Project One Contributions

 My Contributions to Project One (rockets)

Introduction 

Project One focused on accurately modeling the trajectory of a rocket and a rubber band by accounting for all forces acting on the rocket at any given moment. My primary role in this project was writing code and developing a precise simulation of the rocket's flight path based on its initial stretch and launch angle. Additionally, I organized the data and visualized the results through graphs, creating a slideshow to effectively present our findings.

project background

In this project, we used VPython to model the trajectory of a rocket launched with a rubber band, accounting for all forces acting on it, including gravity, air resistance, and the force from the stretched band. By coding a simulation, we could track the rocket’s motion in real time and analyze how different launch angles and stretches affected its path. VPython allowed us to update velocity and position step by step, creating an accurate visual of the flight. This project helped us better understand projectile motion and how computational tools can model real-world physics problems.

My Contributions

1. Coding the Rocket’s Flight Simulation

- Writing the equations of motion to update the rocket’s position and velocity at each time step.

- Incorporating gravitational force, air resistance, and the force from the rubber band.

- Debugging and refining the code to ensure accurate motion based on physics equations.

2. Data Organization and Visualization

I collected and organized data from different launch conditions, such as varying stretch amounts and angles.

-Using VPython’s built-in graphing tools, I helped visualize how these factors affected the rocket’s motion.

-I analyzed trends in the data to confirm that our simulation aligned with our video analysis outcomes.

3. Presentation and Documentation

- I created a slideshow summarizing our project’s purpose, methodology, and results.

- I helped structure the presentation to clearly explain how our simulation worked and what we learned.

- During our final presentation, I contributed by explaining the data collection and the significance of our results.

Results and Impact

My contributions helped build a functional and accurate simulation of the rocket’s flight, allowing us to test different launch conditions and analyze their effects. The data we collected and visualized provided valuable insights into projectile motion and the forces at play. This project improved my coding skills and deepened my understanding of physics simulations, demonstrating how computational tools can be used to model real-world motion.