As part of a fun project during their projectile motion unit, Mr. Lewis’s physics classes tested air-powered rockets.

Using a tire pump, the 11th and 12th grade students were able to power the rockets to reach a pressure limit and launch into the air. These rockets have a cap that seals in the air. Different caps with different pressure limits allow for varying speeds at which the rockets can be launched. The rockets are also able to be set to varying angles.

Throughout their physics unit, students have been learning to analyze projectiles and solve for a variety of variables such as initial velocity, time of flight and total distance traveled. Working with the rockets provides students the opportunity to put their math to the test and see how close their calculations were to the real thing. 

As they continue to work on measuring the time of flight and the distance that the rockets fly, students will be able to solve for the initial velocities of each of the four different speed caps and compare how accurate their calculations are to how far the rockets actually went. Students will also be able to continue examining how changing the angle of a projectile impacts its path through the air and how far it goes.

The information students learn through this unit will tie into future lessons on forces, momentum and energy.