Science Fair Project

MAKING A WATER ROCKET FLYDELL WENN

2nd grade

Statement of the Problem

How does a water rocket fly?

Hypothesis

I think that when I pump air into the rocket the pressure of air will build up inside the rocket until pressure builds and causes the cork to pop out forcing the water out and lifting the rocket off the ground. I will use two different levels of fuel (water) to try to launch the rocket into the air. I think that air will be the best fuel causing the rocket to fly the highest.

Materials

A 2-Liter plastic soft drink bottle Hard cardboard

A cork that fits the bottle Strong glue

A needle adaptor (the kind used to blow up a basketball or football)

Bicycle pump with connector Drill with small bit

Rocket Assembly: Cut out the cardboard into 3 fins and glue them to the bottle.

The rocket should be able to stand on its fins. Let the glue dry.

Ask an adult to drill a small hole in the cork and push the needle adaptor in. It needs to be a tight fit.

Gathering Information

Read books about science fair projects related to rockets, forces and motion

Used the Internet w/parents help for research Used Cyber Science Fair Handbook as a guide Got help from parents and a friend Planned how to build the rocket Planned when to conduct the experiment Gathered materials for the experiment and conducted the experiment

HYPOTHESIS EXPERIMENT TESTING PROCEDURE #1

I filled the bottle 1/2 full of water and pushed the cork on the bottle tightly.

Then I took the rocket to an open space area far away from overhead wires. Next, I attached the bicycle pump with connector to the needle adaptor and I stood back as far as possible and started pumping air into the bottle.

Pressure started building up inside the rocket then the cork popped out and the water came out very fast and the rocket lifted off.

Recorded results for comparison (2.5 meters high)

HYPOTHESIS EXPERIMENT TESTING PROCEDURE #2

I filled the bottle 1/4 full of water and pushed the cork on the bottle tightly.

Then I took the rocket to an open space area far from buildings and overhead wires. Next, I attached the bicycle pump with connector to the needle adaptor and I stood back as far as possible and started pumping air into the rocket.

Pressure started building up inside the rocket then the cork popped out and the water came out faster and the rocket lifted off very fast.

Recorded results for comparison (3.5 meters high)

Data/Observations

I observed that the pressure of the air started building up inside the rocket. When the pressure overcame the cork connection, the cork popped out and the rocket and water lifted up very fast.

Note: the more water we used, the less pressure we had to lift up the rocket. (data on next slide).

1stexperiment

2ndexperiment

waterheight

Experiment 1 & 2 Graph Results

Conclusion

My conclusion is that the pressure of air built up inside the rocket. When the pressure became too strong, the cork popped out and the rocket lifted up very fast. When I used more water the rocket flew lower than with less water so my two experiments proved that my hypothesis was correct.

Works Cited

Hands on Science by John Graham, Peter Mellett, Jack Challoner, and Sarah Angliss

How Science Works by Judith Hann Science Fair Success Secrets by Bill Haduch Science Projects Grade 1-2 by Steck-Vaughn

www.cyber-fair www.emints.org

www.factmonster.com www.jamesyawn.com

www.ourworld.compuserve.com

Acknowledgments

Thanks to my Mom for helping me and for being there during every step of my project.

Special thanks to my Dad for the great support he gave me from Afghanistan.

Thanks to Mr. Steve Dilda for technical support.

PICTURES

Assembling the rocket

Blast off!..

Working on my project

PICTURES CONTINUED