Bottle Rocket Project
When Izzy, Skylar and I constructed our rockets, we gathered 6 Smartwater water bottles. We each used 2 smart water bottles for every rocket. There were 3 rockets total. For my rocket, I cut out the bottom of one of the bottles to fit it onto the other. I used duct tape around where the joined to secure the bottles and to ensure that it wouldn't break during launch time. The difference between my rocket and the other two was that mine had 2 fins while the others had 3 and 4. to make it stand out, I used a navy blue spray paint and covered the entire rocket. The question we created for the project was “How do the number of fins effect the distance the rocket goes.” For my hypothesis I stated “if the number of fins affects the height then I think the rocket with four fins will go the highest because the 4 fins with ensure equal weight distribution through the rocket and will keep it balanced." Our data did support our hypothesis and our theory was correct.
Our procedure to complete this was not very clear when we got to the testing set up. We planned to test each rocket 2 times and didn't have a set distance of where we were launching it from. Once we got outside and got ready to launch our rockets we stood 66 feet away from the launcher. That distance stayed consistent from the launch pad and we measured our distance from the launchpad at 56 feet. We would then put our psi at 70. Lastly we would pull the string to launch our rocket up.
List of variables kept constant:
-Pressure: 70 psi.
-Amount of water: 750 mL.
-Shape of rockets: all used 2, 1 liter Smartwater water bottles.
Our results came out kind of what we expected. We feel we could have made our wings out of a different material because each time we would fill up the bottle with water the fins would end up getting wet and would get all messed up. Our testing didn't make us rethink our design so we never really made any changes to our rocket. For future students conducting this experiment I suggest that you look up some designs and then go from there or you could just wing it like my group did. But overall for this project have fun with it and get creative.
YOLO... So Wear a Helmet
Snow Science Poster
For our poster on Avalanche safety, we decided to focus on the warning signs of an Avalanche. We focused on the 5 top signs that a slide is possible
- Heavy snowfall or rain fall in the past 24 hrs.
- Unstable snow
- Significant change in temperature
- Wind blown snow
- Recent Avalanche activity
Reflection
The Snow Science Unit in Physics in these past weeks has been both relevant and interesting to me. Living in a very outdoors oriented community full of skiing and skiers, this unit opened my eyes to the inherent risks that surround snow hobbies. This unit focused greatly on Avalanches, and living by the San Juan Mountains, and having a brother that does quite a bit of back country, this is part of my reality. This unit also broadened my educational horizons on the important role both snow and water play in the western United States. The amount of snowfall received is directly correlated to the amount of water we will have flowing through our rivers. In recent years, as you have undoubtedly noticed, snowfall has become less abundant. With less snowfall comes less snow melt, hence lower CFS. The Colorado River, running through many states in the American West is greatly affected by this along with the states. It has been fascinating to discover the direct correlation between water and snow, or the lack there of and how heavily it affects us.
This Unit helped me better develop the critical skill of caution in the back country and side country. It taught me to always think of the possible risks, consequences, and science behind Avalanches. I've learned that knowing the snow pack, kind of snow, and steepness of the slope is essential to safe trips into the back country. Finally I've learned that, you really will never know. No matter how many snow pits you dig, how many times you analyze the snow pack, there is always a possibility of a snow. So the best thing I've learned is, Always enter the back country with caution and your best judgment, and adapt if need be.
The Snow Science Unit in Physics in these past weeks has been both relevant and interesting to me. Living in a very outdoors oriented community full of skiing and skiers, this unit opened my eyes to the inherent risks that surround snow hobbies. This unit focused greatly on Avalanches, and living by the San Juan Mountains, and having a brother that does quite a bit of back country, this is part of my reality. This unit also broadened my educational horizons on the important role both snow and water play in the western United States. The amount of snowfall received is directly correlated to the amount of water we will have flowing through our rivers. In recent years, as you have undoubtedly noticed, snowfall has become less abundant. With less snowfall comes less snow melt, hence lower CFS. The Colorado River, running through many states in the American West is greatly affected by this along with the states. It has been fascinating to discover the direct correlation between water and snow, or the lack there of and how heavily it affects us.
This Unit helped me better develop the critical skill of caution in the back country and side country. It taught me to always think of the possible risks, consequences, and science behind Avalanches. I've learned that knowing the snow pack, kind of snow, and steepness of the slope is essential to safe trips into the back country. Finally I've learned that, you really will never know. No matter how many snow pits you dig, how many times you analyze the snow pack, there is always a possibility of a snow. So the best thing I've learned is, Always enter the back country with caution and your best judgment, and adapt if need be.
Water Filtration Project
The Water Filtration Project was a project based on coming up with real solutions to real problems. We were assigned a region in a 3rd world country. Izzy and I were given the Kajiado Central District in Kenya. The question posed to us was this, Can we create a filter that is feasible to make in Kenya, to filter out harmful Coliforms from the water? We had to create our own design using items that people in Kajiado could acquire to create their own filter.
Light Wave Project
To wrap up the year, we did a project focusing on waves. Skylar, Izzy and I decided to focus on Light waves. We were given the assignment to create an experiment to help us understand waves. We did our experiment on how heat affects color. We did this by using a flame and a spectroscope to see the Visible Spectrum.