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Bottle Blast-Off Afterschool Activity
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With little more than a plastic bottle, some vinyl tubing, and a length of PVC pipe, make a rocket and a rocket launcher and investigate how rockets fly.

Explore basic aerodynamics (the mechanics of flight), including resistance, turbulence, and stability. Simple variations on the activity allow you to compare how different objects fly and to measure how far the rocket flies.

topics

grade level
3-5
6-8

teaching tips
  • Experiment with two, three, or four fins on your rocket, to see how each configuration affects the rocket's flight.
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