In this project, we had to connect the three laws of motion to rockets. The first law of motion connects to rockets because before takeoff, the rocket was at rest and not moving. Then, the rocket was acted upon by an unbalanced force, AKA the propulsion of the rocket moving upward. The second law connects because the more mass an object has, the more force must be applied in order for it to move, and the more acceleration it has once it is moving. The equation for this law is force equals mass times acceleration, or F=M x A. For example, if we had a 75,000KG rocket with an acceleration of 90 meters per second squared, then the eqaution would be 75,000 times 90, which is 6,750,000. So, the rocket would have a force of 6,750,000 Newtons. The third and final law is connected to rockets because the rocket is being propelled upward by the fuel and acceleartion of the rocket moving down. It's a common misconception that the thrust of the rocket is pushing against the ground, but the truth is that the thrust is pushing off of the air in the combustion chamber inside the rocket. 

In this anchor chart, we explored the basics of physics, such as Newton's three laws of motion and the definitions of density, mass, volume, acceleration, speed, and velocity. On the three quizzes we did throughout the unit, we were allowed to use our anchor chart as a resource that we could refer to during the quiz. On the first quiz, I got an approaching (9/15 correct). On the second quiz, I got a meets (8/10 correct). On the last quiz, I did the best, getting an exceeds (5/5 correct). I got the approaching on the first test because my anchor chart was not helpful during the quiz, and so I was left guessing the answers to questions I didn't know. I decided to put more effort into my anchor chart, leading to good grades on the other quizzes. At the end, I would say that the amount of effort I put into my anchor chart was a 4 out of 5 because I wanted it to help me during quizzes like the ones I took. 

Throughout the year, we have made anchor charts for every unit in science we did to reflect on what we learned. I think that my anchor chart making skills have evolved over 8th grade a lot because for my first one, I didn't really know how to use google slides to make it what I wanted, but now I can do it with ease. I made some major improvements, like explaining what the linked pictures to each slide represent, but I think I could have made it more aesthetically pleasing. 

Next year as a freshman, I hope to use these skills I got from making anchor charts to take helpful notes during class, and also to add more detail to papers and essays that I'll write next year. 

This was our last exhibition ever, and that makes me a little sad because I've done at least a dozen since I started here 3 years ago in 6th grade. This was a great exhibition to end on because not only did I get an exceeds, it was super fun and explosive for me to watch, and for the parents and other families to watch too. I think I earned my exceeds because I memorized my script, made the rocket as good as I could, and I was a parent greeter as an extention.

This exhibition was super hard because there was no set shape that we had to make for our rocket, and that means that we had to decide what worked and what didn't. The main thing that made it tricky was my group was not productive at all. They would all be goofing off and laughing while I was trying to work, and it was super distracting. I had to finish the entire rocket video by myself, and I had to fix my group's portions of the rocket manual as well, so that was super frustrating. 

However, when they were working, we got a lot done. For example, Peyton and Hadley were the ones that knew how to make the egg protection system, so when they were working that got done super quick. They also knew how to make the nose cone, so they helped us with that too. Mac was the one that taped things down and made sure they were straight, and I was pretty much the tech person that got all of the Canva stuff down, and I also made the fins to put on our rocket. 

Because this exhibition was about physics, forces, and motion, I think that I have a better understanding of terms like thrust, lift, and propulsion. I also understand now that NASA rockets don't lift by pushing off the ground, they lift off by pushing off of the air inside the combustion chamber of the rocket. 

If I was to design a rocket like this again, I would start measuring everything sooner, I.E making sure the fins and nose cone were straight and spread enough apart. I would also take more time to tape our nose cone down accurately without using too much tape to weigh it down. 

In all, this was an awesome exhibition to end on and I'm so proud of how our rocket turned out. 

Reflection Doc