Golden Snitch Catapults – Harry Potter Science Experiment

Here at Science Sparks, we’re huge Harry Potter fans, so with that in mind, I have some fun Harry Potter science experiments coming up over the next few weeks. First up are our golden snitch catapults.

How to make a golden snitch catapult

You’ll need

Wide lolly sticks/craft sticks

Elastic bands

Table tennis balls

Feathers or white paper

Double-sided tape

Milk bottle top

Sharpies to decorate

Gold glitter glue

Instructions

• Follow the video to see how to build your catapult.

To make the golden snitch, we coloured in a table tennis ball with a brown Sharpie and coated it in eco glitter glue. Once dry, I used a hot glue gun to attach feather wings.

Investigation Ideas

• Measure how far the catapult travels if you push it down as far as possible.
• Design an investigation to find out whether a feather or a paper golden snitch travels the furthest.
• Find out what happens if you make the snitch lighter or heavier.

How do catapults work?

When you push down on the milk bottle top, the lolly stick catapult arm bends, giving it energy. When the arm is released, the energy is transferred to the ping pong ball, which flies through the air.

The further down the lolly stick is pushed the more force is used, which gives the lolly stick more energy to transfer to the ping pong ball, this means it should travel further.

Last Updated on March 14, 2024 by Emma Vanstone