Problem:
I was trying to figure out which of the three food, potato, apple, and an acorn squash, would be penetrated the easiest from different distances.
Hypothesis:
I guessed that the apple would be the easiest and the acorn squash would be the hardest.
Procedure:
1. Collect my supplies, bb gun, bbs, apple,
(I already have bb gun and bbs, I will get my apple from acme)
2. Set gun on angle which I keep the same the entire time
3. Start from about 5 feet away, and fire at each object.
4. Go farther away, for instance from 10 ft, 25 ft and maybe 40
5. After each object is shot I get a straw or pencil and measure how much penetration
6. Repeat multiple times and record data after each try.
Abstract:
BB Gun Penetration
For my 2018 science fair project, I decided to do a project on which fruit or vegetable will be penetrated the easiest when shot from different distances with a bb gun. I am doing three items, an apple, potato, and an acorn squash. My hypothesis was the potato would be penetrated the most because of its thin skin and mushy inside. I also predicted the acorn squash to have the least penetration. I chose this project, because it is something different and something not many people have done. This made this test more surprising when I found the results.
I shot from 4 different distances, a shot to the fruit or vegetable itself, 5 feet, 15 feet, and 30 feet. I had to shoot at the same angle every time, to make it an accurate test. I started with the apple shooting it from my four different distances. Then I shot the potato. Lastly I shot the acorn squash. I repeated each shot twice to have an accurate average and test.
I collected results that surprised me a lot. I started with the apple and when shot directly at it, it went 3 inches or all the way through. I got the same results twice. From 5 feet away it went all the way through twice. My average for both was three inches. From 15 feet my average was 2.5 inches. Finally from 30 feet I got an average of 1.25 inches. For the potato, right to the potato itself, it went all the way through the potato (four inches) twice, making the average four inches. From five feet, the potato scored an average of 3 inches. From 15 feet away I got an average of 3.25 inches. From 30 feet away the potato got an average of 1.625. The acorn squash was the sturdiest of all of the foods. Being four inches wide the bb penetrated half way through. I found two bbs sitting in the middle in the seeds. That test was from zero feet away. From five feet away the acorn squash got the average 1.25 inches. 15 feet away, .625 was the average. From 30 feet away from the squash, not one shot broke the surface. They would just bounce right off. Making my average 0 inches.
I learned that an apple is clearly the easiest food to penetrate out of the three items I tested. My hypothesis was half incorrect and half correct. I said the squash would be the toughest, but the potato would be the easiest. I could have made sure the wind didn’t change directions just in case that would affect my test. The distance made a huge difference because the bb penetrate less from farther distances.
Conclusion:
My hypothesis was half correct and half incorrect. The acorn squash was the hardest, but to my surprise the apple was the easiest to penetrate.
Data Tables: