Cannons From Pre 1800s to Modern Day And My Groups Cannon Project

Purpose/Goal: To create a functioning cannon using only tennins ball tubes, scissors, and  18 inches of tape

Materials List:
1. 2 Tennis ball tubes

2. Scissors

3. Protractor

4. 18 inches of tape

5. ruler

Preliminary Ideas:

Design Process/Reasoning:

1. We chose to make the cannon a 45 degree angle because we    
found through mathematical reseach that a 45 degree angle will give us the farthest horizontal projectile distance.


2. We put the front support on the cannon to stabalize the cannons 45 degree angle and to prevent the cannon from jerking forward as a result of thrust after the ignition of the ethonol gas.


3. We put the back support on the cannon to give the cannon more elevation from the ground in the primary design; thus, possibly increasing the overall height of the projected nerf ball by a few inches.


4. We made the barrel shorter than planned in the original design because according to Boyle's Law, volume and pressure are inversely related; hence, by decreasing the volume of the barrel we're hoping to increase the pressure buildup inside the barrel.


5. We're not sure if our design plan will launch because according to Gay- Lussac's Law, temperature and pressure are directly related meaning if we were to shoot the cannon in cold weather, the pressure buildup would be significantly lesser than if we were to shoot it on a warmmer day. If everything goes well and the universe is on our side, the sun will be shining and heating it up outside on the day of the launch. :) 
 
Procedure:
1. We did mathmatical research to help us create the best possible functioning cannon.

Example of website used to help us determine the best angle to set our cannon at

2. We drew up possible designs and voted on the best one.

One example of our team's design ideas

3. We trimmed each tennis ball tube to the desired shape, using the scissors, following the basic drawing of our  design

Caroline helping cut the tennis ball tubes

4. After each piece was cut, the cannon was assembled and held together by one person while other people measured the tape (we could only use 18 inches) to hold the pieces permanantly in place.

Me holding the cannon together while Newman and Ayina measured the tape

5. We each checked the cannon for any visible problems before using the scissors to poke a hole in the back of the barrel for the wood splint that will be used to light the cannon.

Cannon almost finished after being checked by everyone
(Newman REALLY wanted to look at the camera)

6. Everyone threw out names but we never came anywhere close to agreeing on one SOOO...
7. I dub thee, The Cannon of Namelessness (Da Da Da Dum) YAY!!!!!

Combustion Reaction of Ethanol and Oxygen

C₂H₅OH + O₂  => CO₂ + H₂O

 To balance your chemical equation, you have insert coefficients before the  chemical formulas until there is a balanced number of each element.
C₂H₅OH + 3 O₂ => 2 CO₂ + 3 H₂O

 Math Component:

We used this formula to solve the problem below and to relate math to the launch of our cannons.

-16t²+v₀t+h₀

_{A cannonball is shot upward from the upper deck of a fort with an initial velocity of 192 feet per second. The deck is 32 feet above the ground.}

_{I used the Quatradic Model when 192= initial velocity(v) and 32= initial height(h) and the formula -b/2a to solve for the x- intercept of the graph.}

_{To Find out how high the cannonball went I had to solve by...}

1)   Quadratic Equation: -16t²+192t+32

2) -b/2a = -192/-32 = 6 soooo... the x-intercept is 6

3) To find the y-intercept, I plugged the x-intercept into the quadratic equationto get:

-16(6)²+192(6)+32 which equals 608; hence, the vertex of the graph and the cannonball's

 vertex is (6, 608) and the highest point is 608 feet

To find out how long the cannonball was in the air, I solved by...

1) Using the Quadratic Formula: Negative b plus or minus the square root of b square minus 4ac divided by 2a and plugging in my a, b, and c coefficients from the quadratic equation.


Quadratic Formula



2) I solved the resulting equation of negative 192 plus or minus the square root of 192 squared minus 4 times negative 16 times 32, all divided by -32 by using order of operations

3) my resulting answer was 12.16 seconds

English Component and Ethics Argument

Question: Is it moral for societies to develop weapons of mass destruction for any reason?

One of the main ethics called into play when people think of weapons of mass destruction is the question of whether or not it is morally right for a society to kill innocent people in the process of trying to eliminate those that are a threat.  For example, in the book A Long Way Gone, which I read in English class, an army called the RUF tore through the country of Sierra Leone killing men, women, and children. Anyone who was in the way was killed despite the fact they were innocent citizens. The other side of the war, The Army, said they fought for the freedom of Sierra Leone but their actions were very similar to those of the RUF. Both groups didn’t realize the harm they had done because they armies taught them twisted morals so they thought what they were doing was right.
 In my personal opinion, weapons of mass destruction shouldn’t be used under any circumstances but I don’t count cannons as weapons of mass destruction because the damage they cause is very minimal compared to that of a true weapon of destruction. For example, the nuclear bomb can take out entire cities in one blow while people within miles of the blast will die from radiation poisoning. Almost every country of the world has nuclear power so if anyone threw the first straw there wouldn’t be a last. While cannons leave massive devastation on the battlefield, the impact of their use doesn’t span far beyond that; hence, they are far less dangerous even though they are used more often. Nuclear weapons may not be used as frequently, but they cause societies to change in unimaginable ways.

Another ethic called into play is the golden rule of treat others the way you want to be treated because more than likely, if you attack someone, they’re going to attack you back. In war, no one wins, so wouldn’t the best option be to avoid war? I would think so but apparently it’s not that simple. Without war and weapons, societies would have no way to defend themselves in case someone did choose to light a fuse. I guess there really is no way to avoid war completely but there is a way to prevent use of weapons of mass destruction. Don’t use the weapons because no matter what it accomplishes, it is unethical and kills innocent people.

Cannon History

     Cannons have been used throughout history as early as the 1300s and have always left their mark on society’s culture in different ways. For the early United States of America, cannons help us to win our independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War. Cannons were used by Americans in battles such as the Battle of Bunker where American troops open fired on the defenseless British as they attempted to charge up the hill. Cannons were also used at the Battle at Yorktown where the Americans and the French fought the British together, Americans on land and French over the water.  The American cannons were used as the primary defense cannons against the cannons of the British while the French’s cannons were used to destroy the British ship fleet. After the surrender of General Cornwallis, the colonies had been liberated from Great Britain. In World War 2, cannons were used as anti-airplane weapons and the Germans used tanks as a major strategic weapon. Although the Allies used their cannons to defend the Jewish people, by the end of the war, over half of the Jewish society had been murdered by the Nazis. Cannons couldn’t defend an entire population of people from a great force with equal or greater firepower. I don’t know if cannons can necessarily create a society, but I know a war or simply a battle can, depending on the turnout. The Battle of the Alamo may have been one battle that created or maybe just added to a preexisting society (either way something was gained not lost). Although Mexico won the battle, the battle was costly for Mexican general, Santa Anna, and may have cost him the war due to the many causalities suffered by his side in addition to the Texans side. Since the battle took longer than expected, there was time for more Texan troops to train and prepare for battle. Also, the number of causalities from the Mexican side was abnormally high; thus, weakening them before they were defeated. The Texans lost the battle in The Alamo, but because of that battle’s turnout, they won the war and there society’s culture was eventually added to that of the United States. ("Battle of the Alamo." Wikipedia.org)




Revolutionary War Cannons (Pre 1800s)


Garrison Cannons were manufactured in France. The barrel of the garrison cannon was very similar to the field cannon but, the stand had smaller wheels because it was usually placed in forts or on ships where the cannon rested on fort walls or ships without the need to move; hence, these were usually more permanently positioned. Also, these cannons were designed mainly to fire with a flat (straight) trajectory  were and extremely valuable in the Battle of Yorktown (where America won its independence) because they were used by the French gunners to fire what were known as hot shots, or plain cannon balls heated until they were red hot that burned and sunk the British Frigate. Bar and chain shots were also commonly used in the destruction of ships since they were two cannonballs connected that could do twice the damage to a ship hull and cause it to sink quicker. ("Artillery at the Siege of Yorktown." xenophongroup.com) and ("11th Pennsylvania Regiment Artillery." http://www.11thpa.org/)


Replica Garrison Cannon

 Field cannons were manufactured in France and were designed for mobility on the battlefield. Field cannons were best at firing shots on flat trajectory angles and were known for the destruction of their shrapnel as it “bounced” through enemy lines. The ammunition was usually solid cast iron balls made by pouring liquid iron into molds that cooled and hardened into the shape of round balls. A ball was strapped to a wooden bowl called a sabot then the wooden bowl was attached to a bag filled with gun powder. After the ammunition was assembled, the entire assembly was inserted into the cannon. When the soldiers lit the gun powder the exploded powder projected the cannon ball into the air. Sometimes solid ball or grape shot ammunition would be used based on what the soldiers had. Solid ball was used more to destroy forts and weapons while grape shot ammunition scattered into bunches of pellets to stop advancements of enemy troops. These cannons were easily movable on the battlefield and were used to acquire strategic land positions in the Battle of Yorktown as the primary land defense cannons. They were used mainly to destroy enemy cannons that posed the most threat. ("Artillery at the Siege of Yorktown." xenophongroup.com) and ("11th Pennsylvania Regiment Artillery." http://www.11thpa.org/)

Decorative Field Cannon resembling a real one

Civil War Cannons (1800-1900s)



The 3-inch ordnance rifle was invented by John Griffen and they were extremely durable with a wrought-iron barrel. These cannons were mainly manufactured by the Phoenix Iron Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. There were a few cases of the barrel bursting or fracturing as with other types of rifle cannon guns. Rifling a cannon adds grooves to the inside of the barrel to cause the ball to spin parallel to the tube and increase shot accuracy by preventing the ball from in other directions that could throw it off course. These cannons were used in the Battle of Atlanta by Union gunners. They were used to gain control of a major railroad used by the Confederates, in Atlanta. (Heiser, John. "The Civil War Soldier."http://www.nps.gov/)

The Whitworth cannon was designed by Joseph Whitworth and manufactured in England. Although it was a rare gun during the war, it had good accuracy at long distance shots. Its incredible accuracy made it a great weapon for firing consistent shots over large bodies of water. Ammunition for these guns included canisters, shells, and spherical cases. They were used by Hurt's Alabama Battery at Gettysburg but the distinctive whine of these particular cannon was easily distinguishable, giving warning to the enemy troops when one of these cannons was fired; hence, they were not often used to damage infantry units. (Heiser, John. "The Civil War Soldier."http://www.nps.gov/)

Replica of a Civil War Whitworth Cannon

1900- Modern Day Cannons

Although the M252 Mortar cannon’s place of origin is the United Kingdom, it is commonly used in the U.S. It was even used in the Gulf War. The cannon is designed with a barrel length of 1.27 meters that is elevated on a bipod and base plate support system. Ammunition for this cannon comes in many varieties, including six types of high explosives, two types of smoke cartridges, two kinds of illumination, and four kinds of infrared illumination. All of the previous ammunition types are shot typically in a high arch, making the calculation of their landing area difficult. Mortar cannons are commonly used because they are easy to transport from area to area in case of emergency or if a more strategic shot opens up. Mortar cannons have been known to cause great damage with their many firing ranges and well suited ammunition making them important military tools to gain an upper hand in combat. ("M252 Mortar." Wikipedia.org. Jan 12, 2011") and ( "Artillery" http://www.americanrevolution.org/)



M252 Mortar Cannon



M777 Howitzer: These cannons are manufactured by BAE Systems' Global Combat Systems and can range from heavy to light style artillery pieces. M777 Howitzers have only been used since 2008 when they were used in Afghanistan and made a significant impact at the Battle of Panjwaii. They were also used in the War in Iraq. The cannon is made with titanium to reduce the overall weight and it also has a smaller size than the M198 Howitzer it replaced. Its smaller size makes transportation by helicopter more efficient when the cannon has to be pulled out of battle. Ammunition for these guns is GPS navigated for up to twenty miles which provides for more accurate firing capability! The GPS navigated shells also help to accurately destroy desired targets, making these cannons great military weapons for offence or defense.("M777 Howitzer." Wikipedia.org., Jan 12 201") and ( "Artillery" http://www.americanrevolution.org/)



M777 Howitzer Cannon


Social and Economic Impact of Cannons

Cannons have been used throughout history as early as the 1300s and have always left their mark on society’s culture in different ways. As an example, for the early United States of America, cannons help us to win our independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War. Cannons were used by Americans in battles such as the Battle of Bunker where American troops open fired on the defenseless British as they attempted to charge up the hill. Cannons were also used at the Battle at Yorktown where the Americans and the French fought the British together, Americans on land and French over the water.  The American cannons were used as the primary defense cannons against the cannons of the British while the French’s cannons were used to destroy the British ship fleet. After the surrender of General Cornwallis, the colonies had been liberated from Great Britain. In World War 2, cannons were used as anti-airplane weapons and the Germans used tanks as a major strategic weapon. Although the Allies used their cannons to defend the Jewish people, by the end of the war, over half of the Jewish society had been murdered by the Nazis. Cannons couldn’t defend an entire population of people from a great force with equal or greater firepower. I don’t know if cannons can necessarily create a society, but I know a war or simply a battle can, depending on the turnout. The Battle of the Alamo may have been one battle that created or maybe just added to a preexisting society (either way something was gained not lost). Although Mexico won the battle, the battle was costly for Mexican general, Santa Anna, and may have cost him the war due to the many causalities suffered by his side in addition to the Texans side. Since the battle took longer than expected, there was time for more Texan troops to train and prepare for battle. Also, the number of causalities from the Mexican side was abnormally high; thus, weakening them before they were defeated. The Texans lost the battle in The Alamo, but because of that battle’s turnout, they won the war and there society’s culture was eventually added to that of the United States.

Works Cited

"11th Pennsylvania Regiment Artillery." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan 2011. <http://www.11thpa.org/artillery.html>.

"Artillery." AmericanRevolution.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan 2011. <http://www.americanrevolution.org/artillery.html>.

"Artillery at the Siege of Yorktown." xenophongroup.com. N.p., December 20, 2001. Web. 14 Jan 2011. <http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/yrtnarty.htm>.

"M777 Howitzer." Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 12 Jan 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M777_howitzer>.

"M252 Mortar." Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 12 Jan 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M252_mortar>.

Heiser, John. "The Civil War Soldier." www.nps.gov. Gettysburg National Military Park, May 1998. Web. 9 Jan 2011. <http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/soldierlife/artillery.htm>.

"Battle of the Alamo." Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo>.

Pictures

N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan 2011. <http://www.nickelmedia.com/models/FieldCannon2.jpg>.

N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan 2011. <http://www.wholesaleskylanterns.com/media/ecom/prodlg/078-2000.jpg>.

N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan 2011. <http://images.military.com/EQGpics/EQG_WArtM252_1.jpg>.

N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan 2011. <http://www.army-technology.com/projects/ufh/images/M777_6.jpg>.

N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan 2011.< http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/CW_Arty_Whitworth.jpg.>

N.p., n.d. Web.  28 Jan 2011. <http://0.tqn.com/d/militaryhistory/1/0/L/-/-/-/OrdRifle.jpg>