Air Cannon

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In this activity (page 1 of PDF under SciGirls Activity: Forecasting), learners will construct an air cannon by cutting a hole in the bottom of a bucket and stretching a garbage bag over the other end. Then, they aim the cannon at a paper target and try to knock it over by giving the plastic bag a good whack. Learners also experiment with hole size to make the cannon more effective. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV: Forecasting.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • a large plastic bucket, such as 5 gallon
  • heavy garbage bag
  • duct tape
  • scissors or other tool to cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket
  • paper target(s)
  • tape measure (optional)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Processes
      • Weather and Climate
    • Earth Structure
      • Atmosphere
  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Aerospace Engineering
    • Technology
  • Physical Sciences
    • Energy
      • Work and Machines
    • Motion and Forces
      • Projectile Motion
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Asking Questions
      • Conducting Investigations
  • The Nature of Technology
    • The Design Process
      • Invention and Innovation
      • Problem Solving

Informal Categories

  • Nature and Environment
  • Toys

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Explicity developed for this group
    • Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
    • Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
    • Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • DragonflyTV

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., 2005

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation, 436260