How to make a water bottle rocket

   

Building water rocket is a fun and easy way to demonstrate Newton's third law, In every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. All rockets are based on this principle.

Materials:

- Cork

- play doh or clay

- Bicycle pump

- Bicycle pump valve

- Tape

- Thin stiff cardboard

- Glue

- Paper
- Soda bottle ×2

Create the nose cone

  •  Roll a piece of paper into a cone       wide enough to fit on the                   bottom of the bottle. Feel free to       use colored paper.                            •  Wrap the cone with tape so as           to make it more durable and             water-resistant.

Add ballast to the rocket 

The ballast gives weight to the rocket which makes the rocket fly straight and not tumbling round.

   • Mold a small amount of clay but       not too little into the bottom of         the bottle. Secure it in place               with tape.

   • Now tape the nose cone to the           bottom of the bottle.

Construct the fins

Fins add stability to the rocket. Your fins need to be strong and durable to survive multiple launches. Cardboard will work for a few launches but a better material is plastic.

   • Cut 3 right-angle triangles of             about 7cm high and 7.5cm wide.

   • Reinforce the fins by wrapping         them with a layer of tape.

Attach the fins to the rocket.

Wrap a strip of paper around the bottle and then divide into three equal parts with a ruler. Transfer the markings to the bottle. This makes sure that the fins are equally spaced round the bottle.

  • Glue the fins in place.

Make the launcher.

Make a very small hole right through the middle of the cork just wide enough for the bicycle pump valve to fit through.

  • Secure the valve in place with a        generous amount of glue.                  Silicone works best but hot glue        will work too.

Make the lauch pad

 The launch pad will keep the rocket pointing up before launch.
  • Cut out the bottom of a plastic bottle and cut a hile large enough for the bicycle pump valve adapter to pass through.

Launch the rocket.

 Make sure you are in an open area away from trees and power lines as the rocket will be traveling quite fast. Launch procedures:

  • Fill the rocket about 1/3 way up        with water.

  • Stuff the cork tightly into the            bottle's mouth.

  • Position the rocket with the nose      pointing upward on the launch        pad.

  • Pump air into the rocket. Keep          pumping air as the rocket will          fly off when the cork can no              longer withstand the pressure          building up in the bottle.

•WARNINGS

   - Make sure that no one goes in           front of the rocket while                     pumping as it can go off at any         moment.

   - Never point the rocket at                   anyone while pumping.