Pumpkin Drop 2006

Pumpkin Drop will Occur at 12:30 on Tuesday 10/31/06 (Halloweeen)

Participants must arrive by 12:00, if possible. Some exceptions will be made, but NO LATER THAN 12:15.

Tentatively there will be Prizes for most Creative Catcher and Shortest (Height) WORKING Catcher

Rules:

1. Your pumpkin catcher should be 3 feet by 3 feet in size or larger so that the pumpkin droppers can hit it from 10 stories up.  (2.5 feet square is probably OK but anything smaller will probably not be hit.)

2. Bring 3 pumpkins (each about 8 to 10 pounds) to the Society of Physics Students office by October 25.  Note that we cannot guarantee that your pumpkins will be dropped on your catcher.

3. Your pumpkin catcher needs to be able to be quickly (1 to 2 minutes) moved into position and quickly removed afterwards.

4. Your team can consist of up to 4 people.

5. No styrofoam peanuts.  They are too hard to clean up.

6. Your catcher must not generate any dangerous projectiles, even when impacted by a 30 m/s pumpkin

7. Bring your pumpkin catcher to the lawn on the South side of BAL by 11:00 am on Drop Day (Safety evaluation is required before your catcher can be used).

8. You will get 1 extra credit point for building a pumpkin catcher (assuming a reasonable effort), 0.5 points for successfully catching a pumpkin without damaging it, and 0.5 points for answering the associated problems (see below).

Pumpkin Problems:

1. What is the force of gravity (in N) on your 9 pound pumpkin?

2. What is its potential energy at the top of BAL (in J)?

3. What is its kinetic energy the instant before it hits your pumpkin catcher (in J)?

4. How much work does your pumpkin catcher have to do to stop it (in J)? [Hint:              What is its kinetic energy after it has been stopped? How much did the              catcher change the pumpkin's kinetic energy?]

5. How tall is your pumpkin catcher (its height from bottom to top in m)?

6. How much force does your pumpkin catcher exert on the pumpkin (assuming that it uses the entire height of your pumpkin catcher to decelerate the pumpkin)? [Hint: remember that Work Done = Force times Stopping Distance.]  Give your answer in Newtons and in pounds.

             What is the acceleration of the pumpkin while it is being stopped (use force from previous question).

Hints:  In the past, people have used empty milk jugs, water balloons, straw, etc.  Successful pumpkin catchers have ranged in height from 2 to 10 feet tall.