SuccessLink Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education Friday, September 3, 2010

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Rocketry - It's a Gas!

published on: 2/19/2009

Contributing Teacher(s): Scott McQuerry

Subject Area: Science/Physical

Grade Range: Middle Grades (6-8)

Materials Needed:

See Lesson

Objective:

Students will apply their knowledge of the kinetic theory of matter to observe and measure the effects of air pressure and its relationship with volume and temperature.
Using rocketry as their topic of study, students will predict and analyze information pertaining to this relationship throughout the unit.

Essential Question:

How can you describe the effect of volume on air pressure?

Instructional Strategy: Cooperative Learning

Process Standards:

Goal 1.1 develop questions and ideas to initiate and refine research
Goal 1.2 conduct research to answer questions and evaluate information and ideas
Goal 1.6 discover and evaluate patterns and relationships in information, ideas and structures
Goal 2.1 plan and make written, oral and visual presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences
Goal 3.5 reason inductively from a set of specific facts and deductively from general premises
Goal 3.6 examine problems and proposed solutions from multiple perspectives
Goal 4.1 explain reasoning and identify information used to support decisions

Content Standards:

Science 1. Properties and principles of matter and energy

Time Allowance: Three-Five (3-5) 45-minute class periods

Extensions:
Problem-based activities involving the use of rockets is one extension activity that can be utilized with this unit. For example, the design of a rocket with a chemical fuel source (effervescent tablet) that will "launch" at a precise time by the manipulation of the amount of "fuel" or the temperature of the water in the rocket. Another extension could be the manipulation of angles to launch one of the three different types of rockets in this unit towards a precise target. Students would be engaged in the study of trajectory, momentum and acceleration through this problem-based activity.

Integration:
Graphing and statistical analysis - Math Explanatory writing styles - Communication Arts Visual arts expression - Humanities

Differentiation:
This unit can be easily modified to accomodate the needs of all learners. Greater detail can be expected on the required inquiry-based laboratory sheets. For example, procedural writing could be added as could possible future experiments based upon the students' findings. Cooperative learning groups could also be utilized to complete the formative and summative assessments. This could be accomplished in lieu of individualized assessment.

Assessment:

Description: Rocketry - It's a Gas! provides an educator with a simplistic view of how volume, temperature and pressure are related to each other. The use of rockets has been chosen to spark interest in students while they pursue the basic concepts of air pressure and fundamental gas laws. This unit has been designed for the middle school student who is preparing for upcoming coursework in algebra and physical science. By understanding the relationship between volume, temperature and pressure without the use of math students will gain a stronger foothold into the importance of mathematics in the support of scientific concepts.

Classroom Component:
Please click here for the Assessment pdf

Activity one:
- French Fry Launcher One
- (1) two-foot section of 1/2 inch PVC One
- (1) two-foot wooden dowel rod (must fit into the PVC tube without much free space)
- Two (2) potatoes
- Knife
Day 1: Activity one: French Fry Launcher

Students will be introduced to the following definitions:

Volume - the amount of space that is occupied by matter (either solid, liquid or gas)

Temperature-a measurement of the amount of energy of moving atoms

Pressure-amount of force applied to an area

The students will also need to understand that volume, temperature and pressure are all closely related to each other. It may help to think of this relationship like a see-saw with volume and pressure on opposite ends of the board. As the volume of an object is gets higher, pressure will get lower.

The students will be participating in three rocket-based activities that will help to reinforce the relationship between volume, temperature and pressure. Inform the students of the following procedure before running the experiment:
1. Carefully cut the potatoes into 1” thick slices.
2. Place a slice of the potato on the ground.
3. Acquire a two-foot piece of ½ inch PVC pipe. Drive the pipe through a potato slice so a plug is created on one end.
4. Place another potato slice on the ground and repeat for the other end of the PVC.
5. Hold the launcher in one hand and the wooden dowel in the other.
6. Aim the launcher towards an open area - never in the direction of a person.
7. Use the dowel to quickly push one end of the potato plug up towards the other.
8. The potato on the opposite end should propel through the air.
Place the students into cooperative groups and use the following question as part of a think-pair-share:

When the plunger drives one piece of potato through the tube, what is happening to the volume, temperature and pressure between the two potato wedges in the launcher?

Allow the students to think about their answer briefly, then turn to their partners and share their ideas. Students should be give a few moments to discuss their ideas.

Discuss the predictions for each group, making certain that their predictions include an explanation as to the changes in volume, temperature and pressure inside the launcher throughout the demonstration.

Run the demonstration several times for the students.

With the students in their cooperative learning groups, instruct the students to complete two drawings that includes the following items:

Drawing #1
- Placement of the potato wedges in the PVC
Drawing #2
- Placement of the potato wedges in the PVC
- Changes (if any) in the volume, temperature or pressure in the area between the wedges
- Student drawings should resemble something similar to the drawing in the assessment document of this lesson plan.
Answer: In this activity, the volume of air between the two potato wedges is decreased as the dowel rod is driven through the PVC. As the volume is decreased, the pressure in between the two potato wedges was increased.

Activity two:
- Speeding Up the Rockets
- Nine (9) clear 35mm film canisters (Fuji film work best)
- Small amount of hot, room temperature and ice cold water
- Three (3) effervescent tablets
Day 2: Activity two: Speeding Up the Rockets

Remind students that in Day 1, the volume of air between the two potato wedges was decreased. This caused an increase of pressure between the two potato wedges. In this activity, students will continue their study of the relationship between volume, temperature and pressure. However, they will explore a different relationship between these three terms: If the volume of an object stays the same and you increase its temperature, the pressure of the object increases as well.

Instruct the students to construct a hypothesis from the following problem statement:

How does a change in water temperature affect the pressure of a sealed film canister to which has been added an effervescent tablet? MAKE SURE STUDENTS WEAR GOGGLES AS THE CAPS CAN POP OFF AND SHOOT UPWARD.

The instructor will walk through the classroom prior to beginning the demonstration and check for student understanding. More specifically, the instructor will examine student papers for successful completion of a hypothesis, labeled data table and a properly labeled and titled graph.

The instructor will then complete the following procedure:
1. Place hot, lukewarm and cold water separately into three clear (Fuji) film canisters each.
2. Break three effervescent tablets into quarters, giving you twelve individual pieces.
3. Choose nine student pairs to help you. One student in each pair will be responsible for dropping the tablet into the water and sealing the canister. The other student will run a stopwatch.
4. At one time, the student helpers are to drop their tablet into the water, seal the lid and begin their timers. The students will time how long it takes for their canister to blow its top.
5. Place all data from each group onto the board for the class to copy.
6. Students are to complete their individual data tables, graphs and conclusions using the attached "Scientific Inquiry Lab Sheet Checklist” as their guide.
After completion of the demonstration, students will return to their original collaborative groups to read and discuss their conclusions. The instructor will then provide the following question for a think-pair-share to the groups:

How did the data identify the relationship between volume, temperature and pressure?

Answer: Students should identify the fact that as the temperature of the water increased, so did the pressure inside the canister. This was evident as the hot water canisters exploded at a faster rate than the cold water canisters.

Activity three:
- Drinking Bottle Rockets
- Eighteen (18) effervescent tablets
- Three (3) water bottles with pull-top caps
- Three (3) wide-mouth containers with openings slightly larger than the water bottles
- Small amount of room temperature water
Day 3: Activity three: Drinking Bottle Rockets

Remind students that in Day 2, as temperature increased inside the film canisters so did its pressure. In this activity, students will continue their study of the relationship between volume, temperature and pressure. They will run an experiment to see if the amount of effervescent tables that are added to water bottle increases the amount of pressure.

Instruct the students to construct a hypothesis from the following problem statement:

How does a change in the amount of effervescent tablets affect the pressure inside a water bottle?

The instructor will walk through the classroom prior to beginning the demonstration and check for student understanding. More specifically, the instructor will examine student papers for successful completion of a hypothesis, labeled data table and a properly labeled and titled graph.

The instructor will then complete the following procedure:
1. Place a small amount of room temperature water into three water bottles.
2. Break 18 effervescent tablets into quarters.
3. Choose 3 student pairs to help you. One student in each pair will be responsible for dropping the tablets into the water and sealing pull-top onto the bottle. The other student will run a stopwatch.
4. At one time, the student helpers are to drop four quarters of a single tablet into the bottle, seal the pull-top and begin their timers.
5. The water bottles are to be sealed tightly and placed upside down into a wide-mouthed container that is slightly larger than the water bottle.
6. The students will time how long it takes for their water bottle to shoot through the air.
7. This will be repeated with the use of 8 quarter tablets and 12 quarter tablets.
8. Place all data from each group onto the board for the class to copy.
9. Students are to complete their individual data tables, graphs and conclusions using the attached “Scientific Inquiry Lab Sheet Checklist” as their guide.
Once completed, engage the students in a discussion surrounding their discoveries.

Answer: Students should identify the fact that the pressure of the bottles increased with the addition of more quarter tablets. This was evident as the bottles that received the most quarter tablets launched faster than its counterparts.

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For additional information contact :
Scott McQuerry
Bingham Seventh Grade Ctr.
Independence 30
(816) 796-4850
EMAIL: smcquerry@indep.k12.mo.us