Volcanic Material Catapult Investigation
Source Institutions
-
Twin Cities Public Television
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This activity (located on page 3 of the PDF) is a full inquiry investigation into the relationship between an object’s mass and the distance it is thrown by a catapult. Groups of learners will assemble a simple plastic spoon catapult and test launch “tephra” (material ejected from volcanoes) of different masses, calculate average throwing distance and graph their recorded results. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Lava Flow.
- 5 to 10 minutes
- 1 to 2 hours
- $5 - $10 per group of students
- Ages 8 - 14
- Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
- English
Quick Guide
Materials List (per group of students)
- 2 rubber bands
- plastic spoons
- 10 quarter-inch washers
- 2" x 2" x 3" wooden blocks
- tape
- 30 cm rulers
- a meter stick or metric tape measure
- goggles
Subjects
- Earth and Space Science
- Earth Processes
- Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics
- Earth Processes
- Mathematics
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Data Analysis
- Data Collection
- Data Representation
- Data Analysis and Probability
- Physical Sciences
- Energy
- Motion and Forces
- Momentum and Velocity
- Projectile Motion
- Structure and Properties of Matter
- Mass and Weight
- The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
- About Inquiry
- Conducting Investigations
- Gathering Data
- Formulating Explanations
- Communicating Results
- The Scientific Process
Informal Categories
- Nature and Environment
- Toys
Audience
To use this activity, learners need to:
- see
- be mobile
- touch
Learning styles supported:
- Involves teamwork and communication skills
- Involves hands-on or lab activities
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., ©2007
Funding Source:
- National Science Foundation, 610429
