NURUL AINUN BINTI MUHAMMAD NOR
NURALYSHA YUSLYNDA BINTI USUF
NURUL AINUN BINTI MUHAMMAD NOR
NURALYSHA YUSLYNDA BINTI USUF
LET'S EXPLORE WHAT WATER ROCKET CAN DO !
A water rocket is a fun and simple type of rocket made using a plastic bottle, water, and air pressure. When launched, the water pushes out, causing the rocket to fly into the air. This experiment is a great way to learn about science, especially Newton’s Laws of Motion. It's exciting to see how changing the amount of water or air can affect how high the rocket goes!
To explore Newton’s Laws of Motion through a practical and visual demonstration.
To understand the relationship between water volume and the height or distance traveled by the rocket.
To investigate how air pressure, bottle shape, and fin design affect the rocket's flight.
To encourage STEM learning through an interactive, hands-on experiment.
To develop skills in hypothesis testing, data collection, and scientific analysis.
1.5 L plastic bottle
Rubber stopper
Bicycle pump with pressure gauge
Launch pad
Baking Soda
Water
Stopwatch
Set up the launch pad in an open area with a flat surface.
Fill the rocket with water up to the quarter of the bottle.
Seal the rocket with a rubber stopper connected to the launch tube and pump.
Pump air into the bottle to a consistent pressure.
Release the rocket and observe the launch.
Measure the distance reach and time taken using a measuring device or visual reference.
Record the data and repeat 3 times to ensure accuracy.
Repeat steps 2-7 for rocket with addition of catalyst.
In this experiment, we tested how different water volumes and the addition of a catalyst affected the rocket's flight.
We used the catalyst, which is baking soda, to produce extra pressure inside the rocket.
The catalyst helped produce more pressure, launching the rocket faster. The 500 ml + catalyst combination gave the best height and stability. Too much water reduced height, even with the catalyst. If the catalyst was not mixed well, the rocket did not launch properly. Using a catalyst can increase the thrust and make the rocket fly higher, but the amount of water must be balanced to avoid making the rocket too heavy.
So, what did we learn?
Whether you go with classic version or level up with baking soda, water rockets are an awesome way to explore Physics and Chemistry! Just by adding a simple kitchen ingredient we could prove how powerful a reaction can be.
By applying Newton Third Law of Motion we saw that water and gas is pushed downward. Adding baking soda introduced a chemical reaction that increased pressure, boosted thrust and sent rocket even higher. All in all, its a fun hands-on learning of Science where small changes can make big difference!
REFERENCES
American Chemical Society. (2020). What is a chemical reaction? https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/science-activities/chemical-reactions.html
NASA Glenn Research Center. (2021). Newton’s third law: Action and reaction. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/newton3.html
National Science Teaching Association. (2019). Engaging students in STEM with hands-on water rocket experiments. https://www.nsta.org
Royal Society of Chemistry. (2022). Baking soda and vinegar reaction explained. https://edu.rsc.org
University of Colorado Boulder. (2020). Water bottle rockets: Exploring Newton’s Laws of