On Tuesday, May 22 multiple Physics students were required to bring a device that was able to shoot a load of 20 pennies over a 4 foot piece of plywood to get in the last few grades to finish up the semester.
“For Physics,” Mr. McDaniel, a Physics teacher said, “we always do a hands on project as part of the course, which is at the end of every year.”
This type of activity is one of the highlights of Physics considering the minimal amount of projects required of the class, but the process of the task makes it worth the outcome.
“Even though it was frustrating at times,” Karianne Chupp a junior said, “I had fun launching my project and seeing all of my classmate’s projects as well.”
The difference of projects is one of the things Mr. McDaniel enjoys seeing himself.
“It’s interesting to see the approaches that they take,” Mr. McDaniel said, “it’s interesting to see the materials they scavenge for it of course they inject their own personality into it by decorating it, or coming up with a theme. It’s very entertaining from my standpoint, I get to see the creativity the craftsmanship that the other students have, its awesome.”
A catapult tends to be a more common design for this type of project, but Chupp took a different view on the task.
“I decided to create a ramp with a car that held my pennies since I wanted to do something creative,” Chupp said, “I felt extremely satisfied after I finished my project because even if it didn’t work it was unique and cool.”
As the year comes to an end, the Penny Launch Project is something that is fun and interesting that future juniors should look forward to.
“There is a lot of room for creativity,” Chupp said, “and we all had fun with the project even if it didn’t turn out the way we expected it to.”
