Fun with PhysicsIntersession

By Josh Walters

• In this intersession (fun with physics) we did a lot of hands on projects to help us learn more about physics. We did many things like building rockets and launching them, making catapults, making rat trap cars, making trebuchets, kites, airplanes, bridges and other stuff. This was very fun and effective in helping us learn about physics. We have pictures of our projects.

What we did in Fun with Physics

Catapults

• We used rat traps to build catapults. We put a board on it and pulled it back and let it go and it would catapult something. They don’t look like the one at the bottom but it’s the same principle.

• I wish my catapult looked/worked like that one but it was

still good

Rat trap cars

• We took the rat traps that we used for the catapults and used them for these cars.

• To make these we took the rat trap and put it on a piece of wood on the bottom of the rat trap. Then we put on axles and wheels and tied a string into the axle and on the mouse trap snapper thing. We wound up the wheels and pulled back the snapper thing and let it go and it rolled.

Trebuchets

• We made trebuchets by building a rectangular frame and put sides up and then put a pole across and put another pole and put cloth and a counter weight so we could pull back the cloth and let go so it would launch things.

Kites

• We made box kites by using garbage bags and wooden sticks. We put sticks together and put garbage bags around them.

Airplanes

• We made airplanes out of folders. We cut and pasted them according to a design so that everything would fit and would fly good. They were very thick and if you used too much glue they would warp and it wouldn’t fly very good. They looked like real jets too.

Rockets

• We built model rockets and launched them off. We had everything but the fins already made so we just cut those out of balsa wood and glued everything on and then we launched them off.

Bridges

• We built two kinds of bridges one was made out of wood sticks and one was made out of paper. We built our wooden one with a top on it but it didn’t hold much. Everyones paper bridges had to be the same design.

Wright Patterson Air Force Base

• We took a field trip to Wright Patt air force base. There were a lot of planes there. From old planes to new ones there were all kinds of them. I learned a lot about the air force that I didn’t know. Since I want to join the air force I enjoyed that field trip very much.

About the Intersession

• I enjoyed this intersession and I believe that anyone else who takes this intersession will like it too.

My Favorites

• My favorite thing to do in this intersession was the rockets. I liked to build them and I also liked to launch them that was pretty cool.

My Least Favorites

The only thing I didn’t like was going outside when it was cold and I didn’t like it when I burned myself with the hot glue guns.