Straw Rocket Science

Today the students took a look at some elementary rocket science, beginning with Newton's Third Law of Motion (For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.) and ending with some straw rocket blasting fun. We talked about some of the forces necessary for a rocket to lift off from their pad at Kennedy Space Center, defined thrust, drag, angle, and trajectory, then set about the build some of our own rockets - straw rockets, that is. We wondered if there was a relationship between the length of the straw rocket and the distance it could travel when launched from a Pitsco Straw Rocket Launcher.

Each group worked under a few simple design constraints - rockets should have a minimum of two fins and a maximum of five fins; the body of the rocket should be a minimum of 10 cm and a maximum length of 20 cm; and each group MUST work as a team with no less than two people working on a rocket. The rockets were constructed of plastic drink straws (non-bendable kind), index card cut fins, and clay for the nose.  Although the students ran out of time before they were able to scientifically prove whether the smaller rockets went further than the long or uncut straw pieces turned rockets, they did enjoy trying to shoot their rockets down the hallway. One thing they discovered was that not all straws are exactly the same size. Some of the straws, even though they were all from the same package, would not fit over the metal tubing on the base of the rocket launcher loosely enough to be ejected into the air. Some of the straw rockets got stuck on the launcher at lift off.

Alex prepares to send off his straw rocket as Ben, Jayden, Cooper, and Sara watch.	Alex gives his straw rocket another chance as Cooper looks on.
Ethan and company set the launcher for maximum thrust.	Ben and Eric setting up the rocket launcher to send off Black Obs Brothers' straw rocket.
Sara and Lily getting ready to launch their straw rocket as Alex, John, Ethan, and Eric watch.	Jamie, Ben, and Kennedy waiting their turn for the straw rocket launcher.

 

 

 

New and improved?

Today's activity is always a crowd favorite, and a welcome break from the FCAT blues. I found a brief (5 minutes) podcast on iTunesU that was a great lead in for a discussion on creativity in inventions. This podcast was part of the FOSS Ideas and Inventions Science Stories from Lawrence Hall of Science. It presented the inspiring stories of Art Fry's Post-It Notes, Waldo Semon's PVC, and Charles Goodyear's vulcanization process of rubber. All three stories were stories about finding creative solutions of ordinary problems, accidental discoveries, and seemingly failed inventions. We talked about creativity and the influences on our creativity, and then wondered where scientists and other inventors get the inspirations for their creations.

Building from this exercise, the Engineering by Design companies had a chance to experiment and design their own inventions. Or at least, take the inventions of common, everyday, ordinary household items and turn them into something new.  They were to think of a problem that needed a solution, select from a collection of household goods, modify and improve them, and finally market the new and improved items for "patents". The companies were limited to today's club meeting for time limits. However, I have to wonder if we might be seeing some of their designs in the near future on the market, or at least late night infomercials.

The Engineers proudly displaying their new "Scrubtastick"
Do you have so many brushes and scrubbies that you can't keep track of them all? Have you ever mixed up your vegetable brush with your dish cleaning brush? If so, then you need the "Scrubtastick"! Scrubtastick is many brushes in one. No more hunting all over under your kitchen sink for individualized brushes when the new Scrubtastick takes the place of them all. Go from scrubbing your vegetables, to scraping your dishes, cleaning your bathroom, to finally exfoliating your body all with one brush. And, its dishwasher safe, so you can sanitize it when you're done. Comes complete with a little bell to help you find it. All for one easy payment of $29.99! Order now! (Not really...)
The revolutionary Looper! Pet hair catcher and scraper	Leonardo's Assistants presenting the Looper
Are you attracted to your pet's hair? Does it follow you from your couch to your work, on the back of your clothes?! Then you should get the Looper, part lint brush, part scooper. Its a pet hair catcher and scooper all-in-one. Use the lint brush side to remove pesky, unwanted hair left behind in your pet's shedding - simply wipe the brush side along your couch, rug, or clothing, then give the brush a tap inside the scooper to trap the hair until you are ready to dispose of it. Your furniture is fresh and hair-free, leaving you free to enjoy your pet, once again. A great bargain at just $9.99.
	The Victorians present the V-Scrubber
Looking for a heavy duty accessory that is gentle enough to clean your delicate wood table? Look no further! The V-Scrubber brought to you by the Victorians Company is just the tool you have been looking for. It cleans hard scum from your tables, washes them sparkling clean, and refreshes them with its built in soap dispenser, then dries and polishes them to a high shine. The price of $15.89 includes the specialized soap - get them before they are gone!
	Science and Technology company presenting the handy-dandy, super-duper flashlight holder.
Now, we know just what you are thinking- can't you just hold your flashlight in your hands like you are already doing? Well, yes, of course you can do that, but we think you will be more stylin' and hip with our Handy-dandy Super-duper Flashlight holder. Its adjustable so it can fit any size flashlight. Comes in many personalized colors. Is washable, but at $1.99 each, they are practically disposable! Disposable you say? Why would I want it to be disposable? Let's say you're sitting around a campfire eating s'mores, you need to hit the latrine or head off to your tent - you grab for your flashlight, and yuck! Your sticky, gooey fingers just got melted chocolate and marshmallow mess on your expensive flashlight! But, with the Science and Technology's handy-dandy, super-duper flashlight holder, you do not need to worry about ruining your flashlight. You can get the mess on the flashlight holder, then simply change it out for a fresh flashlight holder when you have clean hands. No more mess! So, remember, at $1.99, you can save your flashlight from getting messy, and add a bit of bling!
Black Ops Bros. team members presenting the Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000	Two of Black Ops Brothers company members hard at work on their Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000
Do you need a powerful toilet cleaning brush that is gentle enough on your hands? Then you need the Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000! The Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000 powers through clogged toilets, while cleaning them with the power and speed of tornadoes. But the long strings mean your hands stay clean, dry, and sanitary. The toughest, stopped up toilets are no match for the Ultra-Plunge & Scrub 3000! Leaves your bowl clean as a whistle! (Note: This tool is still in the development stage and is not yet available. The Black Ops Brothers company is still determining its price to consumers. When it becomes available, you will be the first to know!)

Join the mission, design a patch

2011 marks the last of the space shuttle flights and the end of the space shuttle program. The first space shuttle lifted off on April 12, 1981. Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to take off for its final mission on June 28 of this year. In an effort to pay tribute to the over 135 shuttle mission flights, the Engineering by Design crew was given the challenge this week to design patches for the space shuttles. Their design brief included the challenges of naming at least one space shuttle in their design, working as a team - just as the members of each of the space shuttle mission crews did, creating an original design, keeping the design appropriate and with the spirit of peace, and had to be based on research related to exploration. After spending some time in NASA’s website and studying some of their past space shuttle mission patches, the groups came up with the following designs:

Black Ops Brothers paying tribute to the Space Shuttle Discovery	Leonardo’s Assistants design incorporating all six of the space shuttle names
The Science and Technology team chose to incorporate an American flag into their design along with all six of the space shuttle names.	The Engineers chose a 5 point star as the base of their design, showing Atlantis as the last of the space flights on top.
The Victorians took their inspiration from their name incorporating an large V into their design, and showed two different angles of the space shuttles.