Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis...

Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, ... | William Gurstelle | Kewl stuff here!

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Backyard Ballistic...

	Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, ... William Gurstelle Chicago Review Press, 2001 - 274 pages average customer review:based on 44 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Superb teaching tool

By doing these projects with one's children one can teach them
engineering, mechanical, planning and fabrication skills as well as how to see through a project that may take a few days instead of 15 minutes. Their interest in the projects will
be maintained by the fascinating science as well as the impressive results.

Kewl stuff here!

There are some cool projects here, especially for people that like to make a lot of noise. BOOM!!

Fun for GIRLS and boys

I found this book to be quite informative and helpful on building many fun ballistic devices. The chapters on the spud gun and back porch rocketry were probably my favorites. For anyone who grew up constructing innovative (but highly unsafe) projectile launchers and wants to create something the neighbors can appreciate, this book is for you!
I would also like to emphasize that GIRLS, as well as boys, can and will enjoy this book.

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Backyard Ballistics

i have only tryed a few of the things in heer, but they work great! the potato cannon actually launches the potato like 150-200 yards! a mighty exellent book.

Fun, but needs more work

This book is a lot of fun. The projects are things that you can do safely, and that kids really like. I just wish the author had put a little more work into it. Some of the history doesn't seem accurate, and the physics should be explained more clearly. More effort on content and less on strange facts would help.

Building the onager (torsion catapult), I had to change most of the dimensions. The book calls for 1"x1" wood, but that's hard to find. 1x2 (nominal) is easy to find, but is 3/4" by 1 1/2". A book for quick projects should use 1x2s, not some mythical 1" square lumber. The drawings were incomplete. Between the drawings and the photo it was possible to get the whole thing together, but I had to change most of the dimensions. Why he uses 1/8" dowel is beyond me. Even 3/16" broke too easily.

Overall, interesting and certainly fun, but I wish it were done more carefully.

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