Lab Experiments

Rocket Experiment

PROJECT:  Your group will conduct an experiment to discover which of 2 rockets will stay in the air for a                      longer time and bring a raw egg passenger into the air and back safely.  QUESTION: Which will stay in the air longer & bring the egg safely back to Earth, a rocket with                          _________________________________________________________________or a rocket with                         ____________________________________________________________________________? An experiment is a FAIR COMPARISON of one change.  In your group decide which of these you will             Investigate. This will be your independent variable. 

1. The number of fins on each rocket                                      5. The height of each rocket

 

2. The shape of the fins on each rocket                                  6. The kind of protection for the egg in each rocket

 

3. The volume of water in each rocket                                    7. Use of a parachute or not

 

4. The shape of the nose cone in each rocket                      8. Another variable you think of

   
                                 In your written report, you will give reasons for your choice, so take notes from the websites.  1. Search for information using keys such as: 2 liter bottle rocket  -  design -  fins  - nose cone   

2. http://tclauset.org/21_BtlRockets/BTL.html     

3. http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/BottleRocket/about.htm (see comparison and parts)

3. http://www.lnhs.org/hayhurst/rockets/  how to cut fins and parachute

4. http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/bottlerocket/ (simulation)  

 Launch Results 

Rocket

Time in the airCondition of Passenger
A   
B   
  ANALYSIS:    Use your data to answer these questions about how FAIR this experiment was.1.  Which of the constants were the same or almost the same for both rocket A & B? ______________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. Which of the constants were very different for Rockets A & B? ___________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3. So in your opinion, was this a FAIR COMPARISON with only ONE CHANGE?  ________________  Why?  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4. You only launched each rocket 1 time.  If we had more time and more eggs, what would make the experiment more fair? _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ CONCLUSION: 5. Rewrite your hypothesis:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6. Explain whether your experiment SUPPORTS or DOESN’T SUPPORT your hypothesis with quantitative data.  _____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7. What was challenging about this experiment? ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________8. What is one interesting thing you learned from this experiment? ____________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________


 

 SCORING OF PROJECTAttendance:   _______/15     5 points per day of the experimentWorksheet:Page 1             _______/10     Question written and at least 5 facts about bottle rocketsPage 2             _______/30     Hypothesis, Variables, Materials and Procedure completePage 3             _______/30     All data entered before launch        Page 4             _______/30     Results, Analysis and Conclusion completeTOTAL          _______/115Report:Write a report on this experiment in the computer room.  The points and expectations will depend on how much time we have.