do they let you do models instead of experiments (as i recall, they do)
Then build a railgun!!
Nothing can be cooler.
And its really easy. I have designed three or four different types, and plan on starting construction on a real big one pretty soon. heh. Maybe when I have more money I can start a Space program in my back yard . . . thats one of the main future applications of railguns, you know, launching satelites and all.
because they are orders of magnitude more efficient than liquid or solid fuel rockets. Of course, Humans would die under the acceleration, but maybe you could shoot manned ships up more slowly and then you would only need little boosters.
I'd say do this. If my school did sci-fair, I would have used it. Look in your physics text-book for a simple drawing, think about what you need to get the proper magnetic feilds nd current going, then launch the sucker.
DC will probably be better than AC current . .
although, first you will need to step the AC down (transformer) for little models or, in my case, step it up signifigantly.
Then convert it to DC (its not that hard electronically) and then build a bank of capacitors (or buy em. but that would be expensive). about the caps: put them in series to increase the amount of voltage they will take before the plates start arcing to each other (this decreases capacitance of circuit) and then put several of those series in parallel to increase the capacitance. Big a high-voltage gun, you are looking at a craploads of caps.). The caps are to supply the energy to fire the gun so you don't pop the circuit-breakers.
DO IT! COOLEST PROJECT EVER!
Then build a railgun!!
Nothing can be cooler.
And its really easy. I have designed three or four different types, and plan on starting construction on a real big one pretty soon. heh. Maybe when I have more money I can start a Space program in my back yard . . . thats one of the main future applications of railguns, you know, launching satelites and all.
because they are orders of magnitude more efficient than liquid or solid fuel rockets. Of course, Humans would die under the acceleration, but maybe you could shoot manned ships up more slowly and then you would only need little boosters.
I'd say do this. If my school did sci-fair, I would have used it. Look in your physics text-book for a simple drawing, think about what you need to get the proper magnetic feilds nd current going, then launch the sucker.
DC will probably be better than AC current . .
although, first you will need to step the AC down (transformer) for little models or, in my case, step it up signifigantly.
Then convert it to DC (its not that hard electronically) and then build a bank of capacitors (or buy em. but that would be expensive). about the caps: put them in series to increase the amount of voltage they will take before the plates start arcing to each other (this decreases capacitance of circuit) and then put several of those series in parallel to increase the capacitance. Big a high-voltage gun, you are looking at a craploads of caps.). The caps are to supply the energy to fire the gun so you don't pop the circuit-breakers.
DO IT! COOLEST PROJECT EVER!
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