A physical model for the popsicle stick cobra

Abstract

Popsicle stick bombs are easy-to-build wooden constructions that probably reminisce a few funny moments of our childhood. In this work we look deeper in the travelling wave and we examine which parameters affect the height of the wave and how. We investigate the physics of bent materials and derive their potential energy around which we base our theoretical model. We present the results of the experiments that we performed which referred to the Young’s modulus, the geometry of the sticks and their maximum height of the jump after the ‘explosion’. We compare the experimental results with the theoretical predictions and we discuss these comparisons. Lastly, we propose potential improvements that might increase the precision of our model.

Keywords

• elasticity
• elastic constants
• general physics
• deformation and plasticity