USU-Uintah Basin Publication Recognized Internationally

A peer-reviewed journal article written by Utah State University-Uintah Basin’s Dean and Executive Director Boyd Edwards, along with other faculty and staff members, has been selected for inclusion in the European Journal of Physics Highlights of 2014 Collection.

The article, “Angry Birds Realized: water balloon launcher for teaching projectile motion with drag,” describes a water-balloon launcher that provides an engaging way to teach projectile motion and elastic energy to students of a wide variety of ages. Co-authors include Leslie Woodward, David Sam, William Booth and Mike Christiansen.

Articles in the European Journal of Physics Highlights of 2014 Collection were selected on the basis of quality, praise from referees and download volume. The European Journal of Physics is an international journal dedicated to maintaining and improving the standard of physics taught in universities and other higher education institutes.

“It is an honor to be included in this collection,” said Edwards.

The article introduces an eight-foot collapsible slingshot launcher capable of hurling a water balloon the length of a football field, with fully adjustable launch angle and thrust, and with the nonlinear elastic properties of the tubing determining the launch speed. Quadratic air drag, often ignored in undergraduate physics problems, is shown to reduce the projectile range by up to 30 percent.

The article has been downloaded 2,300 times and its video abstract has been viewed 280 times. A second article posted to USU’s University Libraries’ Digital Commons describing how to build the launcher has been downloaded 900 times. A KSL television news story describing the use of the launcher at a science camp was aired by 53 NBC affiliate stations across 29 states in the United States.

For more information, contact Boyd Edwards, 435-722-1700.