The Launching
To eject the Nerf ball from our cannon, we will be utilizing the reaction between ethanol and oxygen; the balanced chemical equation for this is as follows:
C2H5OH+ 3O2 ------------>2CO2 + 3H20
The Justification Behind the Design
With this task, we had to keep the gas laws in mind. As Boyle's Law states, pressure and volume are inversely proportional; we decided to keep the volume of the area that the oxygen and ethanol would be reacting in smaller so that the pressure will build up and push the ball out with great force.
Gay-Lussac's Law says that temperature and pressure are directly proportional. With the increase in temperature when the ethanol is lit, the pressure in the canister will increase as well, forcing the ball out of its container.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Cannon Design: Materials and Procedure
Materials
1. 2 tennis ball cans
2. Scissors
3. 18 inches of packing tape
4. Protractor
5. Compass (mathematical)
6. Ethanol
7. Nerf ball
Procedure
1. Cut off about 1/3 of the top of one of the tennis ball cans.
2. Tape the 2 cans' lids to the sides of the can that has been cut; this will stabilize and balance the cannon.
3. Make sure that the cannon is at a 45 degree angle
4. Poke a small hole into the topside-bottom half of the cannon with the compass; this will be used to put the drop of ethanol into.
1. 2 tennis ball cans
2. Scissors
3. 18 inches of packing tape
4. Protractor
5. Compass (mathematical)
6. Ethanol
7. Nerf ball
Procedure
1. Cut off about 1/3 of the top of one of the tennis ball cans.
2. Tape the 2 cans' lids to the sides of the can that has been cut; this will stabilize and balance the cannon.
3. Make sure that the cannon is at a 45 degree angle
4. Poke a small hole into the topside-bottom half of the cannon with the compass; this will be used to put the drop of ethanol into.
Cannon Design
My partners in the actual designing of our cannon are Natassja Simpspon and Natalie Kretschmer.
This is our first design idea for our cannon; as you can see, it's pretty bad.
This is the final cannon design that we actually built and will be launching our Nerf ball from.
This is when we were first setting up and really starting to build the cannon.
This is the final product; we'll hopefully be launching it tomorrow!
This is when we were first setting up and really starting to build the cannon.
Math Component
Initial velocity equation: (speed(ft/sec))cos(launch angle)
Quadratic Model: h= -16t^2+vot+ho
A cannonball is shot upward from the upper deck of a fort with an initial velocity of 192 feet per second. The deck is 32 feet above the ground.
1. Type the model into your calculator in "Y=."
2. Graph.
3. Go to table and see how high the number in the "Y" axis goes; it will be 608.
4. 608 feet is how high the cannonball will go.
5. Scroll down the table to where the "Y" axis is closest to zero; it will be between 12 and 13.
6. The cannonball is in the air for 12 seconds.
Quadratic Model: h= -16t^2+vot+ho
A cannonball is shot upward from the upper deck of a fort with an initial velocity of 192 feet per second. The deck is 32 feet above the ground.
1. Type the model into your calculator in "Y=."
2. Graph.
3. Go to table and see how high the number in the "Y" axis goes; it will be 608.
4. 608 feet is how high the cannonball will go.
5. Scroll down the table to where the "Y" axis is closest to zero; it will be between 12 and 13.
6. The cannonball is in the air for 12 seconds.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Citations
www.wikipedia.org
aero-news.net
blogs.edweek.org
library.thinkquest.org
simplyartonline.net
fineartamerica.com
historylink101.com
Ethics of Weapon Development
I believe it is moral for societies to develop weapons of mass destruction. While it is a terrible thing to have to go to war, on many occasions it is necessary. If people had not been willing to fight the Germans in World War II, the Jewish, gypsies, homosexuals, along with other persecuted groups, would have continued to be killed in death and concentration camps; we might also ALL be Germans by now if Adolf Hitler had not been stopped. If the American colonists had not revolted against Britain, we might still be an English colony. Countries need to be able to build what weapons they deem necessary to protect themselves and their allies. It would be a very horrible thing if the United States was attacked and we did not have adequate weaponry to protect ourselves because someone dubbed it 'unethical.' While violence is never a good thing, on certain occasions it is a necessary evil; great weapons are often needed in order to prevent an even greater horror.
English Component: Weapons in "A Long Way Gone"
In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael, along with numerous other child soldiers have much access to weapons. I believe that these children should never have been exposed to this violence. Most were too young, naive, or innocent to really know what they were doing; the adults were completely immoral in allowing this to happen. Some may say desperate times call for desperate measures, and while I agree with this statement at times, in these circumstances, many were robbed of their childhoods and happiness in their lives.
I would certainly not say weapons development itslef is unethical, though; they just must be used responsibly. The people of Sierra Leone of course should have the right to keep and develop weaponry to protect themselves and stand up for their beliefs. It is just whenever those people get innocents involved that it is truly unethical.
I would certainly not say weapons development itslef is unethical, though; they just must be used responsibly. The people of Sierra Leone of course should have the right to keep and develop weaponry to protect themselves and stand up for their beliefs. It is just whenever those people get innocents involved that it is truly unethical.
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