<<What activities or books would you creative folks recommend I read or do
with Brad to help him understand how guns work (outside of the boy's
suggestion that we find a Civil War gun and try it out!)>>



Hi Linda,

One way to show the principle of a gun uses a SMALL piece of PVC pipe, one
rubber stopper with a center hole, one rubber stopper with no hole, some flash
paper (available from magic shops), a long nail and a candle.

Cut a piece of 1 inch diameter PVC pipe about 4 inches long.  You need stoppers
that will fit firmly into the ends of the pipe.  The nail or metal rod should
fit through the hole in the stopper.

First, place a small piece of flash paper on a plate and carefully light it
with a match.  It will burn very quickly, but not explode.  The same is true of
gunpowder.  Place in a pile, it will burn.  now, put a small piece of flash
paper into the PVC pipe.  Put the stopper without the hole in one end, not too
tightly.  Place the stopper with the hole tightly into the other end.  Point
the stopper without the hole towards a wall (not towards anything breakable.)
Heat the end of the nail with the candle.  When it is hot, stick it into the
hole.  When it makes contact with the flash paper it will ignite.  The paper
burns, which causes the air in the pipe to expand rapidly.  When it builds up
enough pressure, it forces the stopper out of the pipe, shooting it across the
room, just as a gun shoots a bullet.

In a Civil War gun, the bullet takes the part of the stopper.  The gunpowder
would take the place of the flashpaper.  The hot nail is replaced by either a
percussion cap or by a flint and steel.

I hope this helps.

Robert Krampf
Science Education Company
http://members.aol.com/krampf/home.html
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