Captain Falcon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
raced_god) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
smash_logs2010-10-28 06:06 pm
raced_god) wrote in smash_logs2010-10-28 06:06 pm
operation pumpkin drop
Who: Falcon and YOU
What: HALLOWEEN PHYSICS
When: Friday, October 29th
Where: Parking lot.
Warnings: The return of flinging stuff off the roof/at each other.
[There's a note on the door! It says, quite simply "PHYSICS MEETS IN THE PARKING LOT". It's a nice day outside, albeit a tad chilly, and FALCON IS ACTUALLY THERE ON TIME, sort of. He's sitting on top of his giant blue screaming metal death trap, completely not paying attention to people who might arrive early. Why? Because he's Captain Falcon and he's weird.]
[There is a pile of un-carved, medium-sized pumpkins that he obviously swiped from all over campus. Sorry, Bob.]
[There is also a pile of what looks like the result of some really hardcore, industrial dumpster diving. Styrofoam, ziplock bags, garbage bags, hubcaps, springs, a few small plastic garbage cans, PVC piping, metal piping, chicken wire, regular wire, wooden dowels and pallets, bags of sand, tennis balls, milk crates, sheets, canvas, tape, towels, garden hose, cardboard boxes, packing peanuts...this is a seriously impressive collection of junk.
Despite being there on time, he waits a full five minutes before class is supposed to start before he actually sits up, hops off, and gets down to business.]
So I thought today we'd do a little project. We're going to be throwing pumpkins off the roof.
[Obviously there is a catch.]
The goal is to prevent your pumpkin from smashing when it hits the ground. That's where all this other stuff comes in.
[He gestures to the pile o junk.] Engineer some kind of device that will protect the pumpkin when it's dropped off the roof. You smash the pumpkin, you lose. Simple enough to understand.
[Falcon grabs a pumpkin and climbs to the top of his car, where he lets the unfortunate gourd hit the asphalt.]
If you were paying attention to how the pumpkin broke, you're already one step ahead. This is as much about engineering as it is about physics. Understanding what happens when pumpkin hits the ground, how much it weighs, how it shatters will help you more effectively figure out how to absorb and disperse the force of the impact, choose your materials, and build your device accordingly.
[Is that sidewalk chalk? It's sidewalk chalk.]
That's it. That's your hint.
Rules are as follows: You can work by yourself or in groups of two. No electronic devices, propulsion systems, automatic or remote mechanisms, magic, or anything else you might try to McGyver out of computer chips and lasers. Use some elbow grease for once. You fill a container with water and stick your pumpkin in it, I disqualify you. No launching the pumpkins, we're just dropping them. You can test your device, but you only get one pumpkin, and one shot from the roof, so keep that in mind and trust your calculations.
I'll be around to answer any questions for the entire period. You'll have all class to work on this, and then at the end, we'll all go up to the roof and start tossing. Since this is a bit of a tricky project, you won't be penalized if your pumpkin smashes, but if you're successful, I'll give you some extra credit.
If you jump off the roof, you insta-fail my class.
What: HALLOWEEN PHYSICS
When: Friday, October 29th
Where: Parking lot.
Warnings: The return of flinging stuff off the roof/at each other.
[There's a note on the door! It says, quite simply "PHYSICS MEETS IN THE PARKING LOT". It's a nice day outside, albeit a tad chilly, and FALCON IS ACTUALLY THERE ON TIME, sort of. He's sitting on top of his giant blue screaming metal death trap, completely not paying attention to people who might arrive early. Why? Because he's Captain Falcon and he's weird.]
[There is a pile of un-carved, medium-sized pumpkins that he obviously swiped from all over campus. Sorry, Bob.]
[There is also a pile of what looks like the result of some really hardcore, industrial dumpster diving. Styrofoam, ziplock bags, garbage bags, hubcaps, springs, a few small plastic garbage cans, PVC piping, metal piping, chicken wire, regular wire, wooden dowels and pallets, bags of sand, tennis balls, milk crates, sheets, canvas, tape, towels, garden hose, cardboard boxes, packing peanuts...this is a seriously impressive collection of junk.
Despite being there on time, he waits a full five minutes before class is supposed to start before he actually sits up, hops off, and gets down to business.]
So I thought today we'd do a little project. We're going to be throwing pumpkins off the roof.
[Obviously there is a catch.]
The goal is to prevent your pumpkin from smashing when it hits the ground. That's where all this other stuff comes in.
[He gestures to the pile o junk.] Engineer some kind of device that will protect the pumpkin when it's dropped off the roof. You smash the pumpkin, you lose. Simple enough to understand.
[Falcon grabs a pumpkin and climbs to the top of his car, where he lets the unfortunate gourd hit the asphalt.]
If you were paying attention to how the pumpkin broke, you're already one step ahead. This is as much about engineering as it is about physics. Understanding what happens when pumpkin hits the ground, how much it weighs, how it shatters will help you more effectively figure out how to absorb and disperse the force of the impact, choose your materials, and build your device accordingly.
[Is that sidewalk chalk? It's sidewalk chalk.]
That's it. That's your hint.
Rules are as follows: You can work by yourself or in groups of two. No electronic devices, propulsion systems, automatic or remote mechanisms, magic, or anything else you might try to McGyver out of computer chips and lasers. Use some elbow grease for once. You fill a container with water and stick your pumpkin in it, I disqualify you. No launching the pumpkins, we're just dropping them. You can test your device, but you only get one pumpkin, and one shot from the roof, so keep that in mind and trust your calculations.
I'll be around to answer any questions for the entire period. You'll have all class to work on this, and then at the end, we'll all go up to the roof and start tossing. Since this is a bit of a tricky project, you won't be penalized if your pumpkin smashes, but if you're successful, I'll give you some extra credit.
If you jump off the roof, you insta-fail my class.