Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Soaring Straws Lab

I stretched the rocket back two centimeters. I held it at the bottom of the meter stick and watched the rocket soar up to 0.22 meters. During the next trial, the rocket reached one meter as a result of stretching the rocket three centimeters. During trial three, my partner and I measured 1.76 meters for four centimeters of stretch. After studying the data, we noticed a relationship between GPE and EPE. First off, the farther we stretched the rubber band, the more GPE there was after the release. There was more GPE because the farther we stretched the rubber band, the more energy was transferred to the rocket/straws.
Furthermore, trials in this lab may not be 100% accurate. Firstly, we estimated while we were measuring; we found it very challenging to get a precise measurement. Thus, they are most likely incorrect or a bit off. In addition, we switched rockets during the middle of collecting our data. This could have changed the results because not every rocket is identical. Furthermore, my partner and I switched roles of holding the meter stick and being the launcher. This could have affected our results because we could have different techniques of holding the launcher or meter stick. Moreover, some ways we can enhance this lab are by using different materials. For example, a sturdier rocket made of plastic, could have made more accurate results.