Rocket Lab

Sage Fisher
Ames
B2
Written for
Mr.Hendrickss Honors Physics class

Abstract
his lab started out with a test to get information about how the rocket engines work. This
was done by using a car and a force gauge. With that information found the next step was to
figure out the drag coefficient of a rocket. This was done by finding the drag coefficient of a
pingpong ball that was the same diameter as the rocket, and finding the drag coefficient of a
smaller rocket. All of this data and some more was analyzed numerically to find important
information about the rocket, including our final height, this was done for a few other rockets.
With all the data needed the rockets could now be launched to see if the predictions were correct.

Rocket

Predicted height

Final height

White A6

28

21

Yellow & red A6

63

63

Silver & red A6

32

27

Introduction
This lab combined what has been taught throughout this year into one lab. A big part was
numerical iteration, splitting a differing graph into small portions and taking the area of it to get
closer numbers,his was used to get the height of the rocket. This also took knowledge of deriving
equations into account when the impulse momentum theorem was required. Some important
words to know, impulse is the amount of force in the amount of time. Aerodynamic is how well

an object slices through the air. Drag is the effect the air has on the object moving through it the
faster the object is going and the less aerodynamic it is the more drag. Drag force is the force air
will push against the object. It is also important to understand how rocket engines work there are
A, B,and C engines the letter stands for the impulse of the engine A is 2.5 B is 5 C is 10. The
number after the letter is the average force example A6 it would have an average force of 6. The
next number is how long it takes to pop the parachute out so an A6-5 would take 5 seconds after
the rocket engine burns out to pop.

Thrust Analysis
The purpose of this section the lab was to get data for rocket engines, and in the process
find what engine was used. A rocket engine was attached to a box and that box was attached to a
little car, and that car would go on a track designed for it. Attached to the track is a force gauge
that measures the amount of force pushed on it and
would send that information to data mate on the
calculator. The whole track set up was on a slight slant
to allow the car to stay still. The car also had a string
around it so it wouldn't fly off the track. an electric
match was placed in the engine, and attached that to a
battery so it could get set off without being near

The force gage was set at 0 and datamate was set to have a trigger when the rocket pushed for .5
newtons. Datamate recorded for 3 seconds, and took 30 samples in that time. it was set to pre
store 10 % of the data. The graph made from the information just gotten was split every.1 second
from when the rocket engine started at.3 seconds to when it stopped at 1.4 and the area of the

graph was taken using .1 as the base, and however high it was at that time as the height. The total
number was 4.68 that is the net force. Since The car pushed on the force gauge at a slight angle it
was expected to be a little smaller. Knowing that, the engine had to be a B rocket engine because
5 is our impulse.

Drag Force Analysis

The purpose of this lab was to find the drag

coefficient of a rocket. Started out with a ping pong ball
that was the same width as the rocket that was going to be
fired off. The ping pong ball weighed 2.3 grams and was
connected to a string and blown at an angle of 73 degrees when the wind speed was 12. With that
information the equation can be calculated

fx=max
fx= fd-tsin( )=max

fd-tsin( )=0
fd=tsin( )
fd/sin( )=t

fy=may
fy=-mg+tcos( )=ma

-mg+tcos( )=0

tension was replaced with the previously found equation.

-mg+(fd/sin( )) cos( )=0

(fd/sin( )) cos( )=mg
(fd/sin( ) =mg/cos( )
fd=(mg/cos( )) sin( )
fd=mg tan( )

Tith that equation the

numbers can now be
plugged in fd (force of
drag)=.0023 9.8 tan(73) that
gets .073 for the drag force.
With the equation kd=fd/
v 2

and a wind speed

of 12. kd=.073/ 122 it

gets .0005 for the drag
coefficient. That will be a
higher drag coefficient than the rocket. The wind tunnel has a smaller rocket in it, the wind
tunnel was used to find the information needed for the lower end of the drag coefficient. In the
wind tunnel the smaller rocket is on a string hanging at 0 degrees according to the protractor
behind it. the wind tunnel was turned on and the angle of the string was measured by eye, the
wind tunnel has a honeycomb structure on the front and back to lower the wind turbulence so the
measurements of the angle are better, and the angle was 30 degrees.
Knowing the rocket was 61 grams use the same equation derived before. fd= .061 9.8
tan(30) and it will get .345 that was plugged in to kd= fd/ v 2

the wind speed was measured

in the wind tunnel and it is 34 It is plugged in kd=.345/ 3 4 2 and it will get .0003. knowing
the lowest and highest the drag coefficient could possibly be, an educated guess was made, and it
is in between .0005 and .0003 so it would be around .0004

Numerical Model
In this lab excel was used to figure out how high the rockets would go with the engine.
The average thrust was taken every.1 second.
Next the previous velocity final was required, but because it's just starting out 0 was used, and
plugged into Fd=Kg* v 2

kd being the drag coefficient of the rocket that will be used, that

gets the drag force.

The next step is to get the average net force using the equation thrust average - mg- Fg the mg is
the weight of the rocket combined with the weight of the engine timesed by 9.8.
Next the average net impulse was found using the equation Fnet* t,

t it 0.1 just like in

the first step.

Next step the initial velocity was gotten which is the last ones velocity final, and if it is just
starting out it's 0.
Next the velocity final was found by using F

t +m*vi/m all of these should be known

already. The average velocity was gotten by adding the vf and vi and then dividing it by 2
Finally the average height was found using height initial+V average* t
that gets the first .1 second of data. It can be done again using some of the information from the
row that was just gotten, to get the next .1 second. Instead of doing all that work the equations

were put into excel so that it would do it with less work.

keep scrolling until the final height is found.

The engine information from the website was used, and plugged into the equation along with the
information and the weight of the rocket. Using that method got this information

A engine

B engine

C engine

Black and red

24

67

184

Black and red

79

149

294

White

28

75

197

Launch
The purpose of this lab was to test the rockets, and see if the prediction was correct. 3
people were placed in a tripod pattern around the launch site of the rocket and put 50 meters
away. This was done because it acts like a side of
a triangle so trigonometry can be used to get the
final height, and using 3 people will account for
the rocket tilting in the air.

All the people in the tripod formation around the rocket were given a protractor that has a weight
hanging off, and a straw for viewing through to keep it straight. Each person with a protractor
had a friend with them to read the angle it
gives. The parachute is placed in the rocket
after some fire resistant wadding was put in,
this step was done to all of the rockets.
The white rocket was first, with an A6 engine

in

it. It was placed on the launch pad, and an

igniter was placed in the engine. The igniter was attached to the wires that lead to the battery so
the rocket could be shot off was shot off.
Since the test used the protractor method and on the protractor 0 degrees was actually 90
So the angles that came from the protractors were fixed, and plugged into 50tan( the average
angle) 50 being the distance the people with protractors were from the launch site. On the height
that was gotten the average height of the people with protractors was subtracted off.

Rocket

Engine

The 3 angles

Average

Guess height

Final height

White

A6

23,20,22

21.6

28

21

Yellow & red

A6

50,55,48

51

63

63

Silver & red

A6

30,25,23

26

32

27

Conclusion
This was a good example of how physics is used in the real world. It showed lots of

things like how predictions may be off because of uncalculated problems. The times a C6 engine
was used made the rocket go off course, the reason for this is the greater thrust took it off the
launchpad and stabilizing rod faster than the other rockets causing them to not have much time to
stabilize. Overall our predictions were not that bad at all, the almost windless day helped lots
with that. It was surprising that it gave such a good number on the yellow and red rocket, the
number was spot on which was unexpected. To get better launch stop the c6 engine from making
the rocket go off course using a longer stabilizing rod. Over all this lab was fun and a good
example of real world physics.

Reflection
I think that this lab was a nice way of combining what we learned all year into one fun
lab. The timing of it was a little bit stressful because of all the other huge things looming over
me. but it showed us why physics is useful and how it's used in the real world. It also showed
some problem solving skills because we had to think of a way to calculate the height. I had a blit
of a problem getting the graph and the excel stuff in the paper but i finally got it. All in all I liked
the lab.