DavidStack

Depressingly, I followed the whizzing ball as it flew past the 50, the 60, the 70, and even the 80 yard mark. Our costly (both with time and money) trebuchet could not compare to the spring loaded demon of a catapult that bested our yardage by 44. But, this project certainly did improve my engineering knowledge. Comparing my trebuchet to another very similar one that flung the softball farther, I saw that with a stiffer structure, we could have had more success. If we had used screws instead of nails, and secured the pole that our level arm swung on with bolts instead of duct tape, we could have supported more counter weight and had a more fluid, straight, and speedy projectile. Also, the record-tying trebuchet showed me that a bigger catapult is not necessarily better, as that trebuchet was less than half the size of mine but shot the ball so much farther because of the very powerful springs and bungee cords. So, I can say that our catapult did fairly well, I enjoyed the creativity and problem solving that the project required, and I am better prepared for projects in the future.

So good thing I spent half an hour trying to figure out how to make a post, and then thought, 'hey, maybe I should actually look at that sheet that Mr. Fullerton gave us,' only to realize that all I had to do was verify my account, and that I wasn't supposed to make my real name my user name. But anyways, here is my post. The first thing to know about me is that I love Jesus, and really the reason there's any need for you to know that is because that is why I'm taking AP-C Physics. I would love to become a Civil and Environmental Engineer, and create better water filtration and water collection systems for impoverished countries, much like the Ugandan Water Project, also using the civil side to help design more efficient infrastructure in these countries. I've been on numerous missions trips, most recently to Peru, and have discovered a love for serving others and teaching others about Jesus. In the class specifically, I'm excited to be challenged and start making connections to what I learn now and how I'll use that in the future, but I am a little anxious about discovering the many complexities of physics. And other than all that, you should know that I love the Bills (which obviously is thoroughly depressing), I really enjoy talking to people and hanging out with my friends and playing sports, and I quit when things get hard.