Hands-on science: no lab required: after reading "Under the Big Top" , try this activity to learn how the correct angle helps high flying circus performers safely stick their landings

Science World, May 12, 2008

(No Lab Required)

(PREDICT)

Do you think a circus performer will fly farther if shot from a cannon at a steep angle, or a less-inclined one?

(MATERIALS)

paint stir stick * small block roughly 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) tall * plastic spoon * tape * meter stick * small pan * ruler * mini marshmallows

(DIRECTIONS)

1. Build a marshmallow-cannonball launcher. Begin by setting the small block on the end of the paint stir stick.

2. Place the handle of the spoon on top of the block so the "bowl" of the spoon faces up and sits near the center of the paint stir stick.

3. Wrap tape around the spoon, block, and stick to hold them together tightly.

4. Tape a marshmallow to the bowl of the spoon near the handle. This will act as a ledge to hold your marshmallow cannonball.

5. Lay the meter stick on the floor, and place the pan at the 1-meter end.

6. At the other end of the meter stick, hold the launcher so the paint stick is flat on the floor and the block touches the edge of the meter stick.

7. Place a marshmallow into the bowl of the spoon.

8. Keep the block end of the paint stick on the floor. Using the ruler as a guide, lift the other end of the paint stick 2.5 cm (1 in.) above the floor.

9. Pull back on the bowl of the spoon until it touches the stir stick. Then, let go of the bowl of the spoon.

10. Use the meter stick to determine the distance from the launcher to where the marsh mallow first lands.

11. Record the height at which the end of the launcher was lifted and the distance the marsh mallow traveled.

12. Repeat steps 7 to 11, each time raising the end of the launcher by another 2.5 cm (1 in.) until your marshmallow lands closest to 1 m (1 yard).

13. Make a line graph showing the distance the marshmallow traveled (y-axis) for each height you angled the launcher (x-axis).

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

(CONCLUSIONS)

1. At which angle height did your marshmallow travel closest to its 1-meter (1-yard) target?

2. Besides changing your launcher's angle, how else could you alter how far the marshmallow flies? (Hint: Reread the section labeled "Up, Up, and Away," on p. 13.)

1. Answers will vary, but the greater the angle height, the farther the marshmallow will travel.

2. Besides changing your launcher's angle, you can alter how far your marshmallow flies by changing its velocity The more you pull back on your launcher's spoon, the more potential energy the marshmallow will store This leads the launched marshmallow to travel with greater kinetic energy; the faster the marshmallow travels, the farther it'll land.