Compressed Air Rocket Fin Design

thingiverse

This lesson plan is designed to help students learn about geometry and physics through a fun and interactive activity involving compressed air rockets. Here's a breakdown of the key elements: **Learning Objectives:** * Classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties * Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes * Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems * Draw polygons in the coordinate plane given coordinates for the vertices * Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures **Activity:** 1. Students will design and build compressed air rockets with different fin designs to optimize their flight. 2. The activity involves creating a hierarchy of two-dimensional figures based on properties, such as symmetrical or non-symmetrical spread of the fins. 3. Students will use scientific calculations to determine the optimal shape and size of each fin to achieve maximum distance. 4. They will also experiment with different materials and designs to see how they affect the rocket's performance. **Assessment:** * Students' ability to classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties * Their understanding of area, volume, and surface area calculations * Their ability to solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures * The success of their compressed air rockets in terms of distance traveled **Rubric:** * Design and construction of the rocket (30%) * Scientific calculations and reasoning (40%) * Experimentation and testing results (30%) **Duration:** * Depending on the level of complexity in scientific calculation and the number of test launches, this activity can vary widely from 1 hour to several weeks. Overall, this lesson plan is a great way to engage students in hands-on learning while teaching them important geometric and mathematical concepts.