Impacts of Cannons

Economic Impacts:

Hand Cannon

Hand Cannon had an impact to the economy because it was one of the early cannons to be created. This cannon was developed in China, and it was used in the Battle of Ain Jalut. The Battle of Ain Jalut was a battle between the Mongols and the Mamluks. The cannon, although originated in China, were used by the Mamluks (Egypt) because they already had the same technology as the Chinese did. The Mamluks had used the weapon to their advantage by shooting it to frighten the horses. The Mongols fought on horseback (cavalry), so this was an effective way to make the opponent vulnerable.  (from American Legion's Burnpit)

Falconet

The Falconet was used by both sides (Great Britain and the colonies) during the American Revolution. It was one of the most commonly used weapons at the time. Both had the same technology, so neither of them had a great advantage over the other. These were all decorated with engravings of reptiles, birds, or beasts.

(Wikipedia)

Smooth bore 12-pounder Napoleon Gun

This cannon was used during the Civil War by both sides, Union and the Confederacy and was one of the most common weapons involved in the war. However, the North and the South created it from different materials since they had access to different things. The Union made it with iron, what cannons are typically made from. The confederacy, however, made the entire cannon out of bronze. The quality of the Smooth bore 12-pounder Napoleon Gun of the South was so much higher and advanced than that of the Union because the bronze withstood more damage. (from CivilWarTalk.com)

"Dora" (Heavy Gustav) Railroad Cannon

This cannon was ordered to be made by Hitler during the World War II. Hitler demanded the heaviest and the most powerful gun that'll be able to withstand and demolish everything. This cannon was destructive, its 800mm shells destroyed almost everyhing in its path. However, it proved to not be as good of a weapon as they had originally hoped. The problem was that it was difficult to maintain. A weapon as large as this was very expensive, and it was easily targeted in battlefields because nothing could conceal this massive machine. The barrel only held a hundred rounds, and it required almost a thousand troops for it to operate which was too many to spare. (everything2.com)

British Howitzer

The British Howitzer was mainly used during World War I by the British(obviously). These were very destructive, but also worked as a shield. The massive body could cover many people behind it, allowing them to dodge the bullets during a war.

(Wikipedia)

81mm M1 Mortar

This weapon was mainly used in the marines. It was the largest weapon used overseas. It was favored for its flexible fire capability. The angle could be changed, and it shot with high trajectory. They were used during World War I by the U.S. It was the first man-portable mortar, and it also caused great effect. It was useful because it could change its aim quickly and it could stop attacks even in the worst possible situation. (ww2gyrene.org)



Social Impacts:

The cannons have developed in its physical power and its usage over several centuries. At first, the cannons were used more psychologically than physically, because it didn't impose as much damage. (Wikipedia) However, now cannons are used to HARM and to harm them badly. The cannons have always both created and destroyed. At the Battle of Ain Jalut, the Mongols and the Mamluks were fighting over territory. The cannon worked in the Mamluk's favor and it defeated the Mongols. This event helped expand the Mamluk territory, and with that, came more creations. However, it destroyed the Mongol region. Many cannons were used in the World War II. The Germans upgraded their tanks at an amazing rate and that helped the Germans defeat some nations, but overall it resulted in their defeat. The materials have went to waste, their country was left in turmoil. However, the cannons and weaponry used by the allies did cause damage, but it also created more, like liberty and equal rights for the Jews. The Falcon was used during the American Revolution and it contributed to theachievement of American's liberty.

These weapons could harm many, but also create many new things. It basically matters on your ethics. What you stand up for, and doing what is right, may help you create more things with weapons that destroy.

Chemistry Component

This was a chemistry project, so there's a lot of components involved in this experiment that requires some understanding in chemistry.
What we're basically doing in this project is creating our own cannons our of limited material, and launching them the farthest it could go. The gas we are going to use in this experiment is ethanol,  and ethanol reacting with Oxygen results in combustion which will cause the pressure that will fire the cannon.

Balanced Chemical Equation ↓

C₂H₅OH + 3O₂ → 2CO₂ + 3H₂O

The gas laws played a big part in this project.

For example, we made sure to make a small gas chamber instead of a big one, because by Boyle's Law, the volume of the gas is inversely proportional to its pressure. So we estimated that the smaller the chamber is, the more force it'll impose. Not only that, but by Charle's Law, volume and temperature are directly proportional. So, the larger the volume, the higher the temperature and if the temperature rises, so will the pressure. The key point in this part was that the chamber cannot be so big that the pressure won't build, but not so small that the temperature will make a significant amount of difference.

I think I have failed to mention this before, but the launch of the cannon isn't goint to be until Spring. The justification behind this also involves the gas law. This involves Gay-Lussac's Law (Do not make fun of the poor man's name (; ). Gay-Lussac's Law states that the pressure and temperature are directly proportional. The problem this imposes is that if the temperature is cold outside like it is now, the pressure won't build up as well as it should and the launch will end up in a failure. Instead of risking our precious projects having no results other than disintegrating, Mr. Kelly decided to launch in the Spring when it's warm, and our cannons can show its true effect.


So, because the launch isn't happening until then we don't have a reflection yet as to what we will change in the future. The one I definitely have in mind, is not the cannon's composition but the fact that we only had about four hours total to come up with an idea and make the cannon. Since seminar is gone now and my teammates have completely different schedules than I do, it was difficult to come together and establish the best idea possible. Next time, I think we should have more time so that we can come up with the very best!

English Component

Ethics of Weapon Development

I am against the development of weaponry in our nation, and the overall world. The weapons are constantly being advanced and I do not see a point in it. These weapons can cause more damage than anything else and the countries are desperate in overcoming one another in its arms forces. I believe that weapons do more bad than it does good. The destruction that these weapons cause is very clear, even in the bits of clips that we actually get to see. The real battleground is bound to be much worse.

A Long Way Gone

In A Long Way Gone, destructive weapons such as AK-47 were given to children. The children were forced to turn into soldiers and were brainwashed to become emotionless killing machines. I believe that the weapons played a significant effect in the brainwashing process of the children. These weapons make killing easy for these children. Ishmael, at first, was terrified of shooting the gun. He couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. However, after his first kill, he didn't even think about the people that were losing their lives because of him.

Not just Ishmael, but the soldiers and the child soldiers may be influenced by their access to weaponry that makes killing simple. It seems like a videogame. Like in some countries, they train the soldiers with videogames because it is basically the same concept. One little move can kill someone, and it makes the person feel as if they're invincible. Nobody is invincible, and nobody should think that (unless someday those crazy scientists make a potion that can turn a person invincible). Killing is a crime, and making that any easier counts as contribution to the murderer. I am against weaponry in general, and I am against its develepment and usage.

Math Component

Cannon Blog: Math Component

Initial velocity equation: (speed (ft/sec))cos(launch angle)

Use the quadratic model h = -16t²+v₀t+h₀ to solve the following problem.

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. 

Quadratic Model: h= -16t²+192t+32

highest point:

Since the parabola is symmetrical, the midpoint of the x in the parabola is the x in the vertex, and the y of the vertex will be the highest point of the parabola, which in this case, will result in the highest point of the cannon. 

The zeroes of this parabola is 0 and approximately 12.16sec

The midpoint of that will be (12.16+0)/2, which is 6.08(seconds).

-16(6.08)²+192(6.08)+32 = Highest point = 607.9

The highest point of the cannon is 607.9ft.

time:

-192±√(192)²-4(-16)(32)   =  12.16sec

                     2(-16)            

The cannon ball is in the air for approximately 12.16seconds.

1.     How high does the cannonball go?  607.9ft

2.     How long is the cannonball in the air? 12.16seconds

Or, you could've done it in the calculator ;)
It just looks more official to have the actual equation in there, in my opinion.

Justification for the degrees

In our cannon, we are using the 45 degree angle for it to result in the best possible launch. The General Ballistic Trajectory states that the 45 degree angle gives the maximum range of the launch.