Intro:
In this experiment, we built and tested composite rocket fuel and learned about the science behind how the fuel works. For the rocket fuel to work there needs to be a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction is a process where one or more substances change into a new substance. During this experiment, we learned more about chemical reactions, and were even introduced to stoichiometry. This is how my experiment went.
Looking Back:
My experiment didn't turn out as well as it could've. When I was putting the fuel mixture in, the paper bent and had a crease in it which made it harder to stick the football sized tin foil in. Also I don't believe the canal I drilled in the fuel was big enough. That part was important because it creates surface area needed for the fuel which I believe Brian said. The reason why mine didn't work well was because the cap came off so it didn’t even have enough thrust to push out of the test tube.
Looking Beyond:
When making the fuel, we used potassium nitrate and sucrose. When put together, they form a reaction that is needed for the fuel to work. The potassium nitrate gave off oxygen molecules needed for the experiment while the oxidizer and the sucrose gave off carbon, hydrogen, and more oxygen molecules that were necessary for the experiment. Besides learning about chemical reactions, we also learned about chemical equations, endo/exothermic reactions, stoichiometry, and more. First off endothermic and exothermic reactions. Endothermic reactions are reactions that pull heat in, while exothermic reactions are the opposite, they give off heat. For example combustion reactions are almost always exothermic because they give off heat. Next off chemical equations. Chemical equations help you figure out everything you need to know for each reaction. An example of a chemical equation is NaCl + KBr --> KCl + NaBr. In this equation, sodium chloride is reacting with potassium bromide to make potassium chloride and sodium bromide. For the fuel, we used the chemical equation 5C12 H22011 (sugar) + 48KNO3 (potassium nitrate) --> 24K2CO3 + 36CO2 + 55H2O + 24N2. We were also introduced to stoichiometry. It was very confusing, and involved lots of numbers but I think I understand it a little. Hopefully when we do an exclusive lesson on it I’ll get the hang of it. We used stoicheometry to figure out the percentage of potassium nitrate needed to go into the fuel for a chemical reaction. We figured out that for the reaction to work, we needed 26% of the mixture to be sugar, and 74% to be potassium nitrate.
Looking Inward:
I didn't get desirable results because my fuel didn't thrust up into the sky. After the cap fell off, there wasn't enough chamber pressure for the rocket to get off the ground. I believe if I had secured the rocket fuel, the launch would've been more successful, but I believe I performed well. I did my best to follow the instructions and in the end, you can't always get the results you want.
Looking Forward:
If I could redo this, I would do each step of the building process carefully and make sure that the rocket fuel was secure. I don't see a way I could continue this project except for if I decide to build a rocket but I'm looking towards doing lighter experiments instead.
Take Away:
My thoughts on this experiment were mainly that it was really cool. I especially enjoyed the part where we launched the rocket fuel. Some of the fuel went higher than I expected! During the reporting part of the experiment, I had a hard time taking notes. This was because it was difficult for me to transition between taking notes and listening to what Andrew was explaining so I had to search up a few things. But maybe next time I'll employ a new method where I listen first then write down notes after so I can comprehend what Andrew is teaching and have notes to reflect upon rather than just relying on my notes.
In this experiment, we built and tested composite rocket fuel and learned about the science behind how the fuel works. For the rocket fuel to work there needs to be a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction is a process where one or more substances change into a new substance. During this experiment, we learned more about chemical reactions, and were even introduced to stoichiometry. This is how my experiment went.
Looking Back:
My experiment didn't turn out as well as it could've. When I was putting the fuel mixture in, the paper bent and had a crease in it which made it harder to stick the football sized tin foil in. Also I don't believe the canal I drilled in the fuel was big enough. That part was important because it creates surface area needed for the fuel which I believe Brian said. The reason why mine didn't work well was because the cap came off so it didn’t even have enough thrust to push out of the test tube.
Looking Beyond:
When making the fuel, we used potassium nitrate and sucrose. When put together, they form a reaction that is needed for the fuel to work. The potassium nitrate gave off oxygen molecules needed for the experiment while the oxidizer and the sucrose gave off carbon, hydrogen, and more oxygen molecules that were necessary for the experiment. Besides learning about chemical reactions, we also learned about chemical equations, endo/exothermic reactions, stoichiometry, and more. First off endothermic and exothermic reactions. Endothermic reactions are reactions that pull heat in, while exothermic reactions are the opposite, they give off heat. For example combustion reactions are almost always exothermic because they give off heat. Next off chemical equations. Chemical equations help you figure out everything you need to know for each reaction. An example of a chemical equation is NaCl + KBr --> KCl + NaBr. In this equation, sodium chloride is reacting with potassium bromide to make potassium chloride and sodium bromide. For the fuel, we used the chemical equation 5C12 H22011 (sugar) + 48KNO3 (potassium nitrate) --> 24K2CO3 + 36CO2 + 55H2O + 24N2. We were also introduced to stoichiometry. It was very confusing, and involved lots of numbers but I think I understand it a little. Hopefully when we do an exclusive lesson on it I’ll get the hang of it. We used stoicheometry to figure out the percentage of potassium nitrate needed to go into the fuel for a chemical reaction. We figured out that for the reaction to work, we needed 26% of the mixture to be sugar, and 74% to be potassium nitrate.
Looking Inward:
I didn't get desirable results because my fuel didn't thrust up into the sky. After the cap fell off, there wasn't enough chamber pressure for the rocket to get off the ground. I believe if I had secured the rocket fuel, the launch would've been more successful, but I believe I performed well. I did my best to follow the instructions and in the end, you can't always get the results you want.
Looking Forward:
If I could redo this, I would do each step of the building process carefully and make sure that the rocket fuel was secure. I don't see a way I could continue this project except for if I decide to build a rocket but I'm looking towards doing lighter experiments instead.
Take Away:
My thoughts on this experiment were mainly that it was really cool. I especially enjoyed the part where we launched the rocket fuel. Some of the fuel went higher than I expected! During the reporting part of the experiment, I had a hard time taking notes. This was because it was difficult for me to transition between taking notes and listening to what Andrew was explaining so I had to search up a few things. But maybe next time I'll employ a new method where I listen first then write down notes after so I can comprehend what Andrew is teaching and have notes to reflect upon rather than just relying on my notes.