Education Standards
Constructing Bottle Rockets
Overview
In this bottle rockets lesson, students learn the basic principles of rocketry and Newton’s Third Law through a hands-on activity. They design and construct rockets using plastic bottles, adding nose cones and fins to understand how these elements affect flight. After filling their rockets with water and using a pump to build pressure, they launch their rockets and observe the results. The lesson concludes with a discussion on how their designs influenced the rockets' stability and flight path.
Introduction
Subjects: • Science • Engineering • Math
Time: 60-120 minutes
Skills: • Teamwork • Problem-solving • Basic Physics Principals • Construction
Learning Objective/Goal:
- Students will learn how rockets work using simple principles.
- Students will see how forces like push, pull, and gravity make the rocket move.
- Students will create their own bottle rockets using simple materials.
Learning Objective/Goal:
- Understand the basic principles of buoyancy and density.
- Apply engineering concepts to design and build a boat that can hold the maximum weight without sinking.
- Evaluate the design and performance of their boats.
Materials Needed:
- Empty 2L plastic bottles (one per group)
- Water
- Air pump with a nozzle that fits the bottle opening
- Fin and nose cone materials (cardboard, plastic, duct tape)
NGSS Standards:
•3-5-ETS1-1
•3-5-ETS1-2
•3-5-ETS1-3 (Engineering Design)
ISTE Standards for Students:
•4a - Innovative Designer
•5b - Computational Thinker
Background
Launching rockets using 2L bottles is a fun and educational activity that demonstrates the principles of physics, particularly Newton's Laws of Motion. By building and launching rockets, students can explore concepts such as force, mass, graviety, and aerodynamics in a hands-on and engaging way.
Activity
Introduction:
- Introduce the activity and explain the basic principles of rocketry, including Newton’s Third Law: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."
- Discuss how the design of the rocket (fins, nose cone) affects its flight.
Construction:
- Have the students first think about what they want their rocket to look like and design their own on paper
- Guide their designs to be more realistic as you show them the materials
Nose Cone
- First have students design a nose cone for the rocket (to fit around the bottom of the bottle), but do not glue it on yet
- Discuss how this shape makes it more aerodynamic and reduces resistance (drag) on the rocket
- Add play-dough or some kind of weight to the end of the bottle, otherwise it will be too light. Now have the students tape on the nose cone
Fins
- Next, have students make fins, preferably out of a stronger paper to attach at the bottom (near the cap). Discuss how these will stabilize the rocket as it flies
- Tape these on strongly with duct tape
Testing:
- Fill about a quarter of the bottle with water
- Attach to pump and fill until about 80psi
- Relese the pressure and the rocket will launch
Extra
Tips for Students:
- Focus on creating stable and symmetrical designs to ensure a straight flight path.
- Think about all the different fin shapes and heights but pick the one that would give the rocket the most stability
Tips for Teachers
- Don’t fill the rockets with too much water -this will add unnecessary weight
- Make sure everyone is at a safe distance away from the rocket
- Put the launcher at an incline to ensure the rocket will travel away from the group
Extensions:
- Make it a competition between students/groups on which goes the farthest
- Experiment with different amounts of water to see how it affects the rocket's performance.