Upper School Physics
Science Department Chair Christine Hunt with her Upper School physics class studying projectile motion launched bottle rockets from McLean’s back field.
In preparation for the launch the pump master increased the pressure in a half-filled soda bottle to 70 psi (~5 times atmospheric pressure). The launch master controlled the launch by checking that the data collectors were ready to collect time in the air and maximum angle achieved. READY, THREE, TWO, ONE, LIFT OFF! Several rockets were launched with different amounts of water and different pressures. Then it was back to class to calculate maximum height attained and velocity on impact.
