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The activity “Build a Bottle Rocket” from the Ontario Science Centre is a hands-on experiment designed to demonstrate the principles of physics, particularly Newton’s laws of motion and the four forces of flight.
Materials and Setup:
- Requires materials like a large plastic bottle, cork, bike pump, cardboard, duct tape, water, and blocks for a launch pad.
- The setup involves creating a rocket by attaching fins and a cone to the bottle, filling it partially with water, and sealing it with a cork that has a pump needle inserted.
Launching:
- Air is pumped into the bottle, increasing pressure until the cork pops out, propelling the rocket into the air.
- Safety precautions are emphasized, including wearing protective gear and maintaining distance during the launch.
Physics Behind It:
- Newton’s Laws: The rocket remains at rest until acted on by the force from the pump, accelerates based on the mass and force, and is pushed upward by the action of water being expelled downward.
- Forces of Flight: The rocket’s motion is influenced by drag (air resistance), lift (stability), thrust (upward force), and weight (gravity).
The activity can be turned into an experiment by testing different designs and amounts of water to see how they affect the rocket’s flight.