WATER BOTTLE ROCKET
Challenge: Design and construct a water bottle rocket that will remain aloft the longest amount of time.
The Required materials:
• 2 liter CARBONATED bottle
• have a 2.2 cm mouth/nozzle opening
Materials that are permitted but not required:
• A nosecone
• Decoration
• Fins
• Adhesives
• Recovery system
Forbidden materials:
• Superglue on the main body bottle (changes the chemical makeup and
damages the integrity of the bottle)
• Hot glue on the main body bottle (melts the bottle and damages the
integrity of the bottle)
• Pre-fabricated body part made for that purpose.
• Anything made of metal.
Additional Requirements for the rocket:
The rocket must fit on the launcher (available during design and
construction).
• The rocket may not come apart during the launch or upon impact.
• The bottle’s integrity may not be compromised in any way.
• Do not paint or place anything inside the bottle except water.
• You must leave a window near the nozzle/opening of the bottle so I
can tell when it is pressurized
• Do not cut the bottle that is part of the main body.
• All propulsion energy must originate from the air/water pressure
combination provided at the time of launch. Other forms of kinetic
and potential energy may not be used to deploy rocket components.
No pyrotechnics, pressurized gases, or remote control will be allowed.
• The maximum extended length of the rocket and its components (nose
cone, recovery system, fins, etc.) may not exceed 3 meters in length.
The concepts we explored in the designing and construction of the water bottle rockets include, Newton's laws of motion, static, sliding, and fluid friction, and gravity.
Newton's first law states that objects in motion or at rest stay that way unless acted on by an outside, unbalanced force. This was evident in the water bottle rockets because the rocket stayed at rest until the pressure from the combination of the launcher and the water and air in the bottle (the unbalanced force) acted upon it and it was no longer at rest. Also, if there were no unbalanced forces in its way, such as gravity, and the ground, the rocket would have stayed in motion and still been in the air now. Gravity is shown in a very obvious way in the instance of the water bottle rocket. Very simply, when the rocket is launched and begins coming down, it is a result of gravity pulling it towards the earth. Newton's second law of motion (f=ma) is very present here. The rocket's force depends on the variables of its mass and acceleration. If the rocket had a greater mass, it needed more force to help it accelerate. If it had more force, it would accelerate well. Newton's third law of motion (action/reaction) is also present in water bottle rockets. The launcher applies pressure to the air and water that is inside the water bottle rocket, and the air and water push back, which pressurizes the water, causing the rocket to launch. Static friction- the friction that an object has when it is not moving- occurs in the water bottle rockets when the rocket is on the launcher. The static friction is keeping the rocket there until it is acted on by a force (the launcher). Fluid friction is present in this instance when the rocket is treading air directly when it is launched. Sliding friction is shown in water bottle rockets when the rocket is leaving the launcher.
I learned a LOT from this project. I learned about precise measurements, and that some things work much better if you have a technical mindset, not just throwing things together. This project taught me about trial and error as well, I learned about how to change variables to get a different outcome, such as the fin shape, the nose cone shape, and the amount of water. I learned that there is so much friction and different laws of motion present in water bottle rockets. I learned about time-managment and how to control the outcome of the rocket based on different aspects. I learned that equidistance is better in some instances, to get a better result. I learned that sometimes you don't want to put in all of the work for precise measurements and all, but in the end its worth it.
The Required materials:
• 2 liter CARBONATED bottle
• have a 2.2 cm mouth/nozzle opening
Materials that are permitted but not required:
• A nosecone
• Decoration
• Fins
• Adhesives
• Recovery system
Forbidden materials:
• Superglue on the main body bottle (changes the chemical makeup and
damages the integrity of the bottle)
• Hot glue on the main body bottle (melts the bottle and damages the
integrity of the bottle)
• Pre-fabricated body part made for that purpose.
• Anything made of metal.
Additional Requirements for the rocket:
The rocket must fit on the launcher (available during design and
construction).
• The rocket may not come apart during the launch or upon impact.
• The bottle’s integrity may not be compromised in any way.
• Do not paint or place anything inside the bottle except water.
• You must leave a window near the nozzle/opening of the bottle so I
can tell when it is pressurized
• Do not cut the bottle that is part of the main body.
• All propulsion energy must originate from the air/water pressure
combination provided at the time of launch. Other forms of kinetic
and potential energy may not be used to deploy rocket components.
No pyrotechnics, pressurized gases, or remote control will be allowed.
• The maximum extended length of the rocket and its components (nose
cone, recovery system, fins, etc.) may not exceed 3 meters in length.
The concepts we explored in the designing and construction of the water bottle rockets include, Newton's laws of motion, static, sliding, and fluid friction, and gravity.
Newton's first law states that objects in motion or at rest stay that way unless acted on by an outside, unbalanced force. This was evident in the water bottle rockets because the rocket stayed at rest until the pressure from the combination of the launcher and the water and air in the bottle (the unbalanced force) acted upon it and it was no longer at rest. Also, if there were no unbalanced forces in its way, such as gravity, and the ground, the rocket would have stayed in motion and still been in the air now. Gravity is shown in a very obvious way in the instance of the water bottle rocket. Very simply, when the rocket is launched and begins coming down, it is a result of gravity pulling it towards the earth. Newton's second law of motion (f=ma) is very present here. The rocket's force depends on the variables of its mass and acceleration. If the rocket had a greater mass, it needed more force to help it accelerate. If it had more force, it would accelerate well. Newton's third law of motion (action/reaction) is also present in water bottle rockets. The launcher applies pressure to the air and water that is inside the water bottle rocket, and the air and water push back, which pressurizes the water, causing the rocket to launch. Static friction- the friction that an object has when it is not moving- occurs in the water bottle rockets when the rocket is on the launcher. The static friction is keeping the rocket there until it is acted on by a force (the launcher). Fluid friction is present in this instance when the rocket is treading air directly when it is launched. Sliding friction is shown in water bottle rockets when the rocket is leaving the launcher.
I learned a LOT from this project. I learned about precise measurements, and that some things work much better if you have a technical mindset, not just throwing things together. This project taught me about trial and error as well, I learned about how to change variables to get a different outcome, such as the fin shape, the nose cone shape, and the amount of water. I learned that there is so much friction and different laws of motion present in water bottle rockets. I learned about time-managment and how to control the outcome of the rocket based on different aspects. I learned that equidistance is better in some instances, to get a better result. I learned that sometimes you don't want to put in all of the work for precise measurements and all, but in the end its worth it.