WATER ROCKETS

Lab Report

Kevin Hamby
10/05/18
AP Physics 2
OBJECTIVE

The objective of this lab is to research, design, and build a water and air powered rocket out of
soda bottles and to maximize the rocket’s hang time in the air.

BACKGROUND DISCUSSION/RESEARCH

Rocketry has roots leading much further back than one would originally think: around 400 B.C..
A Roman story teller, Aulus Gellius, wrote of a Greek named Archytas who would fly a wooden pigeon
that was propelled by steam. This can be considered the early start of rocketry, although it was not
considered that at the time. Three hundred years later, a similar device called an aeolipile was used by
Greek Hero of Alexandria. The device he made used steam to rotate a sphere. These two Greek examples
are not considered true rockets.

The first rockets were likely an accident perpetrated by the Chinese in the first century A.D. when
they created bamboo tubes filled with simple gunpowder that were thrown in ceremonial fires the create
sparks and explosions. Some tubes may have failed and been propelled by the gunpowder. The true rocket
was later created when the Chinese began to propel arrows with gunpowder tubes. They used these
weapons against the Mongols in the battle of Kai-Keng. This may of led to the spread of rockets to
Europe because the Mongols began to produce rockets of their own. Once it moved to Europe, there was
evidence of rocketry through the 13th to 15th century in a variety of forms: rockets with higher range,
more accurate tube launched rockets that laid the foundation for the modern bazooka, and for a surface
torpedo to sink ships. In the 16th century, rocketry switched from a weapon of war to a medium of fun in
the form of fireworks. A German fireworks maker, Johann Schmidlap, made a multi-stage firework that
served as the basic idea for all modern rockets capable of making it to space.

Rocketry became a science in the second half of the 17th century under the brilliance of Sir Isaac
Newton and his three scientific laws, which explained how rockets can function is the vacuum of space
and impacted their design. Willem Gravesande, a Dutch professor, built model cars with steam propulsion
and built rockets of 45 kilograms or more. Later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, rockets became weapons
again and were used by the British. They even inspired Francis Scott Key’s “Star-Spangled Banner” after
being used to attack Fort McHenry. Spin stabilization was later added for extra accuracy in battle, but it
wasn’t long until rockets were made obsolete by cannons and retired.

Modern rocketry began in 1898 by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky when he proposed the idea of space
exploration via rocket. In 1903, he published a report stating that liquid propellants were best and that
rockets were limited by their exhaust’s velocity. He is called the father of modern astronautics. In the
early 20th century, Robert Goddard conducted experiments in rocketry and wrote an analysis of how to
achieve high altitudes meteorological sounding rockets. More importantly, he explored different types of

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fuel and successfully launched the first liquid-propellant rocket, which later developed into rockets with
gyroscopes, parachutes, and payloads. He is known as the father of modern rocketry because of his
achievements. Another scientist, Hermann Oberth, wrote a book about rocket travel, which inspired many
small rocket societies to form. One society, the Society for Space Travel, led to the development of the V-
2 rocket, which was a weapon used against London in WWII. At the end of the war, the United States
captured V-2 rockets and realized their potential as weapons. The U.S. developed high-altitude rockets
and ballistic missiles, which served as a starting point for the space program.

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched a satellite called Sputnik I and became the first
nation to enter in the space race between the superpowers. Less than a month later, the USSR launched a
satellite with a dog on board. The dog survived until oxygen ran out. Later, the United States made its
first launch on January 31, 1958 with the Explorer I Satellite. The satellite was designed by Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) under director Dr. William H. Pickering. The instrumentation was built by Dr. James
Van Allen. The rocket itself was designed, launched, and built under direction from Dr. Wernher Von
Braun. In October of 1958, the U.S. organized NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, as a civilian agency with the goal of peaceful space exploration for the benefit of
mankind. The rest of rocketry is history with astronauts landing on the moon, the creation of the ISS,
satellites enabling mass communication, and the space shuttle missions.

The center of pressure (CP) is the single point which the aerodynamic forces act through. Center
of gravity (CG) is similar because it is the point where the weight of all the rocket components act
through. One can find CG by balancing the rocket on an object or their finger, marking the location where
the rocket is perfectly balanced, and then measuring from the bottom of the rocket to that point to find its
exact location (in cm). As previously mentioned, both CP and CG are points on a rocket. In order to have
a stable rocket, the CG point must be ahead of the CP point enough to allow air passing by the rocket to
cause stabilization. In other terms, the air passing by the rocket counteracts the rotating effect (rockets
rotate around CG) that would otherwise lead to an unstable and unpredictable flight path. Other aspects of
a rocket that make it stable upon launch are weather conditions, fin area, fin placement, and weight of the
nose cone. Weather conditions, especially in a model rocket, can greatly affect stability by pushing the
rocket in directions other than straight up. A larger fin area can lower the center of pressure, increasing
stability, and increasing the weight of the nose cone can raise the center of gravity, increasing stability. In
model rockets, stability can be tested by tying a string around the CG and spinning the rocket horizontally
in a circle. If the nose points in the direction of rotation, the rocket is stable.

Newton’s Laws of Motion can be applied to model rockets. They explain how rockets function
and are as follows:

1. Objects at rest will stay at rest and objects in motion will stay in motion in a straight line
unless acted upon by an unbalanced force
2. Force is equal to mass times acceleration
3. For every action there is always an opposite and equal reaction

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Model rockets begin on the launch pad and must have a force exerted on them to achieve liftoff. This is
how the first law works on model rockets (at rest until force acts on it; gravity and drag stop upward
travel). The force exerted by the rocket fuel/engine is determined by the mass of the fuel (in our case,
water) and how fast the water escapes from the bottle. This is the second law in action. The model
rocket’s motion is opposite and equal to the force from the water escaping the bottle. This is the third
law’s application.

Drag is aerodynamic friction and mechanical force generated when a solid object moves through
a fluid, which is air in terms of the lab. As model rockets fly through the air, surfaces on the rocket (fins,
nose cone, body) collide with molecules/air which causes friction and slows the rocket. The more
aerodynamic a water rocket is, the better it can cut through the air and encounter less resistance. For
example, if a water rocket had no nose cone, the flat bottom of the 2-liter chamber would come into
contact with the air more than a cone that cuts through the air. The flat rocket would therefore have more
drag and slow down faster than a more aerodynamic water rocket with a nose cone.

Bernoulli’s Principle applies to water rocketry in a simple way. His principle states that when the
velocity of a fluid is high, the pressure is low, and where the velocity of a fluid is low, the pressure is
high. If one thinks about a water rocket, the water inside of the rocket after pressurization is high with a
low velocity, and when it launches the water leaves the bottle at a high velocity but low pressure. One can
also think of how high pressure always moves to low pressure, in this instance. The original equation for
Bernoulli’s is P1 + ½ ρv12 + ρgh1 = P2 + ½ ρv22 + ρgh2 and is derived to P1 + ρgh1 = P2 + ½ ρv22 for model
rockets because the inside velocity of water is 0, so ½ ρv12 cancels, and because the height of the water
leaving the rocket is 0, so ρgh2 cancels. This formula can be used to determine various variables. I will
use it to calculate the velocity of water escaping from the rocket later.

Source(s):

● https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rockets.html
● https://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktcp.html
● http://www.nar.org/nar-products/rocket-stability/
● https://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/TRCRocket/rocket_principles.html
● https://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/rocket/rktstab.html
● https://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/expinfo.html
● https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/drag1.html
● Given Material

MATERIALS

● Metric ruler*
● Poster Board

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 ● Illustration Paper
● Masking tape
● Hot glue gun with glue
● Plastic bag
● Twine
● Super glue
● Sandpaper*
● 2 2-liter bottles
● Scissors*
● Shears*
● 1000 mL beaker*
● Plastic funnel*
● Water*
● Clay
● Stopwatch*
● Launch pad*
● Tire pump*
● Baby powder

*Some materials listed were used to execute the experiment and were not used in the rocket itself.
Materials used to solely execute are clarified with an asterisk.

DESIGN ASPECTS

We chose to make our nose cone of illustration paper because of the paper’s flexibility and ability
to be bent into a cone. We made the cone taller rather than shorter in order to have steeper sides so the
rocket could cut through the air and reduce drag. Overall, the purpose of the nose cone is to make the
rocket more streamlined, therefore reducing drag and ideally increasing the height it travels.

We made our fins out of a thick poster board so they were inflexible and sturdy. We chose to
make them curved and large in order to streamline the rocket and provide extra stability so the rocket did
not have a curved flight path. Although not necessary, the large fins, in mine and NASA’s opinion, add
stability (they lower the CP) compared to other rockets I observed and gave the rocket a cool appearance.
Overall, the purpose of fins is to provide the rocket with flight stability so it does not go off an ideal,
straight up flight path.

Our parachute was made of a thin plastic garbage bag provided by the instructor. We chose the
material because of its availability, its ease to make it into a parachute, and its low weight (we didn’t want
the rocket to be too heavy). The parachute was the size of the plastic bag because that was what was
recommended, and the size seemed appropriate for a rocket made of a 2-liter. Overall, the purpose of a

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parachute is to create drag to slow the rocket as it falls, which increases the flight time in terms of the lab.

We decided to add mass to the nose cone using clay. We did this to raise the height of the center
of gravity, moreover increasing the stability of the rocket in flight and giving the nose cone some weight
so it can fall to release the parachute. Overall, the purpose of adding this weight was to increase stability
and release the parachute, effectively accomplishing two tasks at once (after later execution of the
experiment, the nose cone failed to release the parachute).

ROCKET MEASUREMENTS AND PICTURES

Total mass (g): 150.7 g

Length of Total Rocket Body (cm): 54.72 cm

Height of Nose Cone (cm): 15.49 cm

Location of CG (cm): 30.10 cm

Number of Fins: 3 fins

Fin Measurements to Discuss Drag Based on Fin Size and Area

Size of Fins (cm) Location of Fins from Bottom of

Rocket (cm)

Fin 1 12.14 cm 21.05 cm

Fin 2 11.71 cm 20.61 cm

Fin 3 12.00 cm 21.41 cm

Pictures of Rocket Before Launch:

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 Side View Top Down View

LAUNCH DAY MEASUREMENTS

Using Launch Day Measurements to Determine Water and Rocket Velocity

Volume of Water Used Air Pressure Used (psi) Total Hang-Time of Height of Water (cm)
(mL) Rocket Body (seconds)

900 mL 90 psi 8.7 s 15.13 cm

The volume of water used and air pressure used both affected our rocket’s flight in a positive
way. The volume was slightly under half of the 2-liter chamber’s capacity, which can be considered
slightly high, so my we decided to compensate by using a higher pressure of 90 psi. This higher pressure
combined with more liquid resulted in a water expulsion rate that was perfect to achieve the most height
and lift. The rate was not too slow (which would have been too slow to produce enough force for a fast
velocity) and not too fast (the water would have come out of the rocket too quickly and not given ideal
lift).

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CALCULATIONS

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CONCLUSION

Our rocket was very stable upon flight. For the first and most successful launch, the rocket went
in an arc and landed an estimated 80-90 yards away. The rocket itself was stable, and I believe it only
went in the arc due to the launch pad having a slight angle. Other launches were also stable, although the
flight quality decreased with each consecutive launch due to quick, on-site repairs. I attempted to improve
the stability by originally building the rocket with evenly spaced and weighted fins (large as well to
increase stability), which worked well. After the first launch (which resulted in damage), we tried to fix
the rocket in order to make it well-balanced again. We also tried to straighten the launch pad, which
worked slightly on the next launch.

We launched our final rocket four times (this does not include the sideways launch). The first
time, the rocket sustained damage to the nose cone and lost its fins after arcing onto the track. We
straightened the nose cone and retaped the fins. Every consecutive launch resulted in the same damage
and the same repairs (straightening the nose cone and taping the fins). The parachute did not deploy on
the first three launches. The final and fatal launch ripped the parachute off, which spelled the end for our
launches and rocket. Overall, we found our greatest error resulted from personal error and random error.
Personal error came from incorrectly building a nose cone that did not have enough weight to come off to
deploy the parachute. This negatively affected our time. The random error is present in changing
atmospheric and weather changes and did not affect our results positively or negatively.

The biggest hindrance on our flight time was the failure of our parachute. I feel we achieved
excellent height, but the failure of our parachute made the flights only around 7-8 seconds. Optimally, if
the parachute had deployed at the peak height, the flight time would have dramatically increased to well
over 15 seconds. We tested this by dropping our rocket off of the stairwell to test the parachute. It took
roughly 3 seconds for it to fall to the bottom of the stairwell. Being a small height, the stairwell test
clearly shows that a deployed parachute at a reasonable height means a long flight time.

“Next time,” I would design the nose cone differently because I felt that the failure of the
parachute, which affected the overall time, was caused by a poor nose cone design. I feel that our nose
cone lacked the weight to fall off after it became stuck because of the tremendous forces put on it during
the launch. I believe that a heavier cone with the weight centered at the very top would be able to fall off
and successfully deploy the parachute. If the parachute were to deploy, the flight time would drastically
increase. I would also change the chamber size by fusing two small bottles together because it would
enable the use of more water and pressure. Ideally, more water and a higher pressure would lead to a
higher peak height and a longer flight time (if the rocket is balanced and the parachute deploys).

Of our four launches, we measured the times of three because the last launch was extremely
unsuccessful. The first and most successful launch lasted for 8.7 seconds. The second launch lasted for
6.45 seconds, and the third lasted for 7.13 seconds. This met the objectives because I had a successful,

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functioning water and air powered soda bottle rocket with a hang time maximized for its design.

This lab has taught me many things about pressure, volume, bernoulli’s, and rocket speeds. I
learned from the observation of both my launches and other launches that there is a “golden zone” for
pressure and volume of water. Some groups had too much pressure with too little water and vise-versa.
Personally, I found that 900 mL of water combined with 90 psi worked best in my rocket. In short, too
much pressure paired with too little water causes the water to leave the rocket too soon, and too little
pressure with too much water causes the water to leave the chamber too slow. I learned how to use
Bernoulli’s equation (P1 + ½ ρv12 + ρgh1 = P2 + ½ ρv22 + ρgh2) to calculate the velocity of water leaving
the chamber of my rocket by finding cancelling variable, using absolute pressure, and atmospheric
pressure. I also refreshed myself on the conservation of momentum equation (m1v1, i + m2v2, i = m1v1, f +
m2v2, f) to calculate the approximate top speed of my rocket.

AP Physics Laboratory Notebooks Rubric

Student: Kevin Hamby

Lab Name: Water Rocket Project Report

Segment of Laboratory Write-up Points Earned Points Worth

Project Title/ Your Name 1 1

Purpose or Objective of Project 3 3

Background Discussion/Research 16 16

Materials Listing 4 4

Design Aspects 11 11

Pictures of completed rockets 2 2

Rocket Measurements 8 8

Launch measurements 10 10

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 Calculations 10 10

Conclusion 20 20

Completed Rocket (not part of report) 10 10

REPORTS LATE ______ days at 10 pts. Per day ----

TOTAL SCORE: 95 Out of 95

TEACHER COMMENTS: Great Job Kevin! I really enjoyed reading your background discussion!
I also like how you worked the Francis Scott Key reference in there!:) You were very thorough
throughout and although you did not list all the launch data, you did reference it later so that I
could see your results.

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