I confess. I’m a channel flipper. Blame it on having an over abundance of channels at my fingertips, or a short attention span. The more strange and odd the program or episode, the more likely I’m to stop and watch. That’s just how my mind works.
The other day I stumbled across such a program on the Science Channel – Punkin Chunkin. You had teams lined up on the edge of an open field with their modern day catapults armed with pumpkins. Teams compete in divisions such as centrifugal, human power, theatrical and torsion. Some were even engineered using the old trebuchet, others pneumatic air, but all were highly unique, reflecting the different personalities of each team. Many of the team’s names were every bit as interesting as their machines: Pumpkin Upchunkin, Bust-O-Matic, Sir Chunks-a-lot, Roman Revenge, and yes, even Chucky. The objective was simple: which team could fling their 8 to 10 pound pumpkin the farthest distance. (As you can probably tell at this point, I was hooked.)
Okay, okay, catapults are nothing new. In fact, it’s a rather old invention. Alexander The Great was the first recorded user of battlefield catapults. The Romans and their ballistae followed soon behind, throwing rocks and burning pitch in a ballistic trajectory. But I as sat and watched, I could not help but think if those catapults of old could launch something as far as 4,694.68 feet, the current world record held by American Chunker.
Interested in knowing some of the physics behind making these catapults work, or pumpkins fly? Turns out that Wired did a blog some time back covering this very thing. Many of the pumpkin-launching machines today seem to follow only one rule: bigger is better. Here’s some light on the science to help you build your own pumpkin chucker:
https://www.wired.com/2010/11/the-physics-of-punkin-chunkin/
"The Punkinator," Grant Imahara's hypothetical design, is a hydraulics-powered, Fibonacci-cammed catapult with a roller-chain linkage. Illustration: Grant Imahara.
Turns out that I’m not alone in my excitement for pumpkin chunkin’. A number of different engineering schools at various universities and colleges are lining up to see who can take home the trophy and top-school engineering bragging rights. As Grant, any engineer, tinkerer or student will tell you, it’s all about making engineering fun and testing limits. It’s this engineering passion and enthusiasm for invention that drives new design.
The World Championship for Punkin Chunkin in 2015 isn’t until the first weekend of November. Until then, I can’t help but wonder if all these shattered pumpkins will keep the Legend of Sleepy Hollow alive and well. If I close my eyes, I can hear the approach of the Headless Horseman. Or is it the sound of catapults hurling pumpkins through the air?
Couple of other sources to check out:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/question5021.htm
https://punkinchunkin.com/
David Fambrough is a technical writer for Mouser Electronics. He’s adamant that Lost in Space, Star Trek and James Bond have had a strong role in inspiring innovation and new design.