2 Liter Rockets (adapted from Mr Hayhurst)
You and a partner or two are going to build rockets out of 2L bottles. Your goal is to take advantage of your
knowledge of physics to compose a rocket that flies high and stays in the air for a long time.
Things to think about before building your rocket:
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Why do bottle rockets fly?
Why do we have to use water, or do we?
Will it fly without water?
If a little water works well, will a lot of water work better?
Will it fly best when it is totally full?
What volume of water works best?
Do fins help keep the rocket stable?
Does a parachute help keep it aloft?
How might a parachute work?
What do I know about physics that will help me build a better rocket? (Newton’s Laws of
Motion, Forces, Energy, Work, Gravity, Momentum, Impulse, etc).
The rules are as follows:
1. Students will bring one completed 2-liter bottle rocket to school. Mr. Stephens will supply the
launcher. No commercially finished or model products may be used. Students should place
their name and period number on the rocket.
2. The pressurized portion of the rocket must consist of one plastic 2-liter soda bottle. The
manufactured structural integrity of the bottle cannot be altered. In other words, Don't poke a
hole in the bottle!!! No metal parts will be allowed on the pressurized rocket body. The mass of
the empty rocket assembly cannot exceed 5000 grams.
3. All energy imparted to the rocket must originate from the water/air pressure combination. No
other potential or kinetic source of energy will be permitted.
4. All rockets will be launched at a pressure not to exceed 60 pounds per square inch. Once the
rocket is pressurized, no student can touch or approach the rocket.
5. Each rocket launched must pass a safety inspection and have a mass measurement taken.
6. Though various rocket components may separate during the flight, all must remain linked
together with a maximum distance not to exceed three (3) meters. If a nose cone is used, it
can separate, but should remain attached to the rocket body.
7. Caution: No materials will be allowed that can compromise the integrity of the plastic bottles
(e.g., hot glues or super glues). Cold glue is acceptable. Sanding or other abrasion of the
plastic used for the pressurized body is not allowable. Use of duct tape is highly recommended
as the main type of fastener.
8. There will be two actual launches per group. Students will time the rocket's flight. Timing of the
rocket starts when the rocket leaves the launch pad, and stops when the first part of the rocket
hits the ground, when the rocket disappears from the judges' sight, or when the rocket impacts
or gets entangled in an object (e.g. the rocket collides with a tree.)
See the following pages for lab report.
Delete page 1 before posting your lab! If a section is highlighted, it needs your attention. Do not turn in
your lab with anything highlighted!
Names
1. 2 Liter Bottle Rockets
2. Purpose-The purpose of this lab is…
Questions:
a. Which rocket went the highest?
b. Why did that rocket go the highest?
c. Which rocket stayed in the air the longest?
d. Why did that rocket stay in the air the longest?
3. Hypothesis (predictions)
a. I predict that…
b. I predict that…
4. Materials: use bullet points
5. Background: Write anything here that someone would need to know to understand your lab (definitions, etc)
6. Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
7. Data Table-Complete the data tables.
Rocket Mass
Pressure
Name of
(psi)
Rocket
(g)
Highest
Distance Height
Angle
from
achieved in
Achieved◦ Launch meters
Pad (m) according to
inclinometer
(show math)
Hang
Time
(s)
Time
of
upward
vertical
travel
(s)
Height achieved
in meters
(according to
d=1/2at2)
Observations-Make your own observations about the design of each rocket and its flight. Make sure you record
in bullet points or in a table.
6. Results (graph here) Click on insert, picture, and chart. Format the cells to reflect the above data. In your
graph(s) make sure you show the data from your tables. Make sure that your graph makes sense and is presented
appropriately in terms of the lab questions.
7. Conclusion-FOLLOW THE RERUN FORMAT and address the questions. Go beyond the basics (it was
the lightest rocket). When you are finished, post your lab on your UNIT 3 webpage. Also, remember to post
your conclusion on nicenet. No paper needed!