Easy Ways to Launch Tennis Balls
Posted on | April 29, 2010 | No Comments
There are several ways to launch a tennis ball. One way to launch a tennis is by building a catupult. Using the mechanical means that catapults have can be a lot of fun. Of course, trebuchets are even more fun. They use counter weights and leverage to launch their projectiles. You could also launch tennis balls by using a combustion based system similar to a potato cannon.
The first way, or the mechanical means, is accomplished by making an “engine”. The ”engine” in a catapult comes from making potential energy and storing it in tightly bound rope. When the pin is pulled this turns potential energy into kinetic energy and transfers that energy from the catapult engine to the tennis ball forcing a trajectory.
The second way, or the counter weight system uses heavy objects and a lever to throw lighter objects long distances. These counter weights can out weigh the projectile by thousands of pounds giving it more range. Trebuchets are very powerful and fascinating to build and launch, no matter what the size.
And, the last way, or the combustion is probably the easiest by far. To launch a tennis ball by combustion just takes a few steps and can be made out of PVC piping and a little hair spray. If you want to get fancy you can use a grill igniter and place the wire ends in the fuel ignition chamber. this will give you a push button trigger. This will make the launcher more responsive as well as easier to handle. I built a tennis ball launcher “combustion means” and had a blast with it. I kept trying to get an optimum fuel/air mixture to maximize the distance it would fire. The best way is to use a small amount of lighter fluid and give it time to expand then fire. You will be surprised how little lighter fluid it takes to launch a tennis ball, so have fun with it and make sure to be careful.
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