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One of my favorite studies in projectile motion is the catapult.
From what I've seen most catapult builders go
for raw power; that is, something that will shoot as far as possible.
Where this does present numerous benefits, it has limited
value so far as the study of projectile motion goes. In our project, the
goal is to hit a target, namely, me. My students shoot
water balloons from the 12 yard line of the football field and I am sitting 3 yards
behind the front of the goalpost. Therefore, the length of the shot is constrained
to 25 yards and trajectory has become an issue. |
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Although it may seem as though tuning in the distance and
trajectory would be the primary issue, over the years the greater issue has
been alignment. For the most part, through practice my students are able to
tune in the distance fairly well. However, on the big day, when you only
get three shots, it is very difficult to align the catapult accurately. In all fairness, I usually summon up miserable weather conditions on that day and the wind is gusting from 20 to 60 miles per hour. My students think this is terribly unfair; however, I argue that they wouldn't postpone a war for a little wind and, besides, it just makes understanding physics that much more important. You can see why they all hate me. | |||||
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For the project itself, click here |
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For a list of the nasty individuals who had the gall to hit me
click here. |
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For pictures of this year's project, click here. |
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