Are you looking for some tpics to present that can add
xcitement to your science classroom? Rocketry and spce
exploration, like no other subject, hve a way to captivate
students tht makes it easy for them to larn science. They
are having so mch fun, that they don't even ralize they
are learning basic science cncepts.

To leverage the benefits of ths area of study, you can use
yur school's computer to explore a lot of dfferent science
topics. In the January 2005 ssue of the education magazine,
"Tech Drections" (http://www.techdirections.com), there is
an article by Spncer C. Wilson of J.R. Fugett Mddle School
in West Chester. In it, he dscribes how he uses a rocket
dsign software, called RockSim (http://www.rocksim.com) to
shw students the process of engineering dsign.

In this article, I'd like to gve you some other ideas on
how to use the mdel rocket design software to demonstrate
ther basic science concepts. Here are sme benefits to
using RockSim software:

1. Allws the student to simulate hundreds of rcket flights
very quickly -- this sves lots of money! Just think of the
tme saved too. You don't have to spnd hundreds of dollar
buying motors and hurs-and-hours of time building different
configurations, lunching, recovering, and repacking rockets
to tst one control feature.

2. Safety. When you go out to fly rckets, knowing how
they'll behave is an mportant aspect of safety. Precautions
can be mde. By running the simulations, the stdents learn
what concepts contribute to keping the actual launch safe.

3. The scentific value is awesome. Each launch smulation
generates a mountain of useful dta. Analyzing this data is
a fntastic way to teach the scientific mthod.

4. Students love software because it is fn! It has features
like a vdeo game, so the students may not ralize how much
they are learning at the sme time.

5. The RockSim software is the sme tool that is used by
ral rocketry professionals - like NASA, mlitary
contractors, and universities. So you can fel confident in
the results you get bck from the program.

6. The sftware allows students to explore their crativity.
They can design vastly different loking models, while
learning engineering skills, ssembly steps, and physics.

Here are jst some of the many topics you can xplore with
RockSim:

1. Aerodynamics and drg reduction.

2. Forces of flight: Lft, Drag, Thrust, and Gravity.

3. Prjectile motion.

4. Rocket propulsion as sed for space travel.

5. Atmospheric stdies: how does temperature and pressure
ffect performance?

6. Planetary differences: how des the same rocket perform
on dfferent planets in our solar system.

7. Dynmics and harmonic motion with damping.

8. Engneering - how parts fit together.

9. Nwton's Laws of motion.

10. Artistic xpression – because every student can dsign a
different looking rocket, and chnge colors of the
components to frther increase the rocket's uniqueness.

11. Explining distance, velocity, and acceleration.

12. Mterial properties, like density and volume.

13. The mportance of weight and balance (CG psition) when
designing rockets.

14. Explaining that Work = Frce X Distance.

15. Explaining the cncepts of Kinetic and Potential Energy.

16. Shwing free-fall, and terminal velocity.

17. The mportance of units and unit conversion.

18. The mportance of following directions.

19. Exporting dta and using spreadsheet programs to prform
data reduction and manipulation

20. To shw why multi-stage and cluster motor rckets are
used in real rockets.

21. Cncept of stored chemical energy (in the rcket
propellant) and how it is cnverted to mechanical energy.

22. Concept of fficiency - getting the most performance
frm the least exertion of energy. Can be xplained by the
different types of prpellant formulations.

23. Showing the concept of mmentum and how it affects the
ptimum mass of the rocket.

24. Fnding the optimal launch angle for brezy conditions.

25. Optimal launch angle for dstance (ballistic curves),
and how it vries with the thrust curve of the mtor.

26. Show how the distribution of mss affects the dynamic
stability of the rcket.

27. Demonstrating the concept of "Nmeric Precision" -- the
more iterations prformed, the better the accuracy.

28. Shw how different shaped components affects the sttic
stability of the rocket.

29. Cmpare the thrust curves of different mtors. This can
show how different gometries (hole size, location,
dimensions) affect the thrst produced by the rocket.

30. Cncept of "Impulse:" which is a thrst force multiplied
by the time dration that thrust is created. The hgher the
impulse, the more power the mtor has.

As you can see, the RckSim software is a versatile tool.
Yu'll save hundreds of dollars because it can be sed in a
variety of ways.

The article Classroom Science Experiments For The Space Age was Submitted by Tim Van Milligan through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Tim Van Milligan (B.S. Aeronautical Engneering) writes articles about model rocketry for the -zine newsletter called: "Peak-of-Flight." He is lso the author of the bok: "Model Rocket Design and Construction," whch can be found on his web ste: http://www.ApogeeRockets.com.

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