Technology and the Diversity of Limits

Students should work with their partners to answer the following questions. Both partners should write the answers in their technology notebooks. You may wish to discuss some of the questions as a class, after students have had time to answer. Alternatively, you might wish to form groups of four who can then discuss their answers.

1. Why do you think the Process and Procedure steps had you test one part of the rocket at a time? How does this relate to fair tests?

   In a fair test, it is important to only test one variable at a time. If the nose cone and the body length were both changed, that would be changing two variables at a time, so the test would not be fair. By focusing on only one part at a time, only one variable was changed in each test.

2. How do you think testing the different parts of the rocket helps you make a better rocket design?

   Students should realize that this is a model for real rockets. By testing each of the different parts, it is easier to see the best conditions for each, and then put them all together. Once they know the best conditions for each part, they can put the parts together to make a better rocket design.

3. Another group has done some of the same tests using a different simulator. Its simulator had more flexibility in where to place the fins. This group found that having three fins on the rocket worked as well as having four fins. Draw a diagram to show how the group might have placed the three fins so that the rocket still flew high and straight in the air.

   Students should draw a picture that shows three equally spaced fins, as in figure T3-1. The simulator students used did not allow them to place three fins equidistant from one another. But students should realize that making the rocket fly high and straight depends more on having equally spaced fins that provide stability than on a certain number of fins.

   Figure T3-1: The placement of three rocket fins. Students should draw three fins equally spaced around the rocket.

   

4. The simulator is a model for a real rocket.

   1. How do you think this model is similar to the tests you would do on a real rocket?

      Questions 4a–d help students think about models and their strengths and limitations. This model is similar to tests run on a real rocket because both allow students to change each rocket part and run tests on it. In a real test, students would collect data to see which rocket went the highest and straightest in the air. The rocket should show results similar to the model.

   2. How do you think this model is different from the tests you would do on a real rocket?

      There are other factors that might affect a real rocket, such as wind. These are not seen in the simulator. Also, it is easy to change parts on the simulator, and it would not be as easy on a real rocket. Students can run more tests on the simulator than they might on a real rocket because the real rocket would require more time, money, and parts.

   3. What are the advantages of using a simulator?

      With the simulator, students can run many tests very quickly. It does not use a lot of money or parts for the rocket. Students can get a good idea of the best conditions before putting the parts onto a real rocket.

   4. What are the disadvantages of using a simulator?

      The simulator does not account for wind and other conditions. The real rocket might not behave in the same way as the rocket on the simulator.

5. In this activity, you practiced contributing helpful actions and ideas. List two specific things that you did to make sure you were contributing good ideas to your team’s work.

   Students will have different ideas about how they contributed helpful actions and ideas. They might list things like thinking about what they were going to say, making sure to stay on task, and explaining their ideas to a partner.