Now that you’ve completed Rocket Research
101 and 102, you should have a good basic rocket design. But
there is another factor you must consider. In order to maximize
its performance, you want the rocket to have as little wind
resistance, or “drag,” as possible.
Why? Write down two advantages of having
a rocket with low air drag.
All set? Check your answers here.
The shape of an object plays a key role in
how much drag it experiences while moving through the air
(or any fluid, for that matter). Check this page for a good
review of drag
and the effects of different shapes on drag.
Let's conduct some experiments to better understand
drag.
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