~Chemistry Component~

Materials:

1. Two tennis ball cans with tops

2. One twelve inch strip of duck tape

3. One pair of scissors

Hypothesis:

Although my group and I had a few difficulties, we believe the outcome and the design of our cannon is exceptional. The sturdiness of the cannon will help formulate pressure, allowing the ball to go a farther distance, hopefully reaching four feet. Though, according to Gay-lussac's Law, pressure and temperature are directly proportional, thus as one increases, so will the other. Therefore, the only thing standing in the way of the firing would be cold weather because with cold weather comes low pressure.

Steps for Forming the Cannon:

1. Construct a graphic organizer as a basic foundation for the cannon

2. Take one of the two tennis ball cans provided and cut it at 3 inches.

3. Take the remainder of this can and cut it at 4.5 inches

4. Carefully cut the top of the 3 inch can, forming a parabola. This allows the other untouched can to fit easily within it. **While cutting, we are making sure to form a 30 degree angle.**

5. Repeat step four with the 4.5 inch can.

6. Carefully tape the unused can on top of both of the cut cans, having the now 2.5 inch can (after cutting, step 4) behind the now 4 inch can.

7. Add a hole in the back of the can, allowing the wooden splint of fire to go inside the uncut can.

Reflection Before the Fire:

Working on the cannon, my group members and I faced a few difficulties, as it took some time before we could agree on a final product. One of our major flaws was that we all did not give each other a good amount of time to speak because each person believed they had the perfect idea. Therefore, though we did have a few bumps on the way, we believe our outcome was a success, and we believe in our cannon a great deal. I believe that the cannon will build a strong amount of pressure, and because it is very sturdy, hopefully the cannon will go a far distance. One of the only things my group members and I were worried about was the fact that the body of our cannon was too long. We believe that if we had cut a little bit off the cannon, then we might have had a smaller volume, allowing the ethanol in the cannon the go a shorter distance before reaching the nerf ball.

Reflection After the Fire:

Unfortunately, the cannon did not fire, instead it only shriveled up. This product proved my hypothesis to be both correct and incorrect. I was incorrect be the cannon did not fire at all, and I was correct because the reason it did not fire was possibly because of Gay-Lussac's Law. One of the first things I would change about this project would be to fire the cannons in warmer temperatures because it would allow the pressure to rise with the temperature, thus allowing the cannon to fire a longer distance. I would also change some of the design of the cannon by making its width smaller, giving the ethanol a smaller distance to travel allowing the cannon to fire the cannon much farther.