ti$e ro$ peak to
lan!in0 8s9
Post li0ht $ass 809 Distance 8$9
, %EA %EA ,*; B.;
* ,., *., ,*; C
3 ,., 3., ,+; ,+.-
Formulas
Distance = ( a!is o" altitude trac#er$! a!is o" altitude trac#er%distance "rom launchpad
Average velocit = distance$time to pea#
Momentum = Post&"light mass ' velocit
(aunch 2)
1* Distance) 83E?9,; F C $eters
2* Average velocit) CE,., F (.* %
+* Mass) ,*;0 F +.,*;k0
,* Momentum) +.,*; G (.* F ,.+* k0G$Es
(aunch +)
1* Distance) 8CE,39,; F ,+.- $eters
2* Average velocit) : F ,+.-E ,., F C.; %
+* Mass) ,+;0 F +.,+;k0
,* Momentum) +.,+; G C.; F , k0G$Es
Data Analsis
. belie:e that there /as an error in calc1latin0 the peak hei0ht. Hro$ the 0ro1n!) the
peak o the tra5ectory see$e! closer to triple or A1a!r1ple the $eas1re! a$o1nt. . think that
this error e3ists beca1se the $eas1re$ents o the !istance ro$ la1nchpa! an! o the y an! 3
a3es on the altit1!e tracker /ere incorrect. .t co1l! also be beca1se altit1!e tracker /as b1ilt by
1s) so /e $i0ht ha:e $a!e a $istake /hile b1il!in0 it.
Procedure)
1* -hat is .e/ton0s third la/1 I:ery action has an eA1al an! opposite reaction.
2* -hat does .e/ton0s third la/ have to do /ith ho/ a roc#et /or#s1 7hen the rocket
releases the press1re b1ilt 1p by the bicycle p1$p to/ar!s the 0ro1n!) the rocket /ill be orce!
1p/ar!s.
+* E!plain ho/ .e/ton0s three la/s appl in roc#et "light* %e/ton4s irst la/ is that an ob5ect
at rest /ill re$ain at rest an! an ob5ect $o:in0 at a constant :elocity /ill $aintain that :elocity)
1nless another orce is acte! 1pon it. Beca1se o this la/) the rocket nee!s to ha:e a stron0
syste$ o prop1lsion to $ake it be0in $o:in0 ro$ rest. H1rther$ore) once the rocket is in
space) it /ill nee! :ery little orce to $o:e it) beca1se there /ill be no 0ra:ity orcin0 a0ainst it.
%e/ton4s secon! la/ is that orce is eA1al to $ass ti$es acceleration) sho/n as HF$a. The
/ay this la/ applies is si$ilar to the /ay %e/ton4s irst la/ !oes. Usin0 this eA1ation) the
acceleration o the rocket can be o1n! pro:i!e! that /e ha:e the $ass an! the net orce.
Hinally) %e/ton4s thir! la/ is that e:ery action has an eA1al an! opposite reaction. This is /hy
the rocket is reA1ire! to sen! so $1ch orce to/ar!s the 0ro1n!) beca1se it /ill then be able to
be sent so hi0h.
Anal2e and 3onclude
1* 45serving) -hat did ou o5serve a5out the motion o" the 5alloon as more and more
/ater /as added1 %EA
2* Dra/ing 3onclusions) -hat purpose did adding the /ater to the 5alloon serve1 %EA
+* Designing a 6olution) 7o/ did our results in Part 1 a""ect our decision a5out ho/
much /ater8 i" an8 to add to our roc#et1 %EA
,* Evaluating the Design) Did our roc#et meet all o" the criteria listed in PART 1 Design
and Build1 E!plain* %o) in each o the li0hts the tra5ectory ti$e /as bet/een 3 an! -.;
secon!s.
9* Evaluating the Design) 7o/ did our roc#et design compare to the roc#ets 5uilt 5
our classmates1 #y ins /ere a lot lar0er) an! there /ere a e/ other $inor !ierences) or
e3a$ple /ei0ht positionin0 an! nose cone shape. -hich roc#ets had the greatest "light
time1 Those o people /ith s$aller ins. -hat design "eatures resulted in the most
success"ul launches1 S$aller ins.
:* Redesigning) Based on our launch results and our response to ;uestion 98 e!plain
ho/ ou could$did improve our roc#et* 7o/ did these changes help our roc#et0s
per"ormance1 . re!1ce! the a$o1nt o /ater ater each la1nch to !ecrease the initial /ei0ht
an! th1s increase the hei0ht o the peak. . co1l! ha:e $a!e s$aller ins an! $o!iie! the o $y
rocket to 1rther increase the hei0ht o it4s tra5ectory.
<* Evaluating the =mpact on 6ociet) E!plain ho/ an understanding o" roc#et propulsion
has made space travel possi5le* 'nce h1$ans 1n!erstoo! %e/ton4s thir! la/ 8e:ery action
has an eA1al an! opposite reaction9 they /ere able to 1n!erstan! that /ith eno10h press1re or
1el) a lar0e rocket co1l! be sent to space.
>* 3ommunicate) -rite a paragraph that descri5es ho/ ou designed and 5uilt our
roc#et* =nclude a la5eled s#etch o" our design* There /ere a e/ steps in:ol:e! or $e to
b1il! $y rocket. Hirst o all) . !i! research abo1t bottle rockets. . o1n! !ierent !esi0ns an! the
$aterials they 1se!. . ha! been thinkin0 o b1il!in0 a rocket that only 1ses one bottle) b1t .
chan0e! $y $in! to 1sin0 a rocket that 1ses t/o. . also researche! eecti:e in shapes. . then
$a!e a list o the $aterials . /o1l! nee!) retrie:e! the$) an! starte! b1il!in0. . $a!e a e/
a!51st$ents !1rin0 the b1il!in0 sta0e) $akin0 the ins bi00er an! a!!in0 the le0o $an nose
cone. . inally re:ie/e! $y rocket one $ore ti$e to see i it /as satisactory.
;uestions to consider)
1* -h do 5ottle roc#ets "l1 Any ob5ect) pro:i!e! that it has eno10h orce) /ill ly. A bottle
rocket is no e3ception an! beca1se o its an! its in4s shape) it /ill ly better than other ob5ects.
2* -h do /e have to use /ater8 or do /e1 7ater is cheap an! an easily accessible $aterial)
an! a!!s $ass to the la1nch beore then !isappearin0. 7hen the /ater lea:es the rocket) it
also pro:i!es a!!itional orce.
+* -ill it "l /ithout /ater1 . belie:e that it /ill) b1t /itho1t the a!!itional $ass o the /ater) it
/ill not be as eecti:e.
,* =" a little /ater /or#s /ell8 /ill a lot o" /ater /or# 5etter1 %o) beca1se to $1ch e3tra
/ei0ht /ill /ei0h the rocket !o/n) re!1cin0 its eecti:eness.
9* -ill it "l 5est /hen it is totall "ull1 %o) beca1se as $entione! in ans/er -) the a!!itional
/ei0ht /ill /ei0h the rocket !o/n so $1ch it /ill har!ly lit o the 0ro1n!.
:* -hat volume o" /ater /or#s 5est1 Aro1n! a si3th 1ll) /hich is not to $1ch that /ill /ei0h
the rocket !o/n) b1t eno10h to 0i:e e3tra $ass to achie:e a hi0her altit1!e.
3onclusion
The rockets !i! ly A1ite /ell) altho10h they le/ less /ell than . ha! been e3pectin0
the$ to) base! on an earlier e3peri$ent . ha! !one. %e:ertheless) the e3peri$ent /as a
s1ccess) teachin0 1s abo1t ho/ %e/ton4s three la/s aect rockets. .t also ta10ht 1s ho/
chan0es in !esi0n aecte! ho/ /ell they ly. Unort1nately) the altit1!es reache! by the rockets
is har! to in! o1t beca1se o errors in inor$ation or the calc1lations.