Hillcrest HS Honors Algebra Students Launch Rockets

“A rocket is launched from the top of a 101-foot cliff with an initial velocity of 116 ft/s. How long will the rocket take to hit the ground after it is launched?”

Who knows?

Ms. Kara Bucci’s Honors Algebra 1 students at Hillcrest High School know - that’s who! They even know how to apply the projectile motion equation to a real life situation!

h(t) = -16t2 +vot + ho

Because………

With the materials from teacher Mr. Mirko Polyak and the students, Ms. Kara Bucci built a rocket launcher to demonstrate the problem! The Algebra students brought two liter bottles and any necessary supplies to “add character to their launcher.” They spent a day brain storming, analyzing, and building their rockets. There were critical decisions to make: what materials would maximize the height and how much water would benefit or hinder the rocket.

“The students were interested in seeing how high they could get the rocket to go, but the assessment was related to modeling the results. Once launched, they timed how long it took the rocket to return and hit the ground. Then the students used that information to calculate the maximum height the rocket reached and its initial velocity when it left the launcher. The goal was to use math to model the path of the rocket,” said Ms. Bucci.

The day after the launch, the students worked on a group quiz where they used a standard equation for projectile motion to calculate the initial velocity and the maximum height. Every student was eager and proud to show their math aptitude. They also had to graph (by hand) the height vs. the time which should have been a parabolic motion.

“I was proud to see all the students enthusiastically collaborating about the calculations and the assignment,“ said Ms. Bucci.