This fun and easy Halloween themed STEM activity is perfect for at-home or in the classroom! Building and testing launchers using spooky eyeballs or pumpkin candies all while learning about energy.
How It Works:
Diving boards, sling shots, automatic baseball pitchers, and even pop-up toasters are all examples of catapult or launcher devices. These machines store energy in them which can then be used to propel an object in the air. Newton’s 3rd law of motion states that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” When you push down on your catapult (the action), you can feel the catapult arm pushing back on your finger (the reaction). When you let go, the catapult releases with the same force that you were pushing down on it with. The more force you push down with, the bigger reaction you get when you release.
Mechanical engineers design machines to perform a specific task. They need to think about the task, plan and design the machine, test it, evaluate its success, and make adjustments to their design. Most of the time, the first couple test designs don’t work too well but with each unsuccessful test, the engineers learn how to improve the machine.