Group+1


 * Mythbusters & The Scientific Method **

=1. Explain the myth that you wish to investigate:= In "The Dark Knight", the Joker slams the head of one of man onto a pencil sticking up on a table. We want to investigate whether the pencil would go through the table, into the man's head, or just break. The tip of the pencil is in the table, and the eraser is sticking up.

=2. What is your prediction and why do you believe this?= Our prediction is that the pencil will snap in half, because it is not strong enough to withstand the force directly on the top of the pencil. The pencil won't have enough force to go through the table and it won't have enough force to pierce the skull, so it will just break into pieces. The pencil in the movie is a new (full length) pencil, so this will increase the chance that it will snap. =3. What are the main physics concepts you will be considering (e.g. Inertia, Newton's 3rd Law, conservation of Momentum, etc.)= The main physics concepts we will be considering are: -Newton's Third Law of Motion -impact forces and strength of materials

=4.What are the variables that you will be measuring in your experiment? What are the controls in your experimental setup= . (A control could be that you have to wear rubber gloves so that you don't sweat on your equipment) = Controls = · Use new pencils, all of the same brand. · Use the same table thickness as the one in the movie. · Use a skull substitute that has the same or very close to the same hardness as a human skull. - Use the same force measuring device for all measurements so the accuracy is consistent.

=Variables=


 * Amount of force a pencil can take on the top.


 * How much force it takes to push a pencil/sharp object though a table.


 * How much force a human skull can take before a pencil will go through it.

=5. Describe your experiment in point form= Steps of the experiment: · Find a suitable substitute for a human skull and measure how much force it takes for a pencil to pierce it. · Find a table that is approximately the same thickness as the table used in the movie and measure how much force it takes for a pencil to pierce it. · Find out how much impact force a pencil can take from above. · Push the pencil into the table a bit, like in the movie, and smash it from above with the skull substitute and see what happens to the pencil - does it go into the table, skull, or neither?

=6. How do you think you will analyze and present your data (types of charts, graphs, pictures, etc.)=

Graphs, Tables


 * COMMENTS:**

An interesting project. When looking at the video, it is really not clear what happens to the pencil. It could simply have broken and the man was injured as a result of his head slamming the table - OUCH!

You might also want to investigate force and surface area since this will have an affect on what happens. - was the tip of the pencil up or the eraser? I'd suggest that you organize your data in table form. it will allow you to present multiple tries in a simple form. You will also be able to preform a % variation calculation if you do multiple trials.