Spud
Guns and Education by
R. H. Wright
Educational
tools can sometimes spring from the strangest sources. But PVC
pipe, butane, and potatoes? It may not be that strange after all.
Those three common items are the main components of the backyard
device commonly known as a “spud gun”. These relatively
simple devices allow a person to hurl the humble tuber farther
and faster than would be possible unassisted. And it’s good
fun. But it can also be educational.
Just ask Prof. Glenn Frey, lecturer of physics at Penn State Lehigh
Valley. Frey peppers his introductory physics class with real
world examples. From car accidents to football, the concepts of
physics come alive in everyday situations.
While the spud gun has yet to dominate the curriculum, Frey enthuses,
“I could teach an entire physics course based on the spud
gun!” And this would not be all just fun and games.
Frey points out that spud gun technology can be used to demonstrate
a wide range of concepts. “Motion, vectors, forces, gravity,
fluid dynamics, it goes on and on…The math alone would take
a student from algebra to differential equations!”
Even though we will probably never see a “Physics of the
Spud Gun” course on the schedule, such practical examples
help enliven what is, for some, a daunting subject. It also helps
remind us that however serious we make take our academic life,
learning is (or should be) fun.
