This made materials management very easy after the initial work putting it all together. Separate plastic baggies (gallon and quart) labeled with the name of each student were set up so the supplies (quart sized baggie) could reside in the larger (gallon sized baggie) with the goggles and the paper copy of the lab report. This activity allowed me to separate out individual supplies and a pair of lab safety goggles. I talk a lot about safety in science class and this year has been no exception. The third model shown in the pictures (above, far right) was created to demonstrate a different pivot point with the cork and it allowed me to launch the same projectiles pretty far (into the hallway!), so I knew that would be a fun reveal prior to sending the catapults home for any further re-designs the kids might do on their own. Pandemic teaching in person means conserving energy and after a few takes I just took what I had to try to make it work - the students did just fine using it since I prepped them that the audio had issues in that video. Even though I was aware of it after recording I did not have the energy to re-record with all steps. Please note that the “B” design video has some issues with audio quality. See the videos I created for students (A and B designs) at the end of this post. Please note that the students still required support, but it was a lot easier for me to circulate through the room and answer questions as needed rather than trying to keep everyone on the same page with an in-person demonstration. The videos allow students to pause as needed or even have students who were absent catch up without needing direct intervention from the teacher. This served to let students know which of the two designs they were building and gave them some independence to follow the video versus watching me build them in real time. I took time to record the step-by-step process to build each design so I could push it out with the lab report document. Projectiles (pom poms, ping pong balls, etc.There was no real solution diversity to speak of overall, but there are two student designs that I chose to give them something to compare and discuss. Let’s pit three basic popsicle stick catapults against each other to find the ultimate popsicle stick catapult design! Supplies If your goal with a catapult is to stay as far away as you can while still sending an object a great distance with force and accuracy, what makes a better catapult? How can changing your design or materials impact your force and distance? The physics behind a catapult are simple, pulling back on the arm creates stored or potential energy and when you release the arm it converts that energy to motion and flings your object through the air. Catapults have been used as weapons since ancient times, their ability to launch heavy projectiles across long distances made them a key element in warfare, you could attack while keeping away at a safe distance.Īny catapult has three basic parts – the arm (including the bucket), an elastic force (elastic force most often uses tension – stretching force or torsion – a twisting force) and the base or fulcrum (the point where your force and arm meet). Thanks!Ĭatapults are one of my all time favorite STEM projects, whether we are sending out a siege of marshmallow snowballs or launching Peeps into easter baskets, kids are always, always enthralled with a good catapult project. Or visit our YouTube channel to see if the video has been uploaded there. Not seeing our videos? Turn off any adblockers to ensure our video feed can be seen. As an Amazon Influencer I earn from qualifying purchases. Disclaimer: This article may contain commission or affiliate links.
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