Bottle Rocket Experiment Lab Report
Purpose:
We are doing this experiment to find the best ratio of potassium nitrate to powdered sugar for a model rocket motor that will create the most thrust. We are also testing if adding fins will affect the flight distance of the rocket.
Hypothesis: The best ratio for potassium nitrate to powdered sugar is 1 to 3 because Grant Thompson, who has experimented with the best ratio of powdered sugar to potassium nitrate, has stated that “The 1 to 3 ratio is best for creating the most amount of thrust from your rocket.” This, paired with fins, will get the most distance from our rocket. the fins will block less air and stabilize the rocket during flight.
Materials:
5 ft length of schedule 40 PVC pipe
10 inch length 3/4 inch wooden dowel …show more content…
This happened because the fins added extra weight to the rocket and because the rockets were not going straight up, they didn’t add to the aerodynamics of the rocket. We also observed that the more kno3 that was in the rocket, the farther it flew. If there was nothing but kno3 in the rocket it would not move because it is the combination of kno3 and sugar that creates the thrust. The first time we did this experiment, it did not work because we left the finished rockets in moist air. As a result, the kno3 we were using had too much moisture in it. Kno3 is hygroscopic meaning it absorbs water very easily. The moisture makes the kno3 less powerful and, when it is mixed with sugar, creates less …show more content…
First of all the kno3 acts as an oxidizer which allows the fuel (in this case powdered sugar) to burn. In this experiment, we noticed that the more kno3 in the farther it flew; If it were all powdered sugar the fuel could not combust because it could not get oxidized. If the mixture was only kno3 there wouldn't be any fuel to oxidize and would just boil. The three parts kno3 and one part powdered sugar appeared to be the perfect balance of fuel to the oxidizer. The fins slightly lowered the distance of each rocket.
Our hypothesis was half proven. We hypothesized that the rockets with the three parts kno3 to one part powdered sugar was going to be the most powerful mixture was correct. We also thought that the rockets with the fins were going to go farther, but the fins just added more weight and created more drag, slowing it down. The fins might have worked better if we were launching the rockets vertically, and not horizontally on a cord. The fins would have kept the rocket in one spot, relatively. In our case, the rocket was already set on a course and had no way to veer off of
We are doing this experiment to find the best ratio of potassium nitrate to powdered sugar for a model rocket motor that will create the most thrust. We are also testing if adding fins will affect the flight distance of the rocket.
Hypothesis: The best ratio for potassium nitrate to powdered sugar is 1 to 3 because Grant Thompson, who has experimented with the best ratio of powdered sugar to potassium nitrate, has stated that “The 1 to 3 ratio is best for creating the most amount of thrust from your rocket.” This, paired with fins, will get the most distance from our rocket. the fins will block less air and stabilize the rocket during flight.
Materials:
5 ft length of schedule 40 PVC pipe
10 inch length 3/4 inch wooden dowel …show more content…
This happened because the fins added extra weight to the rocket and because the rockets were not going straight up, they didn’t add to the aerodynamics of the rocket. We also observed that the more kno3 that was in the rocket, the farther it flew. If there was nothing but kno3 in the rocket it would not move because it is the combination of kno3 and sugar that creates the thrust. The first time we did this experiment, it did not work because we left the finished rockets in moist air. As a result, the kno3 we were using had too much moisture in it. Kno3 is hygroscopic meaning it absorbs water very easily. The moisture makes the kno3 less powerful and, when it is mixed with sugar, creates less …show more content…
First of all the kno3 acts as an oxidizer which allows the fuel (in this case powdered sugar) to burn. In this experiment, we noticed that the more kno3 in the farther it flew; If it were all powdered sugar the fuel could not combust because it could not get oxidized. If the mixture was only kno3 there wouldn't be any fuel to oxidize and would just boil. The three parts kno3 and one part powdered sugar appeared to be the perfect balance of fuel to the oxidizer. The fins slightly lowered the distance of each rocket.
Our hypothesis was half proven. We hypothesized that the rockets with the three parts kno3 to one part powdered sugar was going to be the most powerful mixture was correct. We also thought that the rockets with the fins were going to go farther, but the fins just added more weight and created more drag, slowing it down. The fins might have worked better if we were launching the rockets vertically, and not horizontally on a cord. The fins would have kept the rocket in one spot, relatively. In our case, the rocket was already set on a course and had no way to veer off of