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Calculations 1

The document summarizes 6 different calculations that were needed for a rocket project: 1) The maximum height of 71.5m using trigonometry of the launch angle and distance. 2) The initial velocity of 42m/s using video frames and a reference object. 3) The force of gravity using the measured weights of the rocket. 4) The thrust force of 492.9N using net force, acceleration, and mass calculations. 5) The theoretical flight time of 8.47 seconds using a quadratic equation. 6) The descent velocity of 9.98 m/s by measuring video frames and subtracting flight times.

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131 views

Calculations 1

The document summarizes 6 different calculations that were needed for a rocket project: 1) The maximum height of 71.5m using trigonometry of the launch angle and distance. 2) The initial velocity of 42m/s using video frames and a reference object. 3) The force of gravity using the measured weights of the rocket. 4) The thrust force of 492.9N using net force, acceleration, and mass calculations. 5) The theoretical flight time of 8.47 seconds using a quadratic equation. 6) The descent velocity of 9.98 m/s by measuring video frames and subtracting flight times.

Uploaded by

api-711012187
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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We needed to find 6 different calculations for our rocket.

The first one, max height, can be found using trigonometry. We use the angle from the
observer on the ground, as well as the distance from the observer to the point of launch. To find
the height, we calculate the tangent of the angle from the observer to the vertex of the rocket,
equals the height divided by the distance from observer to launch point:
h=tan(51.45°)=opp/57m
This comes out to 71.5m. This is similar to the altimeter reading, of 76.5m.

The next calculation is for initial velocity. We find this using the reference stick that was
shown in the video. The reference stick was 2 meters, and each frame was 1/60th of a second. To
find a specific average velocity, I used the last frame before the rocket rose above the stick,
where the rocket traveled 70 centimeters. The calculation for the initial velocity is:
Vo=0.7m/(1/60)s=42m/s

To find the force of gravity, all I need is the weight of the rocket. With water, our rocket
was 0.968kg, and without water, it was 0.193kg, The weights are the force of gravity. We cannot
find the force of gravity exactly during initial takeoff, because as water ran out, the weight
changed, but we can’t measure every shift.

Finding thrust force is a little more complicated. I need to find the net force first, and then
I will add the gravitational force to the net force in order to find the thrust force.
Before that, however, we need to find acceleration. Acceleration is a change in velocity
(ΔV/Δt), so to find it, we need to find two different velocities of the rocket. The first is 0m/s,
before it starts moving, and the second is 42m/s. I also need the times of each velocity, so I have
0s, and 1/20s (1/60 times 3 frames).
The math is as follows:
42m/s-0m/s=42m/s
And
1/20s-0s=1/20s
Now that I have those, I can calculate the the acceleration:
a=(42m/s)/(1/20s)= 840m/s^2
With acceleration, I can now find the net force. However, because the mass of the water is
decreasing as it shoots out, I found the average of the weight of the empty rocket and full, to
most accurately determine the thrust.
Average mass of rocket = (0.968kg + 0.193kg)/2=0.58kg
And then, because force equals mass times acceleration:
FN=840m/s^2 x 0.58kg=487.2N
I do one final calculation:
FT= 487.2N - (-)5.68N= 492.9N
The number calculated seems really high, but the calculations were checked carefully, and I can’t
find a mistake. I still could have messed up though, and I’m just not finding it.

The next calculation was for theoretical flight time. I used the quadratic formula for this,
by plugging in the acceleration of gravity, my initial velocity, and my starting height (I used 3
meters because that is about how far above the ground my rocket was when thrust ended):
h(t)=-1/2- (10m/s^2)(t^2) + 42 + 3m
From here, I calculated the numbers by plugging them into my quadratic formula calculator on
google sheets.
The solution I used was the time more than 0: time=8.47. This could not have been exactly
accurate, because I had to estimate how many meters above the ground my rocket ended its
thrust period.

My final calculation was to find the descent velocity. I began by calculating the time of
touch down for the rocket, by counting the frames in the video. Each frame was 1/30th of a
second, and it came out to be 9 ⅔ seconds. Then, I subtracted my time of max height (2 seconds)
from the time it hit the ground, which came out to be 7 ⅔ seconds. Finally, I divided the distance
traveled by 7 ⅔ seconds:
76.5/7⅔ = 9.98 m/s
The rocket is in a parabolic trajectory during rising flight because it is in free fall. In free fall, the
only force acting on it is gravity, and it is described by the quadratic equation–the solution to
which forms a parabola. After it begins falling in controlled descent, it will slope downwards
without high acceleration.

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