Catapult ProjectMr. McLean: 8th Grade Physical Sciences Final Project

Why Study Physics

During the course of this year we have learnt a lot of different concepts.

Why do we learn about physics?

How can we apply what we have learnt?

How does this knowledge apply to other branches of science?

What is a catapult?

When was it first used?

What was it used for?

Are they still used?

If so what types of things do we do with catapults now?

Have you ever used a catapult or any of the principals involved in firing one?

Scientific ProcessThis project will allow students to experience the scientific process.

In addition to applying physics and Engineering skills you will also be required to systematically collect and analyze data, and then use this data to improve your design.

Build a working catapult

What variables affect the accuracy of a catapult?

What can you control?

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/stem-lesson-ideas-catapult-project

Challenge

You must construct a catapult that can consistently hit a target that is 5, 10 and 15 meters away.

How can you construct a catapult that is both accurate and has a long range?

Can your catapult consistently hit targets at a close range and at a long range? Can it survive multiple launches?

Grading

Students will be graded on the overall construction of their catapults and the effectiveness of their modifications.

In addition students will need to effectively and accurately collect data in both trials.

Each student will be expected to produce his/her own supporting evidence. Although you will be working in small groups plagiarism of any kind will not be accepted and will result in a 0 being awarded.

Grading

Produce a proposal and get approval from Mr. McLean – 10%

Working model of a catapult - 30%

Successful testing and data collection of catapult followed by design and engineering modifications – 15%

Retesting of catapult and increasing accuracy and/or range (including accurate data collection) – 15%

Supporting evidence outlining research into underlying principles – 30%

Standards

We will be working on this project from now until nearly the end of T4.

The work produced should be a very high standard – your best of the year!

For this project you will be working in small groups but each student will be expected to produce their own supporting evidence. This must be your own work.

You must bring in the scientific concepts covered in this course. We will discuss them as we design, build and test our catapults. It will be up to you to tie all these concepts together and apply them in your final supporting evidence.

What Concepts Apply to Catapults?

• Force• Projectile Velocity• Projectile Motion• Gravity• Wind Resistance• Torque• Tension and Torsion• Newton’s Laws of Motion• Probability• Simple Machines

Variables

• Launch Angle• Pullback angle• Elasticity of mechanism• Length of lever• Speed at release• Consistency of release – accuracy• Trajectory• Distance from target• Materials• Mass of projectiles

Proposal

In order to proceed to the construction phase of this project students will need to produce a detailed proposal of their catapult construction.

The proposal should include evidence that the topic has been extensively brainstormed and all aspects, especially safety, have been considered.

Finally as part of the proposal process the group should produce a small prototype to aid in the initial design process.

Working Model of a Catapult

Each group must produce a working version of a catapult capable of performing the task outlined above.

Students will be assessed on the construction of the catapult and its suitability to the task.

In addition the catapult will have to be safe to operate and use within a school environment.

Testing and Data Collection

A large part of the grade for this project will be gained from testing the catapults and collecting large amounts of data.

Each student needs to construct a testing protocol and data table that tests the accuracy of the catapult.

At this stage of the project we are more concerned with the collection of reliable data than the actual accuracy of the catapult. Following the data collection the students will make alterations to the design to improve its performance.

Improving and Retesting of catapult to increase performanceBased on the data collected in the previous section students will now alter the design as needed in order to improve the performance of the catapult.

Remember the aim of the task is to consistently hit targets at different distances.

If the previous design was perfect can you alter the design so that it has a greater range? What variables will you manipulate to achieve this?

Supporting Evidence

In addition to the model catapult students are required to produce either a booklet (1 per student) or a website (using weebly or another free provider – section per student) that explains the concepts studied in this project.

This will be a large grade for this term and as such this should be the best work you have produced all year.

https://prezi.com/plkbc6unk5js/catapult-project-presentation/

Supporting Evidence

In addition to constructing the catapult student are required to produce some form of supporting evidence to accompany their projects. – 1 per student.

The supporting evidence could be a booklet or website containing the following sections;

• Introduction to project• Underlying physics, engineering, and math concepts• Design• Construction• Testing and data collection • Redesign and Retesting