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The Physics Teacher -- September 2011 -- Volume 49, Issue 6, pp. 353
The Rolling Release Rulapult
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Add to FacebookThe “rulapult” is a low-cost, easy-to-construct, ruler-based catapult for use in the classroom. It is made from durable, inexpensive items that are easy to store. Most of the components can be found with a visit to one or two local stores. A set of 12 complete rulapults can be constructed for less than $150, including the one-time cost of the only tool needed for construction, a single handheld one-hole paper punch. The unit price per rulapult approaches $10.25 as the number of rulapults constructed becomes “large.” A rulapult can be constructed by a single middle school student in less than five minutes. Ping-Pong® balls or marshmallows are suggested for use as projectiles as they pose a minimal safety hazard. The range of a typical rulapult when firing a Ping-Pong ball is approximately 4.0 m, just right for classroom or hallway testing. The smaller (1-cm size) marshmallows have a range of about 5.0 m, but due to their “squishy” nature, the range is less consistent from shot to shot. For the rest of the discussion, it is presumed that the projectile is a Ping-Pong ball (the ball). The ball can easily knock over a large Styrofoam™ cup, but despite its impressive range and “knock-down power,” the rulers used are “limp” enough that a direct hit to your hand by the ruler will not cause noticeable pain or injury.
© 2011 American Association of Physics Teachers
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to thank the Office of Upward Bound, Indiana State University for funding to purchase the rulapult components used in obtaining the data presented. Discussions with Michelle Baltz-Knorr of Indiana State University and Mike Moloney of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology were very helpful and appreciated.
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