Lab Report: Soaring Staws

Soaring Straws

  In this lab, we had to figure out how the gravitational potential energy of a straw rocket depending on the elastic potential energy of the rubber band launcher. The relationship of the G.P.E (gravitational potential energy) and the E.P.E. (elastic potential energy) is the more the straw stretches, the E.P.E increases which means the straw will go higher than usual. Also, the amount of stretch is the manipulated variable and the responding variable is the height of the trials, which means the amount of stretch is related to the E.P.E. (elastic potential energy). When the rocket takes off it has K.E. (kinetic energy), and the G.P.E and the E.P.E. are now converted to kinetic energy.

            The possible errors that might have occurred are the data could have been typed in the calculator incorrectly. Also, the amount of stretch could have been miscalculated. Another possibility is that the data for the plot could be incorrect.