A Teachable Moment...(of high velocity and sudden stops) AKA How to make a Pumpkin Pie using gravity and a medival siege machine.


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October 24th 2008
Published: October 25th 2008
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Enter the Pumpkin Chucker



Here was a learning opportunity if there ever was one. At Poland Regional High School we had a half day and decided to combine many different learning areas (Math, Physics, History) in one fun filled event of Pumpkin' Chunkin' glory. Jonathan Doughty, a very energetic and awesome science teacher at PRHS has a good friend who constructed a large trebuchet and was willing to transport it out to the school! Through out the whole day we had students measuring projectile distances, time from launch to landing, and the masses of pumpkins and watermelons. There were exercises in mathematical modeling ballistics to find the initial velocity of the projectiles and their highest point. All and all it was a bombastic ballistic bonanza and it was made possible by teachers implementing an idea of a cross discipline educational environment and local businesses donating some of their goods (Chipman Farms "Pumpkin Land" was so gracious to donate sixteen ripe pumpkins to be tossed through out the air). This is one of the reasons I enjoy my new job for opportunities to actually implement cool, fun, and gnarly activities to help spark the intellectual flame of the adolescent mind while
Mr. DoughtyMr. DoughtyMr. Doughty

Educating in front of a siege weapon.
simultaneously throwing big mushy balls of organic mass through the air at break neck speeds and have them raining down chunky fury upon the ground!

If you look really closely in the videos you can see where both projectiles landed in the water making quite a splash! (HINT for the watermelon look behind the first telephone pole).


Additional photos below
Photos: 15, Displayed: 15


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Class OutsideClass Outside
Class Outside

The gathering of the masses.
Class OutsideClass Outside
Class Outside

The gathering of the masses
What the heck just happened?What the heck just happened?
What the heck just happened?

Debriefing the Launch
ReloadingReloading
Reloading

Takes quite a few people to lift up 750lbs of counterweight!
Mr. DoughtyMr. Doughty
Mr. Doughty

Day dreaming of sailing the seas as a pirate.
Kersplash!Kersplash!
Kersplash!

Notice the water suspended in the air.


26th October 2008

Holy Toledo!! :-) lol. Gives a whole new edge to teen pumpkin smashing.
26th October 2008

We are all ONE
Be one with the Pumpkin
10th November 2008

velocity
You can do this with skateboarding too ya know. Maranacook has done it with you know who.
5th June 2009

Yo Luke
Poland?!?!?!?! I think we need to catch up!

Tot: 0.329s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 15; qc: 94; dbt: 0.1889s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.3mb