For this experiment we needed a rocket launcher, modified to shoot Cheetos Balls. There are lots of plans on the Internet for compressed air rockets, such as this one from Kip Kay and Make Magazine. We built ours out of 3" pipe in a U shape. Instead of gluing most of the pieces, we opted to use threaded connections that would allow us to change the angle of the launch without repositioning the entire launcher. We added a larger piece of PVC pipe on the end that a Cheetos Balls could fit in - since they wouldn't fit in the 1/2 inch pipe used for launching rockets.
We ran a long measuring tape down the center of our yard. We constructed a large protractor out of cardboard so we could determine the angle. and we filled the launcher each time with 20 pounds of pressure.
We shot three Cheeto Balls from 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 degrees using 20 pounds of pressure. After shooting a Cheeto, we measured how far it went down this center tape, and the distance it landed away from the center line. Here are the results.
Our purpose in doing the experiment was to see which angle shot the Cheetos the furthest. We didn't measure how far the Cheetos traveled, only how far they went down the center line, and their offset. To determine which Cheeto went the furthest, we needed to use a little math. We had two sides of a right triangle, A and B. Pythagoras came up with the equation to find the length of side C: A squared + B squared = C squared. (This is an interesting YouTube video on the subject, explaining how Pythagoras did not think about his theorem the way we do.) We applied Pathatoreans theorem to get the actual distances.
Degree
|
Left -1, Right 1
|
Center Distance
|
Offset
|
Computed
Distance
|
30
|
1
|
630
|
68
|
633.66
|
20
|
1
|
604
|
54
|
606.41
|
40
|
1
|
588
|
69
|
592.03
|
30
|
1
|
584
|
21
|
584.38
|
20
|
-1
|
567
|
-51
|
569.29
|
Why didn't each Cheeto land in the same place if shot at the same angle with the same pressure? There was a slight breeze, which might have helped some Cheetos and hindered others. Also, though we tried to always fill the launcher to 20 lbs, there could have been variations.
Why didn't 45 degrees shoot the Cheetos the furthest? The higher the Cheetos went, the more opportunity there was for the breeze to change its course. As Yogi Berra said, "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."
Feel free to leave a comment with your observations of the data, or with suggestions for future Cheeto experiments or crafts.
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