An Extended Investigation: Bottle Rockets
Year 12-Mr Fogarty
8/23/2013
An Extended Investigation |
Liam Hallam Cameron Martin | Bottle Rockets |
Table of Contents
This extended investigation serves to examine and evaluate the physical forces that affect the flight of a bottle rocket. This will be accomplished by altering the water levels and the level of air pressure (psi) within the rocket will be altered, and tested, to further understand the mechanics of bottle rockets.
Introduction
Rocket flight has long been at the forefront of the human race’s exploration of our universe. This undeniable fact makes it necessary to study and examine the forces that act upon rockets as the fly. Given that real rockets are priced in excess of 20 million dollars, the re creation of a real life rocket’s flight is impossible. Thus the principles and rules that direct a rockets motion will be investigated as they act upon a bottle rocket. Although this may seem as far from the reality of a space exploring rocket, the bottle still acts according to the same principles of flight.
A water rocket is subjected to three forces in flight; weight, thrust, and the aerodynamic force drag, all of which act on the time, intensity and height of a rocket’s flight (Benson, 2011, Online).
Several equations exist that break down and gauge factors of a projectile’s motion. The equation below serves to calculate the peak height that a rocket will reach during its flight. h=MiMg2Pipg Where, h=peak height reached
Mi=initial mass of water only (kg)
Mg=rocket mass with water (kg)
Pi=initial gauge pressure inside rocket (kPa) g=acceleration due to gravity (ms-1) p=density of water (kgm3)
Before apply this formula into a rocket’s flight, its necessary to acknowledge its limitations. Firstly, this equation assumes that the (1) water is incompressible, (2) flow through the nozzle is uniform, (3) velocities are rectilinear, (4) density of water is much greater than density of air, (5) no viscosity effects, (6) steady
8/23/2013
An Extended Investigation |
Liam Hallam Cameron Martin | Bottle Rockets |
Table of Contents
This extended investigation serves to examine and evaluate the physical forces that affect the flight of a bottle rocket. This will be accomplished by altering the water levels and the level of air pressure (psi) within the rocket will be altered, and tested, to further understand the mechanics of bottle rockets.
Introduction
Rocket flight has long been at the forefront of the human race’s exploration of our universe. This undeniable fact makes it necessary to study and examine the forces that act upon rockets as the fly. Given that real rockets are priced in excess of 20 million dollars, the re creation of a real life rocket’s flight is impossible. Thus the principles and rules that direct a rockets motion will be investigated as they act upon a bottle rocket. Although this may seem as far from the reality of a space exploring rocket, the bottle still acts according to the same principles of flight.
A water rocket is subjected to three forces in flight; weight, thrust, and the aerodynamic force drag, all of which act on the time, intensity and height of a rocket’s flight (Benson, 2011, Online).
Several equations exist that break down and gauge factors of a projectile’s motion. The equation below serves to calculate the peak height that a rocket will reach during its flight. h=MiMg2Pipg Where, h=peak height reached
Mi=initial mass of water only (kg)
Mg=rocket mass with water (kg)
Pi=initial gauge pressure inside rocket (kPa) g=acceleration due to gravity (ms-1) p=density of water (kgm3)
Before apply this formula into a rocket’s flight, its necessary to acknowledge its limitations. Firstly, this equation assumes that the (1) water is incompressible, (2) flow through the nozzle is uniform, (3) velocities are rectilinear, (4) density of water is much greater than density of air, (5) no viscosity effects, (6) steady