...because the simplest of words become stories for a lifetime...
catapult
or energy storage
How can water jump from one cup to another?
Materials needed:
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lollipop or ice-cream sticks
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elastic bands
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lots of small soft toys
Instructions:
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Take 5-9 lollipop sticks and tie them together with elastic bands at both ends.
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Place one lollipop stick at the top and one at the bottom at 180 degree angle, as to create a cross. Secure with bands on one end and let the other end open wide and free.
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Place the toy, press down and shoot!
The science behind:
Stored energy: catapult uses stored energy to hurl a projectile without the use of an explosive. The three primary energy storage mechanisms are tension, torsion, and gravity.
Suggestions:
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Have a competition, who can hurl the toys furthest!
Hovercraft
or atmospheric pressure
It floats on the ground and is so fast!
Materials needed:
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balloon
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bottle cap
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old CD or plastic disk
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glue
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knife
Instructions:
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Take your bottle cap and make a few holes in it, then stick it in the centre of the disk, the hollow side down.
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Inflate your balloon and stretch it over the cap and let go!
The science behind:
Atmospheric pressure: The hovercraft creates vents or currents of slow-moving, low-pressure air that are pushed downward against the surface below the hovercraft, which is slightly above atmospheric pressure. The pressure difference between the higher pressure air below the hull and lower pressure ambient air above it produces lift, which causes the hull to float above the running surface.
Suggestions:
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Have a competition, whose hovercraft goes furtherst?
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Experiment with different surfaces (sand, wood, grass) does the hovercraft move the same?
