Introduction
The purpose of this experiment was to find the effect of different chamber and barrel lengths of a potato cannon on the distance and velocity of a potato’s travel. It was hypothesized that the if the size of the chamber and barrel increased, then the distance and velocity would also increase. This hypothesis was developed due to the knowledge that if there was a larger area for combustion to occur then more expanding gas would be created to propel the potato forward and out of the barrel. The device used in this experiment, known as a potato cannon, is made of three main components, the chamber, the barrel, and the ignitor. The fuel for the reaction is dispersed into the chamber, or base, of the cannon. The chamber of a potato cannon is a wide piece of PVC piping where the initial reaction occurs. Connected to one end of the chamber is an ignitor of some sort, either flint or gas, which will be responsible for initiating the chain reaction. On the opposite end of the chamber is another length of PVC. This is the barrel, which is of a smaller diameter than the chamber and contains the projectile. These two pieces of piping and the ignitor are the key elements of a potato cannon. A firearm operates on the simple principal that when the fuel is ignited, the temperature of the air and fuel mixture in the chamber will increase, causing the mixture to expand. Since this is a contained reaction, the gases must exit through the barrel, causing the ammunition (the potato, in this case) to be propelled in the same direction. (Add elaborating sentence) In addition to the chamber, barrel, and ignitor, there are a few other important parts in the potato cannon and its operation. The basis of the cannon is PVC piping and connectors to join the piping, containing the reaction. The cannon is operated using a propellant, in this case propane, and a projectile, a metal slug.