Physics class project narrative by faculty member Steven Pankratz.
Students in my Physics class were tasked with designing and building projects that would display their knowledge of physical principles, and give them hands-on experience working with power tools (with the supervision, help and support of Orme’s fantastic Facilities staff).
There was a wide range of projects selected, although all were elegant. Uyen Nguyen completed a mostly solo project. She built a cryptex, based on the design of the one from Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.
Kaifeng Hu and Tony Liu built a mining hand cart, which is a two person vehicle that can propel itself along a straight line by the concerted pumping action of the operators.
Stella Ma and Sarah Zhao built a catapult using the stored energy of a spring to throw objects.
Kevin Liu, Jonathan Myren and Jamir Hoskins built a trebuchet, which uses the gravitational potential of a suspended weight to throw projectiles. CLICK HERE for a finished project demonstration.
Students learned a great deal and enjoyed creating their projects. And, no animals were harmed in the creation or testing of those devises!