Monkey and Hunter Demo

The Problem of the Monkey and the Hunter: Now you can demonstrate this classic discrepant event! It's one thing to analyze the math of this classic physics problem. But when students actually see the bullet's projectile path and the monkey's free fall they're not just convinced that the hunter will hit his target, they're amazed at the power of science! In this apparatus, the "monkey" (a disk) hangs from its "tree" (an electromagnet) up to 4 feet away from the ball launcher (the hunter). Align the hunter using the laser sight, aim the ball directly at the monkey, pull back the plunger, and release. At the instant the ball is launched, the power to the electromagnet is interrupted, causing the monkey to fall. The ball will hit the monkey every time provided that the launcher is aimed at the monkey before firing. Please note: It is important to note, that in order for the Monkey and Hunter to work accurately, you must clamp the base of the bracket using a standard “C” clamp to the desktop or lab stand.