We spent 20 dollars on springs. We drilled, sawed, screwed, and stapled. We planned, tested, and made adjustments.
What we have to show for our work is the most grotesque catapult known to man.
Our design was simple. We wanted to make a wooden arm push down against a compressible spring so that the spring would propel the arm forward and launch a projectile. The wood would be on a hinge.
But of course physics isn't as simple as it sounds. We could not find compressible springs. We went traipsing around Westchester looking for one. We finally found one, in a store with a receipt bearing the address of "Mellville, NY". Where is that???
That spring didn't work.
Then we hit Spring Utopia-In a hardware store within walking distance from my house.
Those didn't work either.
So we decided to give up aesthetics and get down to business. Our lovely wooden arm was too heavy, so we sawed off a meter stick. The compressible springs weren't working, so we bought stretchy springs that pull the stick instead of push it. We also adopted a delicate system of keys and quarters that are wedged in various places to keep the meter stick from flying too far.
Calibrating the monstrosity was a nightmare. Our meter stick is full of staple holes.
But we spent hours launching a small rubber Battle Toad across Amanda's basement and laughing.
There's got to be something poetic in that.
The Past Stranger Than Fictions
Why Not? I'm nice, really!
© 1997
