Spooky Science #2 – Candy corn catapult
Ghostly greetings, pumpkin pies!
It is your favorite not-so-mad scientist again, bringing another day of Spooky science.
Did you get to scare someone with your articulated hands? Did you make any different designs? I hope so. And if you did, make sure to post on your social media and tag g4g! I would love to see what you guys created!
But no more waiting. Today we will be throwing candy corn and marshmallows up in the air with some great catapults made of popsicle sticks, and we will learn about the physics of it all. How fast do you think you can throw? How far do you think you can go? Does the weight of the candy will change anything? Let’s talk STEM and find out with this fantastic and quick experiment that will make you challenge your friends to see who the candy corn throwing champion really is.
Ready? Scared? GO!
Materials needed:
- Popsicle Sticks
- Rubber bands
- Candy corn, marshmallow, or any other Halloween candy.
- For the basket, you can try it: plastic spoons, a bottle cap, etc.
- Hot glue
How to?
First, we need to understand the basics of a catapult. What does a catapult do, and how does it work?
A catapult is an ancient weapon used on battlefields to launch big things such as rocks or projectiles without explosives. A catapult will work on energy that is created, stored, transferred, and converted. With this experiment, you will see it happening, and you will try to guess what is going on with your stick catapult.
For the energy to be created, we first will need to apply some force to it. The amount of force used is proportional to the mass of the object. If it’s a big and heavy object, you will need to apply more force, but if it’s a small and light object, you do not need to use much force.
The catapult will transfer energy from one place to another. So when we pull down the basket and the stick with the object on it, we apply force and create energy. This energy is called: POTENTIAL ENERGY and will be stored in the stick you are pulling down. The moment you let go, the energy will be transferred to the object launched, and now it becomes motion energy, also called KINETIC ENERGY, and the object will fly in the air.
Now that you know how catapults work, let’s create some designs using your rubber bands and popsicle sticks.
Why don’t you get a paper and draw some designs too? Also, try to make predictions about the candy corn and the marshmallows with questions like:
Which will shoot the farthest?
Which will shoot the highest?
What designs will work best for each candy?
What happens if I try a piece of chocolate? (Note to self: don’t eat the chocolate before the experiment!)
When you make predictions like this, you are creating a hypothesis. When you start testing your predictions and theories, you will obtain results that may or may not be the same as your predictions.
And just like that, you are applying the scientific method to a simple Halloween experiment. Boo-yah!
I think that is the most fantastic Halloween I could ever ask for!
How did your catapults do? Tag g4g on our social media to tell me how your experiment went! I can’t wait to hear your results.
It’s not hocus pocus! It’s science!
See you tomorrow with pumpkin wishes and candy corn kisses!
And remember: If you want a tasty treat, be sure to holler Trick-or-Treat!
Jess
