A fun one day mission to build a water-powered rocket was the challenge presented by scientists from the Open University this week.
Five teams from Denbigh, Walton High and Sir Herbert Leon Schools eagerly agreed to take part in the competition.
The students used old plastic bottles and craft materials to explore different rocket designs to carry out experiments to improve their rocket’s launch mechanism and flight path.
Held at Denbigh School, the teams were judged on who could launch their water-powered bottle rockets the furthest horizontal distance, hit a target with their rockets and present their design ideas and processes. Denbigh’s team were triumphant with their problem-solving skills, design ability and impressive presentation on how they made their rocket fly.
Impressed by all of the students’ enthusiasm, Professor of Engaged Research at the Open University, Dr Richard Holliman, said:
“The competition is part of a larger collaboration between the Open University and the Denbigh Teaching School Alliance, with the key aim to enrich the existing school curriculum.
“The students tackled the challenge well and, by giving them the freedom to create what they wanted with minimal instruction, meant they approached the tasks both positively and creatively.”
Denbigh School’s Headteacher, Andy Squires, added:
“Pressure, angles and getting the water measurements just right were some of the elements that the students needed to consider in their design. The students had eight trial runs, with the opportunity to modify their design and approach before their final blast off.
“This is the fifth year that Denbigh has hosted the Open University run competition and, although we were delighted to narrowly defeat one of the other teams, it was a very closely fought competition with two distance records broken this year.”
