BOTTLE ROCKET PROJECT
Test Launch: Thursday, October 31st
Real Launch: Friday, November 1st
Honors Physics 1
PURPOSE
The purpose of this assignment is to show that you can apply the concepts, laws, and theories of motion
to the flight of a water bottle rocket. You will construct a rocket from pop bottles, make several
observations and calculations about the flight of your rockets, and finally produce a comprehensive paper
(report) that explains your project.
GRADING
Your grade for this project is based primarily on your final project write-up, along with the results of your
flight. The flight characteristics of your rocket are important, but if you use a creative design and your
flight is a bust rather than a blast, you will not be affected too much. Creative risk taking in design is
strongly encouraged.
SPECIFICS
100 POINTS TOTAL
BOTTLE ROCKET PROJECT
Honors Physics 1
TASKS
I.
II.
III.
JOURNAL… Every day that you work on this you will be recording what happened in your time
working on the project.
The construction and flight of a rocket that can include a parachute if you would like (but
doesn’t need to).
Rocket Project Report: This is done individually. The paper will have a cover page and include
10 sections. Each section should be labeled with the titles listed below. The report should be
typed double spaced, with one inch margins and 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
A. Cover Page (1 page, on its own page)
Includes project title, student’s name, teacher’s name, partners’ names, and date.
B. Introduction (2 paragraphs minimum, on its own page, do not number your answers.
Write them in complete sentences as if you are writing an English paper.)
1) What was your initial reaction to the Bottle Rocket Project?
2) What was your initial plan for constructing your distance rocket?
3) What was your initial plan for constructing your altitude rocket?
4) What is Newton’s First Law and how does it relate to rockets? (Preview for Unit
4)
5) What is Newton’s Second Law and how does it relate to rockets? (Preview for
Unit 4)
6) What is Newton’s Third Law and how does it relate to rockets? (Preview for Unit
4)
C. Rocket blueprint (1 page, on the provided final draft paper, which will then be inputted
into your Google Docs paper)
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Bottle Rocket Project Packet – FALL 2019
This is a diagram of your distance rocket (see blueprint example). It should include an
accurate appearance of YOUR rocket, labels and actual measurements of ALL
dimensions, the scale, center of gravity, and center of pressure.
D. Rocket data table (1 page, typed)
Show all work and units for each measurement and calculation.
E. Rocket discussion (1 paragraph minimum, on its own page, again, do not number your
answers. Write them in complete sentences as if you are writing an English paper.)
1) What does your rocket look like?
2) Why did you design it the way you did?
3) How did this rocket do during its check flight?
4) What changes did you make after the check flight?
5) How did this rocket do during its final flight?
6) What additional changes would you make to this rocket?
F. Altitude rocket blueprint (1 page, on the provided final draft paper)
This is a diagram of your altitude rocket (see blueprint example). It should include an
accurate appearance of YOUR rocket, labels and actual measurements of ALL
dimensions, the scale, center of gravity, center of pressure, and parachute.
G. Conclusion (2-3 paragraphs, on its own page, again, do not number your answers. Write
them in complete sentences as if you are writing an English paper.)
1) Reflect on your ideas from Day 1 of working on this – did your rockets fly the way
you had hoped?
2) What were the frustrations about constructing and flying your distance rocket?
3) What were the highlights about constructing and flying your distance rocket?
4) What were the frustrations about constructing and flying your altitude rocket?
5) What were the highlights about constructing and flying your altitude rocket?
6) If applicable, discuss how you worked with your partner.
7) What were the positive highlights of the Bottle Rocket Rocket Project overall?
H. Appendix (several pages)
This will include your journal, all rough drafts, and notes that you produced throughout
the project.
I. Checklist (1 page, provided . . . detach it from the end of this packet)
An accurately and thoroughly completed checklist.
BOTTLE ROCKET PROJECT INFORMATION
Honors Physics 1
VOCABULARY:
THRUST: The force that moves the rocket forward.
 Increased by a higher mass of propellant and a higher velocity of propellant.
 The rocket is propelled according to Newton’s 3rd Law: Action-Reaction.
 Momentum of propellant in one direction = momentum of rocket in other direction.
 Momentum = mass x velocity ; (p = mv)
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Bottle Rocket Project Packet – FALL 2019
DRAG: The force that opposes the thrust force and attempts to slow down the rocket.
 Reduced by an aerodynamic design.
 Nosecone: the steeper the cone, the more aerodynamic.
YAW: The left to right swinging motion of the rocket nose.
PITCH: The up and down motion of the nose. It is similar to the yaw motion.
 Controlled by the placement of the fins. You must have at least 3 fins. Two will only control 1
dimension of swinging motion.
 To place fins:
1. Cut a long piece of paper with a width equal to the height of a fin.
2. Mark the circumference of the bottle on the length of the paper.
3. Make equal spacings according to the number of fins you want.
4. Transfer marks to your bottle and attach your fins.
ROLL: The rotational motion whereby the rocket spins right or left about its long axis.
CENTER OF GRAVITY: The rocket’s balance point.
CENTER OF PRESSURE: The point where lateral air pressure (wind) is balanced. Large fins will affect the
location of the center of pressure.
STABILITY: The ability of the rocket to travel in the intended direction.
POSITIVE STABILITY: When the center of gravity is ahead of the center of pressure. The model is
nose heavy. It has large fins set well back on the body tube. It will fly straight when launched.
NEUTRAL STABILITY: When the center of gravity and the center of pressure lie at the same
location. This might be caused by a lightweight nose or by fins that are too small or both. There
are no stabilizing and restoring forces present in the rocket during flight. It is free to wander
anywhere in the sky and some of its wandering may be wild and unpredictable.
NEGATIVE STABILITY: When the center of gravity lies behind the center of pressure. In this case
the aerodynamic forces of the fins try to make the rocket fly tail-first. The rocket usually
pinwheels end over end and goes nowhere.
CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION:
DESIGN
The design of your rocket is up to you and your partner. The only requirement is that you have a two
liter pop bottle as the bottom bottle. How many and what sized bottles are attached to the top of that are
up to you and your partners.
STABILITY
There are three common types of stability: positive, neutral, and negative. Each type of stability will have
a different outcome on your rocket, so it is important to know what type of stability your rocket has. You
will find that you obtain your best results if your rocket has positive stability. What this means is that
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Bottle Rocket Project Packet – FALL 2019
your rocket’s center of gravity should be ahead of its center of pressure. A quick test for this is to take a
string and tie it to your rocket where you think your center of gravity is. If the rocket flies true while
spinning it around your head, the rocket then has positive stability. The location of a rocket’s center of
gravity and the center of pressure can help control its stability.
CENTER OF GRAVITY
When a free body in space rotates, it spins around an imaginary point where all of its mass appears to be
concentrated. This is its balance point. It is called the center of gravity. A rocket in flight tends to rotate
around its center of gravity.
CENTER OF PRESSURE
When a moving stream of air strikes the surface of a rocket, lift and drag forces are created which act on
the body of the rocket and may cause it to be pushed to the side. We can think of the rocket body as also
having a point at which all air pressure forces act. This point is called the center of pressure.
CONSTRUCTION TIPS:
When building your rocket, there will be two main goals that you will want to obtain. The first goal will
be to achieve the maximum flight distance and the second goal will be to obtain the maximum height with
time aloft. This can be achieved two different ways. One is to build one rocket with interchangeable nose
cones or the second option is to build two totally different rockets. It does not matter which option you
choose as long as you are successful in each mission.
The first of your two flights will be to obtain the maximum distance. Here you will have to design your
rocket so that it is able to withstand a large impact when it hits the ground. The heavier your rocket, the
more momentum your rocket will acquire (momentum = mass x velocity…preview of Unit 6!) during the
flight. If you build your rocket too heavy, you will not reach the rocket’s maximum velocity… so heavier is
not necessarily better. If you build your rocket too light, you will have a lot of velocity, but not enough
mass to keep your rocket going… so being light is not necessarily the answer either. The ideal is to have a
perfect balance that matches your rocket’s shape and overall design. This is best done through trial and
error, so experiment with different methods. As you practice, you will notice that some ideas work better
than others.
The second of your two flights is for altitude. We will aim the launcher up into the sky and see how far up
it goes.
Good luck… and DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED!
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Bottle Rocket Project Packet – FALL 2019
DATA AND RESULTS OF DISTANCE ROCKET TEST FLIGHT
DISTANCE LAUNCH ROCKET DATA TABLE
Measurement
Value with
Units
Mass of Rocket
Mass of Propellant
Time Aloft
Distance
DISTANCE LAUNCH ROCKET CALCULATIONS
Equation
Weight
Plug in Numbers
(mass in kilograms x 9.8)
Initial Resultant
Velocity of Rocket
Initial Vertical Velocity
of Rocket
Initial Horizontal
Velocity of Rocket
Vertical Distance of
Rocket
WEATHER CONDITIONS ON LAUNCH DAY:
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Bottle Rocket Project Packet – FALL 2019
Value with
Units
BOTTLE ROCKET BLUEPRINT – ROUGH DRAFT
An accurate drawing of rocket with all relevant dimensions included. The dimensions should be labeled and
included on the actual diagram. If the rocket is 62 cm long, then the number written next to the length should be
62 cm. However, the diagram is drawn to scale. Also, include the scale you used to make your diagram.
Be sure to include these dimensions:
LENGTH
LENGTH OF FIRST STAGE
LENGTH OF 2nd STAGE
LENGTH OF NOSE CONE
LENGTH OF FINS
DIAMETER OF FIRST STAGE
DIAMETER OF 2nd STAGE
WIDTH OF FINS
CENTER OF GRAVITY
CENTER OF PRESSURE
NUMBER OF FINS
(if not clear on diagram)
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Bottle Rocket Project Packet – FALL 2019
DATA AND RESULTS OF ALTITUDE ROCKET TEST FLIGHT
ALTITUDE LAUNCH ROCKET DATA TABLE
Measurement
Value with Units
Mass of Rocket
Mass of Propellant
Time To Highest Point
Total Time Aloft
DISTANCE ROCKET CALCULATIONS
Equation
Plug in Numbers
(mass in kilograms x
9.8)
Weight
Initial Vertical Velocity of
Rocket
Maximum Altitude
Reached
WEATHER CONDITIONS ON LAUNCH DAY:
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Bottle Rocket Project Packet – FALL 2019
Value with Units
BOTTLE ROCKET PROJECT CHECKLIST
Honors Physics 1
Use this checklist to keep you on track for getting things
done!!
SELF
PEER*
Thoroughly read the rocket project
design packet.
Journal initial feeling about rocket
project into journal.
Brainstorm and record ideas for rocket
designs into your journal.
Find supplies for rocket.
Begin construction.
Record progress made in your journal.
Continue construction.
Determine center of gravity.
Determine center of pressure.
Adjust mass in second stage.
Record propellant determination data.
Graph propellant determination data.
Record conclusions on best propellant
mass into journal.
Record rocket building progress and
successes into journal.
Check flight of the rocket.
Journal flight characteristics.
Make modifications (if necessary) to
rocket.
Journal new ideas & modifications.
Name ________________________________
Build parachute (if desired)
Build nose cone to fall off (if desired)
Journal about your construction
progress.
Altitude rocket flight check. Record
times aloft and altitude in your journal.
Work on altitude rocket data table.
Record flight characteristics into
journal.
Altitude flight: record appropriate data
in the data table.
Work on Rocket Project Report.
Check that all parts of the report are
included.
Work on Rocket Project Report.
Turn in Rocket Project Report with the
rubric.
*Peer review is not required, but a good idea.
Draw rocket blueprint and label all
dimensions.
Distance flight: record time aloft and
distance in journal.
Work on distance data table.
Record flight characteristics into
journal.
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