How Can I Maximize the Distance of My Two-Liter Bottle Projectile Launcher?

[Amadeus]

**URGENT** Help on a PROJECTILE LAUNCHER Project

Purpose of this so-called project: To use the air inside a two liter plastic bottle to launch a projectile as far as possible.

Side note: This is NOT the Bottle Rocket Launcher!

The only requirements for this project is that I must use a two liter plastic bottle to launch a projectile (something that I would have to make) successfully.

My teacher is grading on the distance; as in how far the launcher can go.

Unlike the 'Bottle Rocket Launcher', I would have to squeeze (or stomp) on the bottle in order to launch the projectile.

My question is: How do I make a launcher that will go the farthest?

I've got some ideas (and did some research) that I will probably have to use pipes - but what about the pipes? Nothing will be in the bottle? What do I do with it? etc...

I'm confused and my teacher did not provide my class any examples so we were on our own.

Help, please?


Thanks! :)

 

[mgb_phys]

You want to make the rocket as light as possible but not so light that it doesn't fly straight, experiment throwing something shaped like an arrow.
The best angle to launch it at is 45deg.
You want to catch as much of the air coming out of the bottle as possible, by making somthing like a piston in a tube. But you don't want to carry the weight of the piston so look at making something that slides out of a pipe easily pushing the rocket but isn;t attached to it so the rocket leaves it behind.