We are all familiar with the classic example of a weak thing breaking a strong thing - the ping-pong ball being shot through a ping-pong paddle at very high speeds.
![ping-pong-ball-going-through-a-paddle-this-is-at-frames-per-second-118849.gif ping-pong-ball-going-through-a-paddle-this-is-at-frames-per-second-118849.gif](https://www.metabunk.org/attachments/ping-pong-ball-going-through-a-paddle-this-is-at-frames-per-second-118849-gif.32984/)
Source video here.
This is useful (to a degree) for illustrating things like how aluminum planes can break though the steel and glass facade of a building.
But I was wondering if the same thing might be possible with my favorite stand-in object: the aluminum soda can.
I've done a couple of very preliminary experiments using bungee cords and a "sled" with a can on it.
![Metabunk 2018-05-22 15-19-51.jpg Metabunk 2018-05-22 15-19-51.jpg](https://www.metabunk.org/attachments/metabunk-2018-05-22-15-19-51-jpg.32985/)
Two bungie cords to launch it. One to slow it down (allowing the can to continue ), and a "trigger" of a cable tie.
![Metabunk 2018-05-22 15-20-56.jpg Metabunk 2018-05-22 15-20-56.jpg](https://www.metabunk.org/attachments/metabunk-2018-05-22-15-20-56-jpg.32986/)
Result is a high speed soda can that hits a target at failrt high speed.
Calculating from the video, it goes at about 2/5 its length in 1/240th of a second, so 2/5*.12/(1/240) = 11.5 m/s or 25 mph.
This, of course, is not very fast. The "slow" version of the compressed air ping-pong ball gun goes at 400 mph.
I'm not sure if I'll proceed much more with this, as it would get dangerous fairly quickly. But I though I'd ask for suggestions. Is a vacuum tube the only way to go?
Source video here.
This is useful (to a degree) for illustrating things like how aluminum planes can break though the steel and glass facade of a building.
But I was wondering if the same thing might be possible with my favorite stand-in object: the aluminum soda can.
I've done a couple of very preliminary experiments using bungee cords and a "sled" with a can on it.
Two bungie cords to launch it. One to slow it down (allowing the can to continue ), and a "trigger" of a cable tie.
Result is a high speed soda can that hits a target at failrt high speed.
Calculating from the video, it goes at about 2/5 its length in 1/240th of a second, so 2/5*.12/(1/240) = 11.5 m/s or 25 mph.
This, of course, is not very fast. The "slow" version of the compressed air ping-pong ball gun goes at 400 mph.
I'm not sure if I'll proceed much more with this, as it would get dangerous fairly quickly. But I though I'd ask for suggestions. Is a vacuum tube the only way to go?