2009 Pumpkin Drop Rules  

On Thursday October 29, from 12:30 to 1:30, the Society of Physics students will drop pumpkins from the top of the Batten Arts and Letters building (BAL) (10 stories up or about 100 feet). Build a device to catch a pumpkin without damaging it. Answer some questions explaining the physics of the drop and the catcher. You can earn extra credit (equivalent to one HW problem set) for PHYS101 (depending on the quality of the pumpkin catcher and how well you answer the questions). Teams of up to four can participate. Any number of teams can participate. You can use the Physics Forum in WebAssign to look for team mates and get organized. I've set up a new topic for this purpose. Just go to the link "PHYS101 Class Forum" under "Communication".

Pumpkin Drop Rules:

  1. Register your team entry with Dr. Kuhn (skuhn@odu.edu) (for extra credit) and with SPS or with Prof Weinstein (in person or by email at (his last name)@odu.edu) by Oct 26.
  2. 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.)
  3. Bring 3 pumpkins (each about 8 to 10 pounds) to the Society of Physics Students office (or to the Physics Shop) by 10:00 AM on Tuesday 10/27.  Note that we cannot guarantee that your specific pumpkins will be dropped on your catcher.
  4. You will be able to set up your catcher about 15 feet from the drop point. Your pumpkin catcher needs to be able to be quickly (1 to 2 minutes) moved into position and quickly removed afterwards.
  5. Your team may consist of up to 4 people. Not everyone needs to be present at the drop.
  6. No styrofoam peanuts.  They are too hard to clean up.
  7. Bring your pumpkin catcher to BAL by 12:00 noon on Drop Day.
  8. Answer some questions explaining the physics of the drop and the catcher. Different faculty will award different extra credit depending on the design of the catcher, the success of the catcher and the answers to the pumpkin problems.
Pumpkin Problems (due in class by Tuesday 11/3 - EVERY participant must turn in a sheet of paper with the answers to these questions, your name and UIN, and a list of all members of YOUR team if you want to get the extra credit!):
  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.
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.
Questions? Send an email to the SPS spokesperson, Jon-Michael Glick (jglic001@odu.edu)


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Last modified: Mon, Oct 5 2009.