Launching bottle rockets was a difficult task, for there were many steps to follow. After all the groups launched their rockets, my partner and I compared the data for each group. Before launching the rockets, I inferred that a rocket with a lighter mass would affect time aloft by the rocket staying in flight for a longer time. For example, the rocket of Group #8 (Steven P. and Matthew P.) had a mass of 204.2 grams, and it stayed in flight for exactly 7.61 seconds. With a mass of 470.9 grams, the rocket of Group #4 (Jayden B. and Erika L.) stayed aloft for 5.48 seconds. These numbers explain that the less mass the rocket held, the more time the rocket would stay in flight. However, after examining the data of the rockets of Period 2, it
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Before launching the rockets, I inferred that a rocket with a lighter mass would have a successful parachute deployment. However, the parachute of Group #11 (Ethan S. and Dylan D.) proved me wrong, for their parachute had an unsuccessful deployment even though their rocket had a mass of only 206.1 grams. After doing some research and launching the rockets, I learned that the following are factors which contributed to a successful parachute deployment: air resistance (drag) and how loose the nose cone sat on top of the parachute. Air resistance can cause the heaviest rockets to slow down if a parachute has a successful deployment. With the heaviest rocket (470.9 grams), Group #4 (Jayden B. and Erika L.) had a successful parachute deployment due to the fact that their parachute was huge in a square shape and the winds were in their favor. Winds blowing toward the ground could have caused the parachute of Group #11 to not deploy properly. In addition, the cause of an unsuccessful parachute deployment could have depended on how loose the nose cone sat on top of the parachute. My partner and I loosened the parachute so the nose cone would be pushed off the parachute at the apogee. Doing this led to our parachute having an effective deployment. It is possible that Group #11 forgot this step and launched their rocket with the nose cone attached tightly to the parachute, thus not coming off at the right moment and leading their rocket to its downfall. Therefore, the factors which contributed to a successful parachute deployment include air resistance (drag) and how loose the nose cone sat on the
Before launching the rockets, I inferred that a rocket with a lighter mass would have a successful parachute deployment. However, the parachute of Group #11 (Ethan S. and Dylan D.) proved me wrong, for their parachute had an unsuccessful deployment even though their rocket had a mass of only 206.1 grams. After doing some research and launching the rockets, I learned that the following are factors which contributed to a successful parachute deployment: air resistance (drag) and how loose the nose cone sat on top of the parachute. Air resistance can cause the heaviest rockets to slow down if a parachute has a successful deployment. With the heaviest rocket (470.9 grams), Group #4 (Jayden B. and Erika L.) had a successful parachute deployment due to the fact that their parachute was huge in a square shape and the winds were in their favor. Winds blowing toward the ground could have caused the parachute of Group #11 to not deploy properly. In addition, the cause of an unsuccessful parachute deployment could have depended on how loose the nose cone sat on top of the parachute. My partner and I loosened the parachute so the nose cone would be pushed off the parachute at the apogee. Doing this led to our parachute having an effective deployment. It is possible that Group #11 forgot this step and launched their rocket with the nose cone attached tightly to the parachute, thus not coming off at the right moment and leading their rocket to its downfall. Therefore, the factors which contributed to a successful parachute deployment include air resistance (drag) and how loose the nose cone sat on the