Water Bottle Rocket
Water Bottle Rocket Design Brief
Criteria
The rocket must be constructed of the following materials:
• 2 liter CARBONATED bottle
• have a 2.2 cm mouth/nozzle opening
The rocket may be constructed with the following:
• A nosecone
• Decoration
• Fins
• Adhesives
• Recovery system
The rocket may NOT be constructed with the following:
• 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.
Other requirements:
• 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.
What I did
First, I researched the concepts behind the water rocket and I researched fins, parachutes, and nosecones. Then, I drew a design with measurements of each of the different parts. Next, I labeled the different concepts on the components and how they affected the rocket. Then, I brought in 2 liter bottles, string, a big trash bag, duct tape, packaging tape, scotch tape, marker, and a plastic cone. I cut one of the bottles in half and made a compartment for the parachute to go in. I cut a round parachute out of a trash bag and attached 17 strings of about 32 inch length. I folded the parachute in the compartment and put a rose cone on top. I attatched a string to the nosecose so it wouldn't fall off. I put 3 fins of an equal distance around the rocket to stabilize it. I put 100 ml of water into the bottle. Next, I attached the bottom of the rocket (the nozzle) to the launcher. Then, I pressurized the rocket. Then, I pressed the launch button.
What I learned
Newton's 1st law- An object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. The rocket was still until the pressurized water pushed it up. It kept going up until it ran out of fuel, and the force of gravity stopped it and pulled it back down to the ground.
Newton's second law- mass and acceleration is the amount of force something has. The rocket's mass and how fast it was going was how much force it had.
Newton's 3rd law-
sliding friction-
fluid friction- Fluid friction is the friction between a solid object as it moves through a liquid or a gas. The water particles in the air rub against the rocket, which is a solid as it flies through the air.
gravity- The force pulling objects toward the center of the earth. When the rocket ran out of fuel, the force of gravity fulled it back down to the ground. The parachute caught the air so that it would slow down the force of gravity.
Criteria
The rocket must be constructed of the following materials:
• 2 liter CARBONATED bottle
• have a 2.2 cm mouth/nozzle opening
The rocket may be constructed with the following:
• A nosecone
• Decoration
• Fins
• Adhesives
• Recovery system
The rocket may NOT be constructed with the following:
• 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.
Other requirements:
• 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.
What I did
First, I researched the concepts behind the water rocket and I researched fins, parachutes, and nosecones. Then, I drew a design with measurements of each of the different parts. Next, I labeled the different concepts on the components and how they affected the rocket. Then, I brought in 2 liter bottles, string, a big trash bag, duct tape, packaging tape, scotch tape, marker, and a plastic cone. I cut one of the bottles in half and made a compartment for the parachute to go in. I cut a round parachute out of a trash bag and attached 17 strings of about 32 inch length. I folded the parachute in the compartment and put a rose cone on top. I attatched a string to the nosecose so it wouldn't fall off. I put 3 fins of an equal distance around the rocket to stabilize it. I put 100 ml of water into the bottle. Next, I attached the bottom of the rocket (the nozzle) to the launcher. Then, I pressurized the rocket. Then, I pressed the launch button.
What I learned
Newton's 1st law- An object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. The rocket was still until the pressurized water pushed it up. It kept going up until it ran out of fuel, and the force of gravity stopped it and pulled it back down to the ground.
Newton's second law- mass and acceleration is the amount of force something has. The rocket's mass and how fast it was going was how much force it had.
Newton's 3rd law-
sliding friction-
fluid friction- Fluid friction is the friction between a solid object as it moves through a liquid or a gas. The water particles in the air rub against the rocket, which is a solid as it flies through the air.
gravity- The force pulling objects toward the center of the earth. When the rocket ran out of fuel, the force of gravity fulled it back down to the ground. The parachute caught the air so that it would slow down the force of gravity.
1st launch
1000ml
6.4 seconds |
2nd launch
1000ml
4.3 seconds |
3rd launch
1000 ml
6.9 seconds 6th place |