Rocket Lab

Tren Hirschi
Academy for Math, Engineering, and Science
H Physics A4
Mr. Hendricks
 Abstract

To predict the height of model rockets, two tests were done which found how the
engine’s thrust changed over time and the rocket’s drag coefficient (this was only tested for one
rocket). This data was then used to predict how high the rocket had gone every 0.1 seconds of
upward flight, the highest value of which was the predicted highest point of the rocket’s flight. 6
different rockets were predicted for and tested in flight. The predictions were not very accurate,
which are shown below

Introduction

The purpose of this entire lab was to put together everything in physics learned so far
into a real life application. These topics mainly include Kinematics (study of movement without
forces) and Dynamics (study of motion with forces and related laws), along with general
scientific thinking and report writing.
The first lab section was the Thrust Analysis section. This was a lab in which the force
outputted by an engine was measured. The engine did not output at a constant rate, so many
data points were made over a 10 second interval, which allowed for the engine’s output at any
point during the flight be estimated. This is called Numerical Iteration and it was used by
assuming that during each tiny interval of time the velocity was constant.
The impulse momentum theorem was critical in estimating how high an engine would go,
because each engine is labelled by impulse, but the data that was useful was how much
momentum it could overcome and then create. Impulse is defined as the amount of force on an
object multiplied by the time it is acted for. It seems to be a coincidence that impulse is also
equal to the change in momentum (momentum is mass multiplied by velocity). The derivation
follows:
I = F Δt
I = m a Δt
Δv
I=m Δt Δt
I = m Δv = ΔP
In the second part of the lab, the drag force on the rocket was measured and with that
info the drag coefficient of a rocket was found. Drag is defined as:
F d = kd v2
Where k d is the drag coefficient and F d is the drag force. In words, drag force is the
force of air resistance acting on a moving object (in this case, a rocket).