Get It Going with the Gauss Gun: Magnetic Linear Acceleration

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this experiment is to test the Gauss Gun to find out which combination of magnetic stations and the distance between those stations, will shoot the ball bearings the farthest. Methods/Materials Two 3/4" dowels, wood glue, 1/2" ball bearings, 1/2" neodymium magnets, tape, ruler, tape measure, shallow box full of sand, sharpie, table, flat piece of styrofoam. Results In testing the different distances between magnetic stations, I found that the distance that produced the farthest shot was seven centimeters between magnets. I also found in my tests that the more magnetic stations included in the chain reaction, the farther the ball bearing would go. Conclusions/Discussion I found that there was an optimal distance between magnets that produced the best result. The number of magnetic stations also had a direct impact on the results of my trials. The best combination of distance between magnets and number of magnetic stations was 7 cm between stations and 8 magnetic stations total. Small adjustments in distance or quantities of stations had a significant impact on the results. This means that accelerating an object with magnetic forces has an optimal calibration.

Competition history

• CSEF 2016 Electronics & Electromagnetics · Entry J0920

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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