Building a Water Rocket: What Affects Launch Height?

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on the construction and optimization of water rockets, specifically using 1.5 to 2-liter soft drink bottles for maximum launch height. Key factors affecting performance include the amount of water used for propulsion, nozzle size, and aerodynamic design, particularly the size and shape of fins. Pressurization methods are crucial, with recommendations for using a gas pump to achieve optimal pressure. The use of toy kits like 'Rokit' is mentioned as a helpful resource for building these rockets.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics principles related to propulsion and aerodynamics
  • Familiarity with water rocket construction techniques using soft drink bottles
  • Knowledge of nozzle design and its impact on rocket performance
  • Experience with pressurization methods, particularly using gas pumps
NEXT STEPS
  • Research techniques for optimizing water-to-mass ratios in water rockets
  • Learn about aerodynamic design principles to minimize drag in rocket construction
  • Explore different nozzle designs and their effects on thrust and efficiency
  • Investigate various pressurization methods and equipment suitable for water rockets
USEFUL FOR

Students, hobbyists, and educators interested in physics, engineering, and hands-on science projects, particularly those focused on rocketry and aerodynamics.

jackson
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I'm Currently Making A Water Rocket And I Want To Obtain More Information About The Factors That Might Affect It From Launching Higher. Thanks For Your Help Really Appreciate It.
 
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Its a trade off between more water (for propulsion) and less water to lower the mass. At school we use 1.5 - 2 litre soft drink bottles for the main bodies. You fill these to about the 1/3rd level for the highest and longest flights. 3 litre bottles are rubbish...

Nozzle size is also a factor, but the std drink bottle opening works fine. We use toy kits called 'Roket's to build them up.

Great fun, good Physics!
 
thanks adrian your help is very much appreciated
 
how the hell do u pressurise them ?
ive heard of these water rockets ,and i plan to build one of these but i live in India and i don't think i can get the kit here in India .but i'll try

how can the nozzle size be altered ? what kind of aerodynamic innovations do we need to minimise drag ?and what's the size of the fins [the thingys that stick out from the fuselage] for standard 2 litre softdrink bottle ?

my main problem remains pressurising the bottle ,do you require some kind of a gas pump or something like that ?
 
Also remeber to make it have the smallest wing span possible. Also you want to have a wieght at the top like a tennis ball or a racket ball. You need to do this so it has some wieght at the top also you need to have a smaller wingspan iwht yoru fins so as to not have it fly everywhere because even the smallest imperfection on a bottle rocket screws it up.
 
extreme_machinations said:
how the hell do u pressurise them ?
ive heard of these water rockets ,and i plan to build one of these but i live in India and i don't think i can get the kit here in India .but i'll try

how can the nozzle size be altered ? what kind of aerodynamic innovations do we need to minimise drag ?and what's the size of the fins [the thingys that stick out from the fuselage] for standard 2 litre softdrink bottle ?

my main problem remains pressurising the bottle ,do you require some kind of a gas pump or something like that ?

Here - have a look at the company website...

www.rokit.com

Also, type Rokit into Google for loads of info
 
Here's one of our rockets in action. (if I uploaded the file properly!)

They sure go high!
 

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