Rocket Launch Time: Flying with Style
Students explore the physics behind rocket launchesCopyright (left) 2013 Brian Rohde, University of Houston, NSF
GK-12 Program; (right) Global Positioning System (GPS.gov) http://www.gps.gov/multimedia/images/
During the associated lesson, students have learned about Newton's three laws of motion and free-body diagrams and have identified the forces of thrust, drag and gravity. As students begin to understand the physics behind thrust, drag and gravity and how these relate these to Newton's three laws of motion, groups assemble and launch the rockets that they designed in the associated lesson. The height of the rockets, after constructed and launched, are measured and compared to the theoretical values calculated during the rocket lesson. Effective teamwork and attention to detail is key for successful launches.
Engineers study lift, thrust, gravity and drag so that they can put rockets into space, planes into the air and launch shuttles. Just like professional engineers, students compare their theoretical heights to their actual launch heights. Engineers design and test new systems every day, as well as troubleshoot any factors that result in their theoretical measurements differing from tested results. Their knowledge of mathematics is key, as well as their willingness and ability to work with others to brainstorm solutions to the challenges faced by the mystery of traveling in space.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Use trigonometry to find the height of the rocket flight.
- Successfully work in teams to achieve a common goal.
- Use theoretical calculations to approximate real-world values and explain that with every calculation are some inherent assumption(s).