What should one use if they want to propel a poptart (about 52g) as high or higher then 10 feet (or atleast a reasonable distance) with a toaster?
(We have about a height of 3 inches to build up that much energy without significant mods [its a cheap experiment])
I can provide more measurements if needed, thanks!
You could start out by strengthening the release spring.
The problem lies in that a) all i have is the release spring and that b) i have the spring as tight as possible… but it does not give the proper results. Also, unless someone knows of a better spring out there, I do not think that a spring is the answer… unless someone can think of a spring that would be able to give that kind of power… lets go back to the OP…
“Beware of the Cog”
Hahahahahaha… yea this is going to be hard… allow me to explain my intents…
The toaster needs to launch toast at such a velocity because i plan on latching down the release mechanism so that it sets the pop-tart on fire and then when i release the latch… guess where the flaming pop tarts go?
As for your answers spingears… thanks very much but…
1.I have down this… it is not enough… if i strech the spring any further, breakage will ensue
2.Spring wire?
3.Fire snaps rubber bands
4.10 dollar toaster v. 100 dollar trebuchet? (that wont be that powerful… and wont have fire capabilities as easily…)
THANKS… but maybe we should go with an equation… how much power would i need to thrust a 52g object 10 feet?
Okay, we need to clarify some terms.
First off, “power” (roughly: the rate of energy release or use) isn’t the quantity you need to meet. On Friday, May 30, 2003, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Project set a world record for laser performance by producing 10.4 kiloJoules (kJ) of ultraviolet laser light in a single laser beamline for 3.5 ns [That’s a useful record to keep in mind when this crowd starts talking laser warfare, etc.]. This is 3 trillion watts, roughly equal to the total power consumption of the US [1] - but a 60W bulb gives off significantly more Energy in 3 minutes. As they say, it’s not the size of the ship, as much as how long you can keep stroking your dinghy.
Thrust is a measure of force. and again it matters how long you can keep thrusting - e.g. your toaster rack has limited travel, and the faster you push, the less long it will be pushing. Impulse or change in momentum is the relevant unit in this case.
Ignoring air resistance, friction, and other niggling factors, the forces of physics are generally symmetric in time. The momentum or energy required to fling a piece of toast to a certain height is identical to the momentum or energy it has when it falls from that height (What goes up mustc ome down, with numbers!)
Gravity (and probably your propulsion) will cause a constant acceleration (a). The acceleration of earth’s gravity is roughly 9.8 meters/sec. The velocity (v) after t seconds of constant acceleration is a*t= 9.8t, and the distance covered is 1/2(at^2) = 1/2(9.8t^2) = 4.9t^2. I’ll solve your problem using these simple equations, though much simpler but less obvious solutions exist
You want to launch it a bit over 3m (9’ 10"). If 3m= 4.9t^2, t=.782 sec, and the velocity at the end of travel would be 9.8(.782)= 7.66 m/s (25 ft/sec = 17 mph). The kinetic energy of a 52g poptart at 7.66 m/s is 1.5 J. The momentum is mv = (.052)(7.66) = .398 kg-m/sec (it’s also 2.88 ft-lb/sec, but I strongly advise against trying to do these calculations in English units. You’d have to use funky engineering units you’ve never heard of, like slugs and poundals, to get the mass/inertia right, and that completely eliminates any benefit you might get from familiarity]
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to reach a velocity of 7.66 m/sec in 0.75 m.
D= .075m = (1/2)at^2
.15 = at^2
.15/(t^2) = a (1)
v = at
7.66/t = a
[7.66/t]/.15/(t^2) = a/a = 1
51 t = 1
t = 1/51 sec = 19.6 msec
The required acceleration is 7.66m/s in .0196 sec (391 m/s^2 or almost 40 G’s) The required force is 20.33N, which is equivalent to the force exerted by 40x52g= 2.080kg = 4.58lb under normal Earth gravity
I hope this helps. I apologize for the seemingly irrelevant factors, but I thought might come in handy when you actually design your device.
[1] annual US energy consumption is roughly 100 quadrillion BTUs or 10^20 joules/year. This equals 3.17 trillion watts or 11.1 kJ IN 3.5ns
Are springs out of the question?
(not in theory… but wouldn’t that force destroy the small parts on a toaster?)
If you’re limited to the original toaster, and you want more travel for a flaming breakfast pastry, I suggest you mount the toaster on a higher place (such as the top of a ladder,) and tip over the toaster to assure launching the tart when the toast carriage comes up.
Itty-bitty bottle rockets. As many as needed. Problem is getting them all to ignite at the same time.
No, wait; .22 caliber starter blanks. Same problem
Somebody’s gonna assume I’m kidding.
Peace,
mangeorge
At first I wasn’t going to join in on this thread because I thought it was another question about sex.
Boy, was I relieved. That’s why I solved your problem for you.