Name ____________________________ Date _____________ Per ______

Water Rockets!

Part 1: Build your rocket!

Materials for your group:
! One 2 liter soda bottle
! Nose cone pattern on card stock
! A few strips of strong tape
! Permanent markers (optional)
! Scissors
! Cup
! This packet!

Step 1: Cut out the nose cone from the cardstock.
Step 2: Attach the nose cone to the bottom of the soda bottle with tape.
Step 3: Decorate your rocket with permanent markers if you want to!

Part 2: Launch the rocket!
Launch the rocket, and time the rocket from launch to landing in seconds. Be as accurate as possible,
and have multiple people in your group time it. Use the average of the times.

Our rocket was in the air for ____________ seconds.

Part 3: Completing our formula

The formula for any projectile launched straight up in the air and returning to Earth bound by gravity
is:
h(t) = -16t
2
+ vt + c

where h(t) is the height of the projectile in feet as a function of t
t is the time that has gone by
v is the initial velocity
c is the starting height.

a. We know a lot of information about the rockets landing:
1) At landing, what was the height of the rocket, h(t)? ________ feet
2) At landing, what was the time, t, in seconds? __________ seconds (look back at Part 2)
3) What was the starting height, c? (hint: the rocket started on the ground!) _________ feet

b. Rewrite the formula, plugging in all of the information we know:



c. The only thing we dont know is the initial velocity. Solve for the initial velocity by solving the
equation above for v.



initial velocity (v) = ________


d. Rewrite the projectile formula, leaving h(t) and t in the formula but replacing v and c based on what
we now know. This formula will help us figure out how high the rocket was after a given number of
seconds have passed.


New formula: ______________________________________


Part 4: Figuring out how high the rocket went

1) Sketch a graph of the rockets height as a function of time. Label the vertex.








2) Use the vertex formula t =
!
"b
2a
to determine how long it took for the rocket to reach its maximum
height. (Remember, the maximum height is located at the vertex!)








3) How high did the rocket go? Show your thinking.









Part 5: Graph and Table

Use graphing technology to graph your function and create a table of values. Transfer that information
to graph paper. Label important features of the graph and table.