Model Rocket Report

By Sena Wright
Academy for Math Engineering & Science
B4
Douglas Hendricks
 Abstract
The Rocket Report is a large experiment consisting of four different sections. They are the thrust
analysis, drag force, numerical model, and flight result sections. The major steps in this report
were figuring out thrust, understanding drag force, calculating and predicting angles and heights,
and finally launching the rockets. The most interesting part about the whole report was being
able to predict the heights and seeing if they matched (or at least similar) to the predicted ones.
There are many variables to think about when doing this rocket report, therefore it’s easier to be
understanding towards the data that was slightly off.

Predicted
Red/Silver A8: 24.42 m Red/Yellow A8: 55.43 m

Red/Silver B6: 73.99 m Red/Yellow B6: 106.59 m

Red/Silver C6: 181.87 m Red/Yellow C6: 213.33 m

Measured

Rocket 1st Measurement 2nd Measurement 3rd Measurement

Red/Yellow A8 32.74 57.03 29.21

Red/Yellow B6 39.17 188.10 36.5

Gold/Black A8 23.76 23.76 29.21

Gold/Black B6 29.21 70.31 61.08

Introduction
The reason for doing the rocket project is to have real life experiences tying together the
concepts that are used in physics. By doing a large project such as this one, it brings together
topics such as “kinematics” which is the study of motion and acceleration, and topics such as
“dynamics” which is the study of how forces affect kinematics. Other terms that were used
during this project was “impulse”, defined as a vector quantity and product of the force acting on
a body and the time interval during which the force is exerted, “momentum”, which means the
quantity of motion that an object has, “drag force”, defined as force acting opposite to the
relative motion, and “drag coefficient” meaning a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify
the drag or resistance of an object.
The impulse momentum theorem is a key relationship used to predict the height of the rocket.
Impulse is defined as the force acting on an object, multiplied by the time that the force acts on
the object. The impulse equals the change in momentum that the object experiences. Below is a
derivation of the impulse momentum theorem.

It’s necessary to use the technique of “numerical iteration” to predict the height of the rocket
because of air resistance. If air resistance were to be ignored then the rocket would be predicted
to go much higher than expected. In order to find air resistance, the flight is broken up into
intervals of 0.1 seconds and assumed that the velocity within each time interval is constant.
Although this would be incorrect, the math is much simpler than it could be.
 Thrust Analysis Report
The purpose of the thrust analysis lab was to determine the type of engine that it was, and most
importantly, determine the amount of thrust that the engine put out in intervals of tenths of a
second. The reason for needing to know this information is to predict the height that the rocket
will go when continuing this lab. The beginning of this lab was strapping a rocket engine to a
cart and when lit, having the rocket engine pushing against the force gauge.

Photographed by Paige Ney

Next, the computer program named “logger Pro” was used to measure data. It recorded data for
every tenth of a second, and kept one seconds worth of data before our trigger. The reason for the
use of trigger mode was to not worry about human error, and therefore able to set the trigger to
start measuring on -1 N of force. Before lighting the engine, the force gauge had to be “zeroed”
such as one would do before weighing something on a scale. The force data that was measured
was recorded with negative numbers because the force gauge saw pulling forces as positive and
pushing forces as negative, even though both are simply a force. The data is shown below.

Time Force
0.0 0.00
0.1 1.91
0.2 9.12
0.3 8.00
0.4 5.50
0.5 5.38
0.6 5.14
0.7 4.98
0.8 4.98
0.9 4.65
1.0 4.89
1.1 4.98
1.2 4.80
1.3 4.71
1.4 4.74
1.5 4.84
1.6 4.74
1.7 4.86
1.8 5.07
1.9 4.92
2.0 0.00

The engine burning started by taking an igniter wire covered with phosphorous and connecting it
to a battery which ignited the engine once and electrical current was ran through it. The graph
above shows Thrust vs Time, and the area underneath the line can be measured by drawing
rectangles best fitting alone the line and finding each individual area. When adding those areas
together, the results are a fairly accurate approximation. The total area underneath the line
represents the impulse of the rocket, meaning the force multiplied by the amount of time. As for
the actual rocket engine, the meaning behind the letter at the beginning of the engine name such
as an “A engine” or a “B engine” is the total impulse. Last, the average force is shown on the
rocket engine by looking at the number that follows the letter when looking at the name.
 Drag Force Analysis Section
The goal of this activity was to determine the drag coefficient of the rocket. The drag coefficient
of the rocket impacts the way it passes through the surrounding air, so the idea is to predict how
much air resistance will impact the flight. The force of the air resistance of an object is equal to
the square of the velocity multiplied by the drag coefficient. It’s important to know the drag
coefficient because it is the constant of the equation (Fdrag = kv2). If air resistance was ignored,
then there would not be a way to accurately predict how high the rocket would go, which is why
the drag coefficient is important.
Also, the drag coefficient depends on several factors such as the size, shape, and weight of the
object. Objects with sharp corners would have larger drag coefficients than objects with curved
lines because air is able to flow easier around objects when air is able to pass through smoother.
Therefore, the resistance on an object flowing would be less, making the drag coefficient
smaller. This means that vehicles are able to gain better gas mileage when less forces are pushing
against it. Below, is a picture and drawing of a wind tunnel which is how the drag coefficient
was measured.

Within the wind tunnel, there is a honey comb structure that decreases the turbulence drastically.
Instead of the fan blowing directly at the object, the fan blows the opposite way while air comes
through the honey comb like structure. With the fan pointed the opposite way while the honey
comb structure filtering air, the object inside of the wind tunnel is much more stable and accurate
giving a mostly constant angle.

A diagram of the rocket inside of the wind tunnel is shown below. By using this diagram, a
derivation is able to be made on how to solve the drag coefficient of an object.

Free Body Diagram Derivation

∑Fh=mah ∑Fv=mav Fd=Kd*v2

Tsinθ- mg- Kd=Fd/v2
Fd=ma(0) Tcosθ=0 Kd=0.074/122
Mg*Tanθ T=mg/cosθ Kd= 0.0005

m=2.3 g
θ= 73

The drag coefficient for the red and silver rocket was estimated to be the same as the red and
yellow rocket. This is because the red and silver rocket is about the width of a ping pong ball, yet
has a shape that would cut through wind easier.
As for the measurements of the rocket hanging from the string in the wind tunnel; the angle was
averaged to be 26 degrees, the mass was 61 grams, and the velocity was 32 m/s. When
calculating the drag force, the number comes out to be 0.0003 N*s2/m2.
 Numerical Model (Height Prediction) Section

Even before launching the rockets into the air, the prediction of the height was to be measured
based off of a spread sheet. Although an equation to come up with the height of each rocket
would be complicated to calculate, it is much easier to spread out the calculations within a
spreadsheet. The first step of calculating the final height is average thrust, which is the beginning
and the end thrusts of a 0.1 interval added together then divided by two. Second, the drag force is
calculated by using the previous final velocity, squaring it, and multiplying it by the drag
coefficient. Third, the average net force is the drag force subtracted from mg subtracted from the
average thrust. Fourth, the average net impulse is the average net force multiplied the change in
time.
Fifth, the row’s final velocity was used as the initial velocity leading to the sixth step, which is
the initial velocity added to the net force multiplied by the change in time all over the mass.
Seventh, the average velocity is calculated by adding the initial and final velocities then dividing
that by two. Next, the initial height is the last row’s final height, and finally, the final height is
the initial height added to the average velocity multiplied the change in time. Although a lot of
information to handle, it is much easier within steps.

Free-Body Diagram

By using the spreadsheet, it was easy to determine the maximum height by scrolling
down in the final height column and finding the largest number within the column.

Red/Silver A8: 24.42 m Red/Yellow A8: 55.43 m

Red/Silver B6: 73.99 m Red/Yellow B6: 106.59 m

Red/Silver C6: 181.87 m Red/Yellow C6: 213.33 m

Average Dra Avera Avera Initial Final Avera Initi Final Fin
g ge ge ge al al
For
ce
Thrust (usi Net Net Veloci Velocity Veloci Heig Height Ti
ng Force Impul ty ty ht me
prior se
vf)
(Thr1+Thr (Fd (Thravg (Fnet∙D (= last (vi+FnetDt/ (vi + (= (hi+vavg*
2)/2 = - mg - t) row's m) vf)/2 last Dt)
kd*v Fd) vf) row's
2
) hf)

2.50 0.00 1.69 0.17 0.00 2.03 1.02 0.00 0.10 0.1

7.00 0.00 6.18 0.62 2.03 9.48 5.76 0.10 0.68 0.2

6.00 0.04 5.14 0.51 9.48 15.68 12.58 0.68 1.94 0.3

2.75 0.12 1.81 0.18 15.68 17.86 16.77 1.94 3.61 0.4

2.35 0.16 1.38 0.14 17.86 19.52 18.69 3.61 5.48 0.5

2.20 0.19 1.20 0.12 19.52 20.96 20.24 5.48 7.51 0.6

1.10 0.22 0.07 0.01 20.96 21.04 21.00 7.51 9.61 0.7

0.00 0.22 -1.03 -0.10 21.04 19.80 20.42 9.61 11.65 0.8

0.00 0.20 -1.01 -0.10 19.80 18.58 19.19 11.65 13.57 0.9

0.00 0.17 -0.99 -0.10 18.58 17.39 17.99 13.57 15.37 1

0.00 0.15 -0.96 -0.10 17.39 16.23 16.81 15.37 17.05 1.1

0.00 0.13 -0.95 -0.09 16.23 15.09 15.66 17.05 18.61 1.2

0.00 0.11 -0.93 -0.09 15.09 13.97 14.53 18.61 20.07 1.3

0.00 0.10 -0.91 -0.09 13.97 12.88 13.43 20.07 21.41 1.4
 0.00 0.08 -0.90 -0.09 12.88 11.80 12.34 21.41 22.64 1.5

0.00 0.07 -0.88 -0.09 11.80 10.73 11.27 22.64 23.77 1.6

0.00 0.06 -0.87 -0.09 10.73 9.68 10.21 23.77 24.79 1.7

0.00 0.05 -0.86 -0.09 9.68 8.65 9.17 24.79 25.71 1.8

0.00 0.04 -0.85 -0.09 8.65 7.62 8.14 25.71 26.52 1.9

0.00 0.03 -0.84 -0.08 7.62 6.61 7.12 26.52 27.23 2

0.00 0.02 -0.84 -0.08 6.61 5.60 6.10 27.23 27.84 2.1

0.00 0.02 -0.83 -0.08 5.60 4.60 5.10 27.84 28.35 2.2

0.00 0.01 -0.82 -0.08 4.60 3.61 4.11 28.35 28.76 2.3

0.00 0.01 -0.82 -0.08 3.61 2.62 3.12 28.76 29.07 2.4

0.00 0.00 -0.82 -0.08 2.62 1.64 2.13 29.07 29.29 2.5

0.00 0.00 -0.81 -0.08 1.64 0.66 1.15 29.29 29.40 2.6

0.00 0.00 -0.81 -0.08 0.66 -0.32 0.17 29.40 29.42 2.7

0.00 0.00 -0.81 -0.08 -0.32 -1.30 -0.81 29.42 29.34 2.8

0.00 0.00 -0.81 -0.08 -1.30 -2.29 -1.79 29.34 29.16 2.9

It is very important to include air resistance. For example, with a red/silver rocket with a “C-
engine” the predicted height with air resistance is 181.87 m rather than without including air
resistance which would make the predicted maximum height 433.70 m. The drag coefficient
makes a huge impact when predicting the height. The amount of height error in the prediction is
already very drastic when using a descriptive amount of 4 significant digits, however if the
experiment required more, it is imagine that the height predictions would change largely as well.
 Flight Results Section

To prepare for the rocket launch, “wadding” was inserted into the rocket to protect the parachute
beside it from getting burned. Next, the previously selected engine was inserted and then an
igniter was put inside the small part of the bottom of the engine. A plastic plug was also put in
the engine’s hole to keep the igniter from falling out. The rocket was then positions on the
platform for launching which involved a vertical rod keeping the rocket held up before the
launching. The igniter’s wired were connected to a battery having a switch on it which needed to
be turned on when ready to launch the rocket.

Drawing Derivation

The reason of having three people measuring the angle rather than just one is to get more
accurate results. By averaging the reading the chances of error due to the rocket not going
straight up is minimized. Also, it reduces the effect of human error during the rocket launch.
When the rocket reaches large heights, it is very difficult to accurately measure the angle due to
the way the rocket goes out of view and also could located in the direction of the sun. Below are
the measured angles of each rocket that was launched.
 Rocket 1st Measurement 2nd Measurement 3rd Measurement

Red/Yellow A8 32 48 29

Red/Yellow B6 37 75 35

Gold/Black A8 24 24 29

Gold/Black B6 29 54 50

The measured angles may seem drastically different at various points; however, the rockets tend
to curve creating a difficulty measuring their angles accurately. This was the reason for having 3
people measuring the angles for more precise results. Most of the rockets curved largely.
 Conclusion
In conclusion, when comparing the heights of the predicted and the measured, the calculations
are very different. The rockets and engines that were calculated had some launching difficulties
or blew out of sign several times, while the ones that were able to be seen curved widely. In the
end, the rockets that were able to be measured and calculated was the Red/Yellow rocket A8 and
B6 engine. For the A8 engine, the predicted height was 55.43 meters while the measured height
was 39.66 meters. For the B6 engine, the predicted height was 106.59 meters while the measured
height was 84.59 meters. The data didn’t match too close, however some of the part can be
blamed on the curvature of the rocket and the estimating of the drag force. It is clear though that
our predictions were much higher than were calculated. Some ways to get a better prediction
could have been to have more people measuring the angles, taking time to calculate the drag
force for each rocket, and using smaller time intervals when averaging the thrust. Although a
little bit off, the calculations were calculated using detailed math and measurements.
Reflection
In the end, this rocket report helped me understand the complexity of actual rocket science. As
shallow as that sounds, most people wouldn’t understand the difficulty of calculating the small
model rockets’ heights let alone rockets that will be sent to space. I was able to truly understand
the derivation of equations and take apart the methods for solving real life math. Physics has
always been a bit difficult for me; however, doing this report has broadened my views on how
much easier it is to learn when you’re interacting with real life situations. I’m sure that people
have asked “Why spend the vast of two weeks learning about one project when you can learn
multiple things faster?”, and my answer to that, is the “experience”. Each student has a different
way of learning, yet during this report we were all able to understand each other’s ways of
learning by talking amongst each other and receiving information that we hadn’t thought of
before communicating. That is what science is meant to represent, and that is what this project
was able to show me.