explosions

[Tehvisseeus]

Well its getting to be around Halloween, and you all know what that means. We get to blow up pumpkins. Well ok most people dont normally do that for Halloween, but believe it or not it is an assignment for my chemistry class.

Basically what will be happening is we are going to hoist the pumpkins up 3 stories and then drop them. My goal is to make the pumpkin explode mid fall, and i was wondering if anyone has any ideas on designs that would allow it to get lifted safely to the 3 story height, and then be dropped and exploded. Keep in mind that I am a chem student so I have full access to pretty much any chemical that would be required in order to accomplish this. It would be usefull if anyone had any ideas on detination, and/or what chemicals to use for the explosion.

If I end up using one of the designs that soeone on the board posted I'll attempt to post pictures so you can see how it went.

Thanks for your help.

[96Civ]

I just thought up of an easy way to blow up a pumpkin..

You know those party popers that when you pull the string, it blows all the paper out? Could you tie a string to where you drop the pumpkin from? Because if so, all you have to do is drill a small hole in the pumpkin and spray a whole can of DW-40 into the pumpkin and rig up one of those popers...

boom?

[taranaki]

What the hell kind of school allows bomb-making experiments as part of the curriculum?

[ghostguy6]

Can you post a copy of the instuctions you were given? What kind of effect are you looking for, just a small boom to blow the pumpkin apart or do you want more of a pryotechnics show?
For just the bang, equal parts liquid sunlight dish detergent and powered tide laundry detergent. Combine the two in a bowl and mix until you get a sunstance similar to playdough. I suggest using a small amount, no more than a table spoon of each, as this stuff can be quite powerful if mixed correctly.There is another ingrediant, Ill PM you that ( unless the mods dont have a problem with me teaching AF'rs how to make C4 ) once i get home, for some reason I cant send PMs right now. As for the me method of detination, Ill need more info on exactly how you need to accomplish this.
If you can IM later tonight, my SN's are in my profile.

[96Civ]

^^^hey man, could you PM me the instructions?? I usually go out with friends and do fun stuff like that.

[twospirits]

Originally Posted by Tehvisseeus

Keep in mind that I am a chem student so I have full access to pretty much any chemical that would be required in order to accomplish this.

Originally Posted by lurker rex

http://winn.com/bs/atombomb.html

Who would be around to grade it.

TS out (evacuating)

[freakray]

What's with all these threads from people wanting help with their school work?

Has COT became the study hall or something?

[ghostguy6]

every pyro's dream http://www.phreak.org/index/archive02/pyro/pyro.shtml
(mod feel free to delete if nessecary)

[Jas_M]

Originally Posted by taranaki

What the hell kind of school allows bomb-making experiments as part of the curriculum?

Perhaps he's from the Middle East?

[Tehvisseeus]

Ok let me get more indepth on this since I'm at home usin my comp and not typin in between classes at school hehe.

Every year my High School has an contest called the pumpkin drop. This event is held by the physics department, and they are supposed to create apparatuses that will protect the pumpkin from a fall from 3 stories.

This year a new teacher came to our chem department. She is more fun than most of the teachers, and decided to try to convince the physics teachers to allow her AP chem class to join in. Obviously building a structure able to withstand a fall from 3 stories isnt a chemistry problem, we my class decided to improvise and create our own rules and our teacher went along with it.

We have decided that the only way to make the pumpkin drop into a contest that chemistry would apply to, we would have to blow up the pumpkin.

Ok now onto the rules
-can not contain shrapnel
-must be able to be safely transported
-must have some way of being set off in the middle of the fall
-cant harm the onlookers (theyll be standing about 30ft away)

Other than those rules its pretty much open season. The pumpkin is raise the 3 stories on an accordian riser, not sure what its really called, and then thrown over by the physics teachers.

Hope someone can come up with somethin good hehe.

[Tehvisseeus]

Originally Posted by freakray

What's with all these threads from people wanting help with their school work?

Well I could probably come up with something fairly easily on my own, just wanting to see if anyone has any ideas that would far outshine mine. Plus you have to admit it is kinda a cool thing to think about lol.

[tman]

hollow out enough pumpkin to get a thin walled plastic container about 5 inches by 3 inches. have a dividing wall in the middlewith a small opening across the top. In each part of the container, fill one side full of water. On the other side, a tiny amount (2-3grams) of Pure soduim metal. As the pumpkin falls, make sure it has a slight spin(so the water will slosh into the sodium container), and go BOOM!!!

This will be safe to transport as long as it isn't tilted so the water prematurely hits the sodium.

We did this in my chemistry, except there was a bucket of water, and a handful of sodium...

get the yearbook class to take pictures, duh!

[Raz_Kaz]

/\ Isn't there an IMMEDIATE reaction with water and pure sodium? I think he wants it to explode midfall, not in the teachers face

[KustmAce]

Get a couple cases of sparklers, then shave all the powder off. The wrap the powder VERY tightly in a ball of electrical tape, stick in a fuse, and enjoy the show. Just make sure its wrapped very tightly or it wont work.

[eversio11]

Originally Posted by Raz_Kaz

/\ Isn't there an IMMEDIATE reaction with water and pure sodium? I think he wants it to explode midfall, not in the teachers face

How about a string connected to the middle divider, so when it falls you hold onto the string and measure it out so midway the divider pulls out?