Hypothesis
A shorter barrel (volume) and a higher environmental temperature magnify the pressure exerted from the ethanol combustion resulting in the Nerf ball being fired a greater distance.
Materials
2 tennis ball cans with tops
12 inch strip of tape
1 pair of scissors
Canon construction design choice
The canon design was very simple, it consisted of a partially cut tennis ball can as the barrel. To achieve our desired angle we made the other can into the base by cutting it down and using a protractor to see if he got the right angle.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Science Component: Procedure
Step 1: Peel off the label of both cans.
Step 2: Cut off the the bottom of one of the cans.
Step 3: Measure the desired angle of 33 degrees
and cut the second tennis ball can at that angle and at height so the barrel is stable, also so that the top will still be attached.
Step 4: Now you have a tennis ball base with a top at the bottom and a tennis ball can barrel with a cut off chamber and a top on it's end. Cut a small hole for a whick to light the ethonal that will be poured in it. Then tape the base to barrel and the cannon will be complete.
Math Component
Launch angle choice
Our main problem in choosing an angle was how to have as minimal wind resistance as possible. We decided there was two ways to go high or go low. The probability of going high enough to escape resistance was very low so we went with a lower angle. The next step was finding an angle that would be low enough to avoid the wind but also have maximum distance. In our research we found 36.5 degrees recommended by several websites, but to account for wind resistance we lowered the angle to 34 degrees. Thirty-four degrees is the angle that will acoount for real life situations, such as wind, in cannon firing, while still shooting the Nerf ball the greatest distance.
Intial Velocity Calculations
Formula for Calculating Distance
R= Vo2 sin2O/g
Refernce Table
g- the gravitational constant (g= 32.2 ft/sec2)
O- measure the launch angle in degrees
R- the distance your projectile flies in the air
Vo2- the intial velocity
Formula for Calculating Intial Velocity
Vo2= Rg/ sin2O
Intial Velocity
Vo2= 0
The intial velocity was zero due to the fact the cannon did not fire.
Our main problem in choosing an angle was how to have as minimal wind resistance as possible. We decided there was two ways to go high or go low. The probability of going high enough to escape resistance was very low so we went with a lower angle. The next step was finding an angle that would be low enough to avoid the wind but also have maximum distance. In our research we found 36.5 degrees recommended by several websites, but to account for wind resistance we lowered the angle to 34 degrees. Thirty-four degrees is the angle that will acoount for real life situations, such as wind, in cannon firing, while still shooting the Nerf ball the greatest distance.
Intial Velocity Calculations
Formula for Calculating Distance
R= Vo2 sin2O/g
Refernce Table
g- the gravitational constant (g= 32.2 ft/sec2)
O- measure the launch angle in degrees
R- the distance your projectile flies in the air
Vo2- the intial velocity
Formula for Calculating Intial Velocity
Vo2= Rg/ sin2O
Intial Velocity
Vo2= 0
The intial velocity was zero due to the fact the cannon did not fire.
Social Studies Component: 1700's Cannon
Catapults are one of the world's oldest type of canons, which are just anything that can launch a projectile. A catapult at it's base is just that: it is a machine that hurls projectiles across long distance. The design of the Catapult dates back to China where it was like a very large crossbow. The catapult design is most famous in medieval times where much like in China crossbows became larger and larger until the catapult we know developed. The catapult did not always have it's swinging arm, that came into its design over time. With the swinging arm's development catapults did not have any restriction of what it could launch; in some places they launched the bodies of dead soldiers or anything else that was available. The materials that were required to make a catapult were usually long timbers that were held together by wooden screws. The materials changed depending on what type of catapult was being made, but the usually design was of the picture above. Four wheels for movement, gears that were hand operated to tighten the catapult and a big wooden head to hold the projectile. The launching of a catapult was somewhat of a long process, but after it was et up the gears simply needed to be released and tension did the rest. Catapults were very powerful canons during thier time, but with the development of fire arms and artillery the catapult was quickly abandoned.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Scoial Studies Component: 1800's Cannon
The picture above is of the Columbiad canon. It's initial cost prevented it from being commonly used. Design changes lowered the price and made it more available. The United States was the only country that widely used the Columbiad. Prior to the Civil War, Officer Thomas Jackson Rodman made a design change to the Columbiad, so it took the name the Rodman gun. The Rodman design carried over to many other types of canons. The Confederate States used the canon heavily during the Civil War, but most Columbiads were confiscated by the Union. After The Civil War, the canons were placed in coastal forts because of their ability to easily pierce a ship's hull. It was heavily used again during the War of 1812 by the Americans as a coastal canon because of its long range and powerful shells. The Columbiad could fire a forty pound cannon ball up to fire five miles. Stationery models not designed to pivot had a more limited its firing range. Due to their large size, the cannons were not usually moved after being mounted. A smaller more portable design of the Columbiad could fire forty pound shells 5000 yards. The impressive range and power of the Columbiad made it a weapon an opposing navy would fear coming up against. However, as ship's hulls got stronger, the Columbiad was eventually phased out of the army and replaced by newer, stronger canons.
Social Studies Component: 1900's-Present Cannon
The M114 Howitzer was the canon used by US troops during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnamese War. It was a medium artillery piece that used standard, 155 mm ammo and had to be towed from location to location due to it's size. Also due to it's size took a crew of eleven to operate. The origins of the M114 Howitzer lie in post World War I France, where the French were working on developing a new cartridge for the M-1918 155 mm Howitzer. They went on to develop a new howitzer, the M114 (155-mm). The new Howitzer was put into use in 1942 and during the Korean War was mounted on a M5 light tank. The Howitzer can fire many different types of shells such as HE M102 and 107 shells. It was a powerful canon for its time but became obsolete when it was replaced by new cannons that could shoot farther and kill more people. A cannon is judged by it's ability to kill and from how far away. As time goes on cannons are made that are better than before taking away the glory of war from looking an enemy in the eye and killing him to pushing a button to drop an atomic bomb.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
English Component: "The Charge of the Light Brigade"
Light Brigade Poem Analysis
Before Reading Questions
What are some examples of times when people must obey an authority figure, even though they may not want to?
There are many times where people must follow orders from an authority figure. In the military, when soldiers are given an order by a commanding officer they follow it or resign. Anyone who has a job has at one point been given a task by their boss that did not want to do. Also when a law enforcement agent gives you an order you comply or risk getting arrested. There are many times where you will be given a task or a order that you don't agree with but comply with to avoid the possible consequences.
Must military commanders enforce harsh discipline on their soldier?
My answer would vary depending on the severity of the discipline used. Excessive force, such as hazing I disapprove of, but the standard, grueling drills I can accept of. The endless drilling is not only a way of physically preparing soldiers but a way of their commanding officers to assert dominance and put the soldiers into a state where they will follow orders diligently. In response to a mistake or misconduct I also approve of drilling as a way of disciplining.
Is it important for a military outfit to work as a team?
For a military outfit to survive in combat and succeed in a mission is imperative that they work as a team. A military outfit must function as one body with many different parts, playing off their own and each others strengths and weaknesses. They must look out for one another and watch over each. So yes teamwork is extremely important for a military outfit.
What are the consequences if a commander is unable to keep his or her troops under control during wartime?
The consequences consist of nothing good or favorable. Where the head goes the body follows, if the commanding officer is unable to control their troops then it will lead to the units failure of a mission, maiming or death.
After Reading Analysis
"The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Lord Alfred Tennyson is a tribute to the honor, courage and valor displayed by the Light Brigade during the conflict between Turkey, Russia, and later Great Britain known as the Crimean War. Tennyson wrote the poem on a napkin at a coffee shop after reading a newspaper article about the war. His message in the poem shows what his view of the war was as a citizen at home: he views war as a glorious thing with soldiers honorably defending their country.
The poem consists of six stanzas of different lengths with a weak rhyme scheme that varies from stanza to stanza. Tennyson uses the last lines of each stanza to build or release tension. He builds tension with the “600” going “into the valley of death”, then “into the jaws of death”, and “into the mouth of hell”. He defends their valor in defeat using the words “came thro' the jaws of death” and “back from the mouth of hell”. These descriptive lines give the reader a visual to the course of the soldier’s battle from slowly riding “half a league, half league, half a league onward”, to arriving at the “mouth of hell”, and then retreating from overwhelming numbers.
The “600” is an important reoccurring term that Tennyson uses to express different ideas about the brigade. At the end of stanza four, before the Light Brigade’s retreat, Tennyson writes “Then they rode back, but not, Not the six hundred”, noting that the Brigade is no longer the unit it once was. Tennyson views the Brigade’s defeat differently than most. England's involvement is viewed by many as one failure after another while Tennyson honors the effort the soldiers and the price that they paid on the battlefield. He honors their sacrifice in the last stanza writing "When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred".
Another reoccurring term, “cannon”, is used with description of scenery such as "into the valley of death" or “into the mouth of hell” to put the reader on the battle field and invoke strong emotions for the death of soldiers. The stanza that works the most to put the reader on the battlefield and reveal their desperate situation is also the most famous part of the poem: "Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred".
Overall the poem's message is very transparent, but there are several less obvious references. In the second stanza, Tennyson writes "Someone had blunder'd", this someone is never revealed but is most likely the commander of the Light Brigade, Lord Raglan. Lord Raglan failed in preparing and coordinating the troops and in anticipating the enemy, as well as, other tactical decisions. Another discreet message further implicates Lord Raglan, another discreet message within the same stanza states, "Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die". These lines show that a soldier is not question anything but to be happy to fight for their country despite the failures of their commander.
Before Reading Questions
What are some examples of times when people must obey an authority figure, even though they may not want to?
There are many times where people must follow orders from an authority figure. In the military, when soldiers are given an order by a commanding officer they follow it or resign. Anyone who has a job has at one point been given a task by their boss that did not want to do. Also when a law enforcement agent gives you an order you comply or risk getting arrested. There are many times where you will be given a task or a order that you don't agree with but comply with to avoid the possible consequences.
Must military commanders enforce harsh discipline on their soldier?
My answer would vary depending on the severity of the discipline used. Excessive force, such as hazing I disapprove of, but the standard, grueling drills I can accept of. The endless drilling is not only a way of physically preparing soldiers but a way of their commanding officers to assert dominance and put the soldiers into a state where they will follow orders diligently. In response to a mistake or misconduct I also approve of drilling as a way of disciplining.
Is it important for a military outfit to work as a team?
For a military outfit to survive in combat and succeed in a mission is imperative that they work as a team. A military outfit must function as one body with many different parts, playing off their own and each others strengths and weaknesses. They must look out for one another and watch over each. So yes teamwork is extremely important for a military outfit.
What are the consequences if a commander is unable to keep his or her troops under control during wartime?
The consequences consist of nothing good or favorable. Where the head goes the body follows, if the commanding officer is unable to control their troops then it will lead to the units failure of a mission, maiming or death.
After Reading Analysis
"The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Lord Alfred Tennyson is a tribute to the honor, courage and valor displayed by the Light Brigade during the conflict between Turkey, Russia, and later Great Britain known as the Crimean War. Tennyson wrote the poem on a napkin at a coffee shop after reading a newspaper article about the war. His message in the poem shows what his view of the war was as a citizen at home: he views war as a glorious thing with soldiers honorably defending their country.
The poem consists of six stanzas of different lengths with a weak rhyme scheme that varies from stanza to stanza. Tennyson uses the last lines of each stanza to build or release tension. He builds tension with the “600” going “into the valley of death”, then “into the jaws of death”, and “into the mouth of hell”. He defends their valor in defeat using the words “came thro' the jaws of death” and “back from the mouth of hell”. These descriptive lines give the reader a visual to the course of the soldier’s battle from slowly riding “half a league, half league, half a league onward”, to arriving at the “mouth of hell”, and then retreating from overwhelming numbers.
The “600” is an important reoccurring term that Tennyson uses to express different ideas about the brigade. At the end of stanza four, before the Light Brigade’s retreat, Tennyson writes “Then they rode back, but not, Not the six hundred”, noting that the Brigade is no longer the unit it once was. Tennyson views the Brigade’s defeat differently than most. England's involvement is viewed by many as one failure after another while Tennyson honors the effort the soldiers and the price that they paid on the battlefield. He honors their sacrifice in the last stanza writing "When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred".
Another reoccurring term, “cannon”, is used with description of scenery such as "into the valley of death" or “into the mouth of hell” to put the reader on the battle field and invoke strong emotions for the death of soldiers. The stanza that works the most to put the reader on the battlefield and reveal their desperate situation is also the most famous part of the poem: "Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred".
Overall the poem's message is very transparent, but there are several less obvious references. In the second stanza, Tennyson writes "Someone had blunder'd", this someone is never revealed but is most likely the commander of the Light Brigade, Lord Raglan. Lord Raglan failed in preparing and coordinating the troops and in anticipating the enemy, as well as, other tactical decisions. Another discreet message further implicates Lord Raglan, another discreet message within the same stanza states, "Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die". These lines show that a soldier is not question anything but to be happy to fight for their country despite the failures of their commander.
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