waterrocket1

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate Newton's second and third laws of motion. In this lab experiment, students will build a rocket in which air pressure will be varied along with the amount of water present. By varying the amount of water and air in the rocket and measuring how high the rocket will travel in vertical flight, students will demonstrate that thrust is dependent upon both the mass being expelled and the rate at which that mass is expelled. The relationship between greatest thrust to mass acceleration will then be seen. Students will also graph the height versus pressure and height versus the quantity of water measurements. The project will culminate with an activity in which students will attempt to reach maximum elevation, distance, and accuracy with the water rocket created. (See photos.)

1.	Fill each water bottle with 1.0 liters of water.

2.	Connect to air hose of compressor.

3.	Start at 20 PSI

4.	Lauch at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 PSI. (Excess pressure may cause rocket to burst.)

5.	Record angle of rocket at top center. Table 1

6.	Fine base height and rocket height.

7.	Record elevations with angle gun and meter tape measure.

8.	Plot height versus pressure.

9.	Choose best pressure and use this pressure for next launches

Procedure B
1.	Add water. Start with .20L to 1.7L; use the best pressure for each launch

2.	Find the angle of the rocket at top center

3.	Measure the height of rocket launch. Table 2

4	Plot height versus water pressure.

5.	Choose best pressure,best quantity of water pressure, and angle.

6.	Attempt two (2) trials for maximum distance, elevation, and target accuracy.

7.	Write lab summary answering all questions.