Using a teacher-built wind tunnel constructed from a paper concrete tube form, a fan, and a balance, individuals determine the amount of drag their rocket design will experience in flight. Pupils make modifications to increase the rocket's flight using the data from the wind tunnel and from the actual flight.

Concepts

drag, friction, rockets, design, engineering design, technology resources

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the wind tunnel to test drag on any model such as cars and planes
• Futher test the wind tunnel with other rockets built in the series

Classroom Considerations

• Testing every rocket will take considerable time

Pros

• The directions provide a detailed description on how to build the wind tunnel
• The resource provides a data collection sheet in order to record data from the wind tunnel and flight of the rocket

Cons

• Instructions on calculating the drag does not take into account the mechancial advantage of the lever