Rockets

 

 

PAPER ROCKET EXPERIMENT

 

  • White paper
  • 1/2" Masking tape
  • Scissors
  • Long round pencil
  • Ruler or Scale

Think about these questions before you begin:

  1. What makes one rocket perform better than another? (Do not forget to examine the weight of each rocket. Rockets made with extra tape and larger fins weigh more.)
  2. How small can the fins be and still stabilize the rocket?
  3. How many fins does a rocket need to stabilize it?
  4. What would happen if you placed the rocket fins near the rocket's nose?
  5. What will happen to the rocket if you bend the lower tips of the fins pinwheel fashion?
  6. Are rocket fins necessary in outer space?
  7. What does it take to create an experiment?

    Keep in mind that you are setting up an experiment.  For an experiment to be successful you must have accurate data.  To get accurate data you must control as many variables as possible.  In order to insure that you have an understanding of what these variables are they are listed below.

  1. Length of body
  2. Weight of body
  3. Shape of nose
  4. Shape of fins
  5. Area of fins
  6. Number of fins
  7. Position of fins

For your experiment to give you accurate results you must control all of the variables except one.  The variable that you change is what you are experimenting with.

 

Follow the arrows to build your rocket.

 

 


 

  1. Launch your rocket three times. How far did it fly each time? What is the average distance your rocket flew? Write your answer on the Paper Rockets worksheet.
  2. Build and fly a rocket of a new design. Fly the rocket three times and average the distances. What is the difference between the average distance of your first rocket and the average distance of the second rocket?
  3. Build a third rocket and repeat step 2.
  4. On the back of your worksheet, draw pictures of the rockets you constructed and show where the center of mass and the center of pressure are.