Activity

Water bottle rockets

In this activity, students make a water bottle rocket. They investigate the variables that affect the height and distance travelled by the rocket.

Making a water bottle rocket

Geoff Searle, Head of Science at Shirley Boys’ High School in Christchurch, demonstrates how he builds a water bottle rocket using 1.5 litre plastic bottles, a golf ball and an ice cream container for fins. These water bottle rockets are very aerodynamic and can travel a horizontal distance of over 200 m with a pressure of just 80 psi

Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

  • build a rocket out of a plastic bottle, using water and air pressure to generate the thrust.

  • design a nose cone and fins that help the rocket travel as far as possible by increasing stability and minimising drag.

  • investigate some of the variables that may affect the distance travelled or height reached by the rocket.

This activity is ideally done after the teaching and learning activities Introduction to rockets and space and Effervescent canister rockets

Teacher and student testing a water bottle rocket outside.

Blast off!

Science teacher Geoff Searle works with a student to test a water bottle rocket.

Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Download the Word file (see link below) for:

  • introduction/background notes

  • what you need

  • what to do

  • extension ideas

  • student worksheet.

Useful link

This computer simulation will help students understand the physics of water bottle rockets and investigate parameters that will lead to the highest launch.

Published: 30 November 2011,Updated: 30 November 2011