1/28/2024 0 Comments Homemade catapult![]() The more tension in the catapult, the farther the objects will fly. With a popsicle stick and a rubber band, the kids will build a launcher that can shoot small objects several feet across a room. Kids can become their own mechanical engineers when they create this simple DIY popsicle stick catapult project. The engineer will then turn this design into a working machine by making drawings or building models. They work in a variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, biomedical, robotics, and many more.Ī mechanical engineer typically takes a project from conception to completion by helping create a blueprint or design for the machine. Mechanical engineers use math, science, and technology to design products that move or power themselves. Mechanical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the design, construction, and operation of machinery. The engineering process is broken down into five steps: planning, designing, building, testing, and evaluating, which can all be applied when making a catapult popsicle stick. They don’t take long to make and it is a fun introduction to the basics of the design process and mechanical engineering, which makes this an excellent STEM activity for kids. What is a popsicle stick catapult?Ī popsicle stick catapult is a toy that you can make out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands. This is what makes it so much fun.Ĭheck out the Water Pencil in a bag and the Surface Tension Experiment too. As you dive into it more, you can see about using different objects for this science experiment as well. This activity is a great way to explore engineering and physics concepts. Popsicle Stick Catapult Building Instructions.What materials do you need to make a popsicle stick catapult?.How to make a catapult with popsicle sticks.When you release the stick all that potential energy is released into energy in motion producing the projectile motion.Ī catapult is a simple machine that has been around for ages. ![]() You can talk about stored energy or potential elastic energy as you pull back on the Popsicle stick, bending it. If you want to delve deeper into Newton’s Laws, check out the information here. ![]() Gravity also does its part as it pulls the object back down to the ground. When you pull down the lever arm all that potential energy gets stored up! Release it and that potential energy gradually changes over to kinetic energy. Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion state that an object at rest stays at rest until a force is applied, and an object will stay in motion until something creates an imbalance in the motion. You can also learn about projectile motion. What is there to explore that has to do with physics? Let’s start with energy including elastic potential energy. This is a great simple physics activity for kids of multiple ages. How about 6 or 10? What are the differences when tested?ĪLSO CHECK OUT: Easy Science Fair Projects HOW DO CATAPULTS WORK? You can also test out the number of popsicle sticks used in the stack to create the tension need to launch the catapult. What kinds of conclusions can they draw from the information gathered? Which item worked the best? Which item didn’t work well at all? Have your kids fire each material 10 times and record the distance each time. Additionally, you can encourage older kids to record the data from measuring all the launches. This is an awesome way to reinforce what the child is learning with a super fun activity. Why? Have fun setting up a catapult to test the theory! Can you design a different catapult using the same materials? ![]() Which item will go farther? I think xyz will go farther. Or you can build 2-3 different catapults and see which one works better or if one works better with different objects.Īlways start out asking a question to come up with a hypothesis. Adding a measuring tape encourages simple math concepts that my 2nd grader is just really starting to explore. You can easily set up an experiment by testing different weighted items to see which ones fly farther.
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